Category Archives: results

NADA Jumps on 2013 Auto Sales Forecast Bandwagon – 15.4 Million

Posted on 12 January 2013 by Ken Zino

The auto sales momentum of new cars and light trucks established last year is likely to continue in 2013, predicts Paul Taylor of the National Automobile Dealers Association. NADA, at 15.4 million, joins Polk at 15.3 million and LMC at 15 million units for total light-vehicle sales and 12.2 million for retail sales. In 2012 14.4 million light cars, SUVs and trucks in total were sold in the U.S. as the auto market continued its slow recovery. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, sales | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ford Motor Doubles Quarterly Dividend for Q1 2013 to $0.10

Posted on 10 January 2013 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company declared a first-quarter dividend of $0.10 per share on the company’s outstanding Class B that the family controls as well as common stock. This doubles the $0.05 dividend paid in each quarter of 2012. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, financial results, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Milestones – Nissan Begins Assembly of 2013 LEAF EV in Tennessee

Posted on 9 January 2013 by Ken Zino

Nissan is starting U.S. assembly of the 2013 LEAF electric car at its manufacturing plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, where it will be made along with the far more popular Altima and Maxima models. Since 2010 Leaf has been imported from Oppama, Japan. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, electric vehicles, environment, fuel economy or emissions, global warming, manufacturing, milestones, mobility company, public health | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

BMW Opens Health Center at its South Carolina SUV Plant

Posted on 8 January 2013 by Ken Zino

BMW Manufacturing has opened a Family Health Center at its South Carolina plant for all BMW workers, retirees and their dependents. BMW’s existing onsite family pharmacy was relocated to the new facility and joined there by occupational, primary care services, as well as vision, dental and physical therapy. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, economy, milestones, news | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

December Car Sales in Western Europe Drop 16%. Off -8% in 2012

Posted on 8 January 2013 by Ken Zino

The last month of 2012 saw car sales in Western Europe decline by 16% to a SAAR – or Seasonally Adjusted Annualized Rate – of just 11.7 million vehicles as the Eurozone crisis deepens. The market dropped more than -8% for the year taking it back to levels not seen since 1993. Sales in 2012 are more than 3 million units lower or -21%, compared to the size of the 2007 market. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, economy, sales | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2012 Record Year for U.S. Hybrid Sales, But EVs Remain Insignificant

Posted on 7 January 2013 by Ken Zino

The U.S. auto industry posted a record year for hybrid sales during 2012 as almost 500,000 hybrids were sold, or 3.4% of the overall new vehicle market. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, electric vehicles, news analysis, sales | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ford Sells off Former Lincoln Assembly Plant in Wixom, Michigan

Posted on 5 January 2013 by Ken Zino

The Wixom plant opened in 1957 and produced numerous vehicles over the years, including the Lincoln Continental, Town Car, LS, Mark VI, VII and VIII, as well as the Ford Thunderbird (an LS underneath and with the same interior) and Ford GT. Ford stopped production at the Wixom Assembly Plant in 2007 as sales of Lincoln vehicles, by then rebadged Ford models, plummeted. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, manufacturing, milestones | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Offshore Brands Led by the Japanese Capture 55.5% of the U.S. Auto Market in 2012 as the Detroit Three Lose Market Share Gained in 2011

Posted on 4 January 2013 by Ken Zino

In what turned out to be the best auto sales year since pre-Great Depression 2007, offshore brands captured 55.5% of the U.S. auto market, while the Detroit Three brand lost ground and held only 44.5% of the market. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, news analysis, sales | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ford Motor December and 2012 U.S. Vehicle Sales Outpaced by Overall Market Growth. F-Series Remains an All-Star Player

Posted on 4 January 2013 by Ken Zino

Joining General Motors in discovering just how hard it is to hang on to marketshare now that the Japanese are back to full production, Ford Motor Company’s U.S. sales in December and for all of 2012 were below the overall rate improvement in the slowly recovering U.S. auto market. During December when the market expanded 9%, Ford Motor posted sales of 214,000, an increase of 2%. For the calendar year of 2012, Ford Motor sold 2.25 million vehicles up 5% ,as the market grew by 13%. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, sales | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

General Motors U.S. Sales Slow in December. Market Up

Posted on 4 January 2013 by Ken Zino

General Motors posted the company’s highest December sales in five years, as well as its best retail month during all 2012, with deliveries up 5% to 245,733 vehicles year-over-year. Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough to keep up with the rate of growth in the overall market of 9% as big months from Toyota (+9%) and Honda (+26%) skewed the data a bit. Some of the Japanese gains were explained by the recovery from the tsunami and earthquake disasters and ensuing production disruptions more than a year ago, but not all. “Not all” is the question that should be much on the minds of GM executive this year, which will see an ongoing jobless recovery and a battle royal in the marketplace. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, news analysis, sales | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chrysler Group U.S. Auto Sales up 21% in 2012, Outpacing Overall Market Growth

Posted on 3 January 2013 by Ken Zino

Chrysler Group today reported U.S. sales of 152,367 units, a 10% increase compared with sales in December 2011 of 138,019 units. It was the group’s best December sales since 2007 before the Great Recession. The Chrysler, Dodge, Ram Truck and Fiat brands each posted year-over-year sales gains in December compared with the same month last year. December was Chrysler Group’s 33rd-consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, sales | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

2012 Used Vehicle Sales at 40.5 Million Highest Since 2007

Posted on 3 January 2013 by Ken Zino

Used car sales during 2012 in the United States topped more than 40.5 million cars and light trucks, according the consultancy CNW. This is the best year since 2007, and represents an increase of 4.5% when compared to 2011’s 38.8 million. Continue reading →

Posted in aftermarket, sales | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

U.S. Auto Sales to Increase in 2013 to 15.3 Million as Recovery Slows

Posted on 2 January 2013 by Ken Zino

Prognostications are now well underway among consulting firms to predict 2013 U.S. auto sales. On the eve of the final results for 2012 U.S. auto sales, one firm has new light vehicle registrations in the U.S. in 2013 increasing 6.6% from 2012 levels to 15.3 million vehicles. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, sales | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Top Ten Auto Stories of 2012

Posted on 31 December 2012 by Ken Zino

While it’s the job of historians to accurately weigh and assess events years after the fact when more documents, memoirs, special pleadings and perspective are available, journalists staring down a deadline have no such option. Here is AutoInformed on the significant automotive related stories of the 2012 year, with our wry awareness, as always, that columnists conduct their education in public. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, milestones, news, news analysis, people | Leave a comment

Bosch follows Automakers into Russia as Market Booms

Posted on 26 December 2012 by Ken Zino

The irony here is that Bosch opened it first sales office in Russia during 1904 under the Kaiser and the Czar. Certain political disputes resulted in devastating wars and revolutions during the next decade that changed the ruling orders in both Germany and Russia, among other places with future dire consequences. That is history. We are now talking about the wealth creation of that the automobile industry makes possible. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, manufacturing, milestones, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment