Expectations from analysts suggested U.S. auto sales would decline by as much as 5 percent in August 2016, a year-over-year drop of more than 70,000 units.
In the end, it wasn’t quite that bad. But August 2016’s 4-percent drop translated to a decline of 55,000 sales for an industry that grew by more than 116,000 sales in the first-half of 2016, a decent rate of expansion given the record-setting pace from one year ago.
There were industry bright spots in August 2016. Subaru reported an all-time monthly record of more than 60,000 sales. This was the best August ever for the Jeep brand. American luxury — Cadillac and Lincoln — was on the rise. Volvo’s resurgence continues apace.
At the same time, however, America’s three largest sellers of automobiles combined to lose 45,776 sales. General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Toyota Motor Corp. all suffered noteworthy declines.
The Toyota Camry, despite a sharp 13-percent loss, was still America’s top-selling car, albeit by a tiny margin. The Honda CR-V was tops among SUVs and crossovers. Ford’s F-Series, outsold by the full-size GM twins, claimed top spot among pickups and vehicles overall. Lexus was America’s top-selling premium brand. Ford was America’s most popular auto brand.
| Auto Brand | August 2016 | August 2015 | % Change | 2016 YTD | 2015 YTD | % Change |
|
Acura
|
14,246 | 15,313 | -7.0% | 106,914 | 117,315 | -8.9% |
|
Alfa Romeo
|
37 | 97 | -61.9% | 375 | 451 | -16.9% |
|
Audi
|
19,264 | 18,794 | 2.5% | 134,562 | 130,063 | 3.5% |
|
BMW
|
25,531 | 27,755 | -8.0% | 204,744 | 223,348 | -8.3% |
|
Buick
|
21,678 | 22,281 | -2.7% | 148,845 | 149,386 | -0.4% |
|
Cadillac
|
16,346 | 15,738 | 3.9% | 103,918 | 110,791 | -6.2% |
|
Chevrolet
|
175,965 | 183,098 | -3.9% | 1,361,675 | 1,425,507 | -4.5% |
|
Chrysler
|
18,753 | 24,132 | -22.3% | 167,151 | 215,211 | -22.3% |
|
Dodge
|
44,340 | 42,195 | 5.1% | 355,998 | 345,896 | 2.9% |
|
Fiat
|
2,732 | 3,477 | -21.4% | 22,078 | 26,595 | -17.0% |
| Ford | 204,168 | 225,244 | -9.4% | 1,702,211 | 1,678,929 | 1.4% |
|
Genesis
|
1,497 | — | — | 1,497 | — | — |
|
GMC
|
42,440 | 49,363 | -14.0% | 348,164 | 362,853 | -4.0% |
|
Honda
|
135,325 | 140,178 | -3.5% | 987,811 | 937,501 | 5.4% |
|
Hyundai
|
70,518 | 72,012 | -2.1% | 519,581 | 514,175 | 1.1% |
|
Infiniti
|
10,439 | 10,635 | -1.8% | 85,362 | 85,348 | 0.0% |
|
Jaguar
|
3,298 | 1,143 | 189% | 17,687 | 10,221 | 73.0% |
|
Jeep
|
86,468 | 77,277 | 11.9% | 630,182 | 553,378 | 13.9% |
|
Kia
|
54,248 | 58,897 | -7.9% | 442,544 | 426,160 | 3.8% |
|
Land Rover
|
6,031 | 5,225 | 15.4% | 48,754 | 42,548 | 14.6% |
|
Lexus
|
30,938 | 33,487 | -7.6% | 210,392 | 222,151 | -5.3% |
|
Lincoln
|
9,243 | 8,636 | 7.0% | 71,638 | 65,284 | 9.7% |
|
Maserati
|
958 | 1,245 | -23.1% | 6,971 | 7,506 | -7.1% |
|
Mazda
|
26,109 | 29,938 | -12.8% | 199,378 | 216,090 | -7.7% |
|
Mercedes-Benz °
|
28,404 | 28,373 | 0.1% | 219,704 | 220,866 | -0.5% |
