U.S. Auto Sales Brand-By-Brand Results: September 2016 YTD

September 2016 auto sales slid nearly 1 percent, not as rough an outcome as projected by many industry analysts but more proof that the auto industry may have peaked in calendar year 2015.

Despite bright spots from Ram, Buick, and Infiniti, most of the year-over-year improvements reported by automakers in September were modest in size. Porsche, Lincoln, Toyota, Honda, Audi, and Volvo all combined for sub-2-percent increases. Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Cadillac, Hyundai, and Lexus couldn’t quite manage 4-percent upticks.

Yet in a market that slowed for a second consecutive month, many of the gains produced by pickup truck sales still weren’t strong enough to bring more buyers into showrooms than in September 2015.

Acura, Smart, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, and Fiat — along with discontinued Scion — all reported double-digit losses. General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles all recorded fewer sales this September than last. Acura’s sharp decline was strong enough to cancel out Honda’s gains. The Volkswagen Group, despite improvements at Audi and Porsche, fell 3 percent as a result of Volkswagen’s 8-percent drop.

Of course, pickup truck sales improved, albeit largely on the backs and in the beds of midsize trucks. But if ever there was a symbol of the market’s slowdown, Jeep, after 35 months of growth, reported a 3-percent drop. Yes, the one volume brand featuring a lineup filled only by SUVs and crossovers tumbled.

The Toyota Corolla was America’s best-selling car in September. Ford’s F-Series led all pickup trucks and all vehicles overall. Honda’s CR-V was tops among SUVs/crossovers. While FCA’s minivan market share improved, the Toyota Sienna was the top-selling individual minivan nameplate.

Auto BrandSeptember

2016September

2015%

Change2016

YTD2015

YTD%

ChangeAcura 12,81314,704-12.9%119,727132,019-9.3%Alfa Romeo 4156-26.8%418511 -18.2%Audi 17,61717,3401.6%152,179147,4033.2%BMW 25,38926,608-4.6%230,133249,956-7.9%Buick 20,92218,34114.1%169,767167,7271.2%Cadillac 15,36814,9083.1%119,286125,699-5.1%Chevrolet 170,237170,675-0.3%1,531,9121,596,182-4.0%Chrysler 18,79725,799 -27.1%186,497240,431-22.4%Dodge 42,93545,507 -5.7%394,940388,4461.7%Fiat 2,913 4,169-30.1%25,09931,013-19.1%Ford 194,647 212,589-8.4% 1,896,858 1,891,5180.3%Genesis 1,211——2,708——GMC 43,26847,386-8.7%391,432410,239-4.6%Honda 120,842119,0461.5%1,108,6531,056,5474.9%Hyundai 65,39964,015 2.2%584,980578,1901.2%Infiniti 11,41310,22011.7%96,77595,5681.3%Jaguar 2,662995168% 20,34911,21681.4%Jeep 76,33178,440 -2.7%707,106633,64611.6%Kia 49,22049,820 -1.2%491,764475,9803.3%Land Rover 5,6375,855-3.7% 54,39148,40312.4%Lexus 25,80125,2942.0% 236,193247,445-4.5%Lincoln 8,7978,6801.3%80,43573,9648.7%Maserati 1,18587136.1%8,1568,377-2.6%Mazda 24,88925,616-2.8%224,267241,706-7.2%Mercedes-Benz ° 29,50029,020 1.7% 249,204 249,890 -0.3%Mercedes-Benz Vans ° 2,9702,317 28.2% 25,156 20,274 24.1%Total Mercedes-Benz ° 32,470 31,337 3.6% 274,360 270,164 1.6%Mini 4,0244,414-8.8%38,91144,974-13.5%Mitsubishi 7,1917,556 -0.5%74,35173,2571.5%Nissan 116,384111,5624.3%1,086,2491,026,9205.8%Porsche 4,479 4,424 1.2%40,24639,3002.4%Ram 51,86640,695 27.5%400,300360,27711.1%Smart 605750-19.3%4,0445,432-25.6%Subaru 54,91853,0703.5%446,887428,7024.2%Scion ° 3,6886,499-43.3%53,45839,20136.4%Toyota ° 167,771162,5953.2%1,532,7681,580,759-3.0%Toyota/Scion 171,459169,0941.4%1,586,2261,619,960-2.1%Volkswagen 24,11226,141-7.8%231,268264,215-12.5%Volvo 5,6155,5271.6%58,53246,38126.2%————— ——BMW-Mini 29,41331,022-5.2%269,044294,930-8.8%Fiat Chrysler Automobiles 192,883194,666-0.9%1,714,360 1,654,3243.6%Daimler AG33,07532,0873.1%278,404275,5961.0%Ford Motor Co. 203,444 221,269-8.1% 1,977,293 1,965,482 0.6%General Motors 249,795251,310-0.6%2,212,3972,299,847-3.8%Honda Motor Co.133,655133,750-0.1%1,228,380 1,188,5663.3%Hyundai-Kia 115,830 113,835 1.8% 1,079,452 1,054,170 2.4%Jaguar-Land Rover 8,299 6,85021.2%74,740 59,61925.4%Nissan Motor Co. 127,797121,7824.9%1,183,0241,122,4885.4%Toyota Motor Corp.197,260194,3881.5%1,822,419 1,867,405-2.4%Volkswagen Group * 46,491 48,016 -3.2% 425,168 452,714 -6.1%———————Industry Total †1,434,4831,444,195 -0.7% 13,101,286 13,056,784 0.3%

Source: Manufacturers

[Image Source: General Motors]

* 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.

° Scion’s sales figures are now folded in to Toyota’s, but the Scion brand here includes sales of outgoing Scions as well as Scions that are becoming Scions. We have included the complete picture for clarity’s sake.

** Industry total takes into account Automotive News figures/estimates for brands such as Tesla (2,250 September 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.