|
Mercedes-Benz Vans °
|
3,152 | 2,260 | 39.5% | 22,186 | 17,957 | 23.6% |
|
Total Mercedes-Benz °
|
31,556 | 30,633 | 3.0% | 241,293 | 238,823 | 1.0% |
|
Mini
|
4,969 | 5,109 | -2.7% | 34,887 | 40,560 | -14.0% |
|
Mitsubishi
|
7,336 | 8,289 | -11.5% | 67,160 | 65,701 | 2.2% |
|
Nissan
|
114,199 | 122,716 | -6.9% | 969,865 | 915,358 | 6.0% |
|
Porsche
|
5,181 | 5,008 | 3.5% | 35,767 | 34,876 | 2.6% |
|
Ram
|
44,426 | 43,709 | 1.6% | 346,508 | 318,633 | 8.7% |
|
Scion
|
5,627 | 3,895 | 44.5% | 49,770 | 32,691 | 52.2% |
|
Smart
|
353 | 617 | -42.8% | 3,439 | 4,682 | -26.5% |
|
Subaru
|
60,418 | 52,697 | 14.7% | 391,969 | 375,632 | 4.4% |
|
Toyota
|
176,560 | 186,999 | -5.6% | 1,364,996 | 1,418,160 | -3.7% |
|
Volkswagen
|
29,384 | 32,332 | -9.1% | 207,156 | 238,074 | -13.0% |
|
Volvo
|
7,682 | 5,869 | 30.9% | 52,892 | 40,854 | 29.5% |
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
BMW-Mini
|
30,500 | 32,864 | -7.2% | 239,631 | 263,908 | -9.2% |
|
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
|
196,756 | 190,887 | 3.1% | 1,522,292 | 1,460,164 | 4.3% |
|
DaimlerAG
|
31,909 | 31,250 | 2.1% | 245,329 | 243,505 | 0.7% |
|
Ford Motor Co.
|
213,411 | 233,880 | -8.8% | 1,773,849 | 1,744,213 | 1.7% |
|
General Motors
|
256,429 | 270,480 | -5.2% | 1,962,602 | 2,048,537 | -4.2% |
|
Honda Motor Co.
|
149,571 | 155,491 | -3.8% | 1,094,725 | 1,054,816 | 3.8% |
|
Hyundai-Kia
|
126,262 | 130,909 | -3.5% | 963,622 | 940,335 | 2.5% |
|
Jaguar-Land Rover
|
9,329 | 6,368 | 46.5% | 66,441 | 52,769 | 25.9% |
|
Nissan Motor Co.
|
124,638 | 133,351 | -6.5% | 1,055,227 | 1,000,706 | 5.4% |
|
Toyota Motor Corp.
|
213,125 | 224,381 | -5.0% | 1,625,158 | 1,673,002 | -2.9% |
|
Volkswagen Group *
|
54,228 | 56,362 | -3.8% | 378,677 | 404,698 | -6.4% |
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Industry Total †
|
1,511,405
|
1,566,841
|
-3.5%
|
11,667,592
|
11,613,076
|
0.5% |
Source: Manufacturers
[Image Source: Ford Motor Company]
* Volkswagen Group includes sales figures for Audi, Bentley, Porsche, and Volkswagen brands
° Mercedes-Benz USA releases sales figures for the Mercedes-Benz brand in the conventional sense, vans excluded, as well as totals for the Metris and Sprinter vans. The complete picture is included here.
† Industry total takes into account Automotive News figures/estimates for brands such as Tesla (2,250 August units) and other low-volume, high-priced manufacturers.
Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures.
2016 Genesis + 2016 Hyundai = 2015 Hyundai
Congratulations, you beat Corey DL to first post
The G80 (1,497) did better than the GS (1,228) and that’s not counting the 1k or so sales of the Genesis sedan under the Hyundai brand.
Another month of gains for Lincoln. Ford’s efforts seem to be paying off, much to the dismay of da haterz lol.
Yes, an increase of about 600 vehicles.
Break out the champagne.
And none of it can be contributed to the extremely tight inventory levels of the MKEdge a year ago…..
It’s not hate. It’s just that Lincoln has done zero to distinguish their vehicles from lowly Fords for the past 30 years. Badge engineered, vanilla-looking Fords with nicer interiors have been what Lincoln has sold for far too long. That’s why Ford’s chloroform bottle has never been stored to far away from the Lincoln brand. Do they still actually expect domestic and import luxury buyers to swoon over their Fords simply because they have a Lincoln badge on them? It’s obvious that strategy isn’t working anymore. The recent Continental concept looked extremely ungainly at it’s auto show reveal. It looked just as ungainly, bland, and ill-proportioned in the car magazine reviews. Now after seeing a few on the road nothing has changed. It’s anonymous out on the highway. And once again the Continental is STILL based on a lowly Ford platform. Platform sharing can & does work when utilized smartly. AWD luxury sedans succeed only when they’re based off of RWD platforms. It’s all about the dash to axle ratio. Look only at the previous and current generations of GM’s sleek looking full size SUVs. Ford could only come up with that awkward looking new huge box high up on tiny wheels for their brand new Expedition/Navigator?
I like the way you laid out everything. But I also will add that making them in Mexico doesn’t help patriotic buying program.
@agroal
Ok first, you haven’t seen any Continentals on the road. They aren’t out yet.
Everyone does platform sharing – Audi’s are based on VW’s, Lexus on Toyota. Why you are referring to it as the lowly Ford platform is just silly.
Most people don’t care if it’s FWD or RWD. It’s like a manual transmission, the enthusiast loves it, the public doesn’t care.
Ford does have an awful history of slapping a grill and a new badge on and saying it’s a Lincoln but the new models aren’t that. 2016 you can see the shift to more lux models.
You love GM, we get it. Just don’t make up a bunch of stuff about another brand.
I don’t get brand loyalty. Seems like a waste of effort and money but maybe I am wrong.
Yeah, even when they do something right, it’s “wrong.”
But that’s the way it goes around the TTACCJ. Unless you’re driving a brown 6spd Accord, you’re an idiot…
Yes I noticed Lincoln too; they have a tough row to hoe however. Thirty + years of badge engineering hasn’t helped and people still associate the brand as an old man’s car.
They are clearly making an attempt with their product line-up but the market at their end of the spectrum is pretty crowded now so they are really going to have to do something unique and and desirable to build on the the progress that they have enjoyed so far. It’s going to be a challenge for them, no idea how it will turn out.
What exactly is Scion selling? I don’t see any going out of business sales ads.
The iA & iM. They sold 2515 of them + 1397 iMs. My son has a six-speed manual iA that cost him about $13k with recent college grad program + lots of negotiation.
Yeah, they’re having quite the farewell tour.
This is a lot of bad news lurking in those numbers.
The leaders are showing ‘peak auto’.
Jeep and Ram are concealing the duds Chrysler and Fiat. Mazda can’t get traction, but what else is new. Other sub-brands – namely Mini and Smart – are tanking.
The one mystery to me: BMW.
Unless you are Subaru. That company increases sales almost every month. Next year will be even better with the upgraded Forester and New Impreza.
The gospel according to Subaru is spreading as the cult continues to grow. They are giving the LDS a good run for the #1 spot. I swear here in Utah if it’s not a huge pickup or SUV every other vehicle I see is a Subby.
You mock the LDS yet I’m sure you don’t mind the quality of your neighbors and coworkers that are LDS. Agreed Subaru’s are everywhere in UT.
What I don’t understand is WHY Subaru gets all the sales? they are not reliable long term, their AWD that comes with CVT is basically same as any other cheap AWD and nothing like the Subaru AWD we knew before.
Although, I feel, they priced nicely. But would be interesting to see % that are leased.. Ah, it is #1 in buying – 75%. So people really don’t care that so far long term reliability for Subaru has not been good, and it mostly Engine.
I like Subarus ok, but I just don’t get the enthusiasm in the Sunbelt. Subarumania has hit Birmingham, Alabama big time. As for Mazda stagnating, I don’t get that either. The 3, 6, and CX5 are good enough that if there was justice in the world the sales numbers would reverse. I’m also glad to see the emissions thing hasn’t completely KOed VW. At my price range, VW and Mazda are the only two that interest me at all.
Ditto. If you want AWD, Subaru’s a good value. But in Birmingham, why would you?
In a day or two, people in the south who have Subarus will be grateful for the AWD – and, in most cases, the raised ride height – when the roads are flooded. In the 16 years my wife and I have been driving AWD Subarus, mostly 5-speed manuals, we’ve found them to be wonderfully secure rainy-weather cars (we live in Maryland, so we cope with snow too).
I also suspect that many buyers who, 15 or 20 years ago, would have been interested in Saabs or Volvos (before Volvo took aim at the luxury market) naturally gravitated to Subaru and are willing to accept the AWD even if they hadn’t been seeking it out as a necessary feature.
I wonder if this is just a blip in the vehicle market or a sustained drop in numbers.
Many vehicles have been sold over the past several years or so, it might be time for a slow down.
Looks like we reached peak.
What? No characterizing of VW’s 9.1% decline as “precipitous”? Of course it is less than that of Mazda, Ford, Fiat, Chrysler or Mitsubishi and only slightly worse than BMW or Kia. All that with a supposedly life-threatening scandal!
Volkswagen is heading for a 2016 that is 30% below their 2012 sales. I’d call that “precipitous”. It’s an odd case of the parent company doing worse then its sub-brands.
Fiat is looking at a 28% drop since 2014, which is even worse.
Kia is heading for its highest year ever.
I heard a radio ad today here in Utah for new Passats for $13,900 and Jettas for $12,900 at Strong VW. No idea what “fees” are but I’m going to take a drive over tomorrow to see how they play the bait and switch.
According to their site, they have one 2016 Jetta S for $13900 (with a $6020 Strong VW discount factored in). Seems legit if you can get there first!
Heh, the only VW sale I saw online in my neck of the woods is a “special” $ 13,900 on a Used Rental 2015 Jetta with about 30,000 miles on it. Well Whoooopa-die-freakin-doo, let me jump on *that* deal!
I have yet to see any real deals from local VW at least online.
Scion is second only to Jaguar in percentage gained. Maybe Toyota should keep the brand, since the rest of their company’s sales are declining. Scion is doing right!
Go Jaguar Go!
What? They are only increasing sales YoY because of selling a crossover like everyone else?
No Jaguar No!
Interesting, FCA is catching up with FoMoCo.
RAM now outsells GMC. Why are there still Chevy trucks and GMC trucks when the vehicles are 99% identical?
jthorner – GM has gone to great lengths to split Sierra and Silverado. The drivetrains are the same but sheet metal is different and so are the interiors. If they were 99% the same they would score identically in shootouts and in reality they rarely ever do.
In the USA Chevrolet Silverado is the clear sales leader for GM but in Canada GMC Sierra is head and shoulders above Chevy.
Other than the steering wheel airbag cover, and cluster the interiors are the same.
This isn’t like the Enclave and Traverse where it’s the same platform but distinct interiors.
“Still”? “99%”? GMC and Chevy pickups are now more distinct than they’ve ever been since at least 1966. From 1970-98, yes, there was essentially no difference whatsoever between the two, but they’ve only become more seperate since then.
Fair enough, 99% overstated the current situation. But the essence is the same …. a GMC truck has slightly different styling than the Chevy, but the chassis, drivetrain, etc are exactly the same. They are made one after the other on the same production lines.
I should have said 90% the same, and it is still true that GM would save a bunch of money by just offering high end trim on the Chevy’s instead of the huge cost of supporting an entire additional brand. They got the memo on Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Saturn but missed it on the truck lineup.
” a GMC truck has slightly different styling than the Chevy” rather like a Ford and a Lincoln?
That last paragraph would be true, except that GMC is still profitable at the end of the day, and they sell more than just a rebadged Silverado or Suburban. Since the late ’90s, GMCs have only gotten more unique. The strength of the Denali brand helped finance the creation of unique-body vehicles starting with the 2002 Envoy, and GM wouldn’t have sunk that kind of money into GMC if they didn’t believe it wouldn’t bear fruit. Buyers of Terrains and Acadias probably know that what they’re getting is mechanically identical to an Equinox or Traverse, and they don’t seem to care, because they like the unique styling and the Denali option. If GMC was axed, there’s no guarantee those buyers would be happy with a special high-trim Chevy or a Buick.
I sold Pontiac’s back in the 90’s. Some of my co-salesman would tell buyers that Firebird’s were built with different self locking screws over the Camaro. Yes, the two cars Camaro and Firebird were built on the same line. And yes some of uneducated buyers believed Firebird’s were different cars and used better screws.
Some semi-reliable sources indicate that there are around 75 smart car dealers in the USA. Smart has sold 4682 cars so far this year, so they’re on pace to move about 6000 units this calendar year.
On average, then, a dealer will sell about 7 cars per month.
How is smart still in business in the US??
Eggsalad, a co-worker, now retired, bought one 3 or 4 years ago. He spoke of buying it at the Mercedes dealer.
Back before GM bought Saab, that’s about how many Saabs my local dealer sold a month. It took two car models and five body styles to reach that level too.
eggsalad,
Smart is a Mercedes product line, sold at Mercedes dealers. It’s effectively just another model, and it doesn’t take-up a lot of floor space.
I wouldn’t be high-fiving in the halls just yet at Cadillac. They may be up slightly in August, but they are still down significantly more YTD, and Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes all smashed them by 2-to-1. Even Audi beat them by some 30%. It’s cool though, there’s some stuff coming near the end of the decade, and maybe a CT8, or not.
That’s in large part due to Cadillac only having 1 crossover and the lull in sales transitioning from the SRX to the XT5, along with ATS sales being hindered by its restricted packaging.
Otoh, Cadillac sold 4,932 of the CTS, XTS and CT6.
Audi sold 2,882 of the A6, A7 and A8.
Lexus sold only 1,685 of the GS and LS.
Jaguar did only 789 of the XF and XJ.
All the talk about Cadillac not being able to sell sedans was based on entirely on the mistake Cadillac made with the ATS (which should have retained the size/interior space of the 2G CTS).
When it comes to luxury sedan sales in the mid-high price segments, Cadillac is well ahead of Audi and vastly ahead of Lexus (where the vast bulk of its sales is in the entry-level price segment).
In fact, Cadillac did better than BMW with the 5 Series, 6 Series and 7 Series at 4,133.
And one really can’t compare sales w/o taking into account Buick as the LaCrosse is GM’s competitor for the Lexus ES and the Regal, the competitor for the Acura TLX.
The interesting one is how poorly BMW is doing this year. I don’t follow them all that closely, but I’m curious to hear what the B&B have to say on the subject.
They did some stuff last year (making dealers buy loaners, etc) to pump up the numbers to get their “best ever” year.
And their cars need a refresh. The latest 3 seems like it has been around a decade. Yeah I know they’ve changed a lot since then but I doubt the average person could tell you how old a 2006 BMW 3-series is…
I am a serious car nerd….like most on this site are. I, however, can not tell the difference when I see them in the wild. This includes year or if it is a 3 or 5 series.
Can anyone but a serious aficionado tell the difference between Audi’s A4 over the same timeline?
GM bright spots (slim pickings, I know):
Buick:
Encore up 13%, Regal up 11% YoY
Cadillac:
XT5 outsells next best-selling Cadillac (ATS) by 2-to-1 margin in Aug
CT6: 1,242 Aug sales narrowly best BMW 7-Series (by 12), rout Audi A8 (by 892); but 458 below S-Class
Chevrolet:
Colorado up 25% YoY
Malibu up 14% YoY
Trax up 24% YoY
Volt up 72% YoY
GMC:
Canyon up 21% YoY
Yukon/Yukon XL up 15% YoY