Category Archives: sales

GM Q3 US Sales Drop -33% as Semiconductor Shortage Bites

During the quarter, GM provided an update for investors that its wholesale volumes in North America in the second half of 2021 would be down about 200,000 units from the first half, largely because of supply chain disruptions in Malaysia caused by COVID-19, with most of the impact occurring during the third quarter. Continue reading

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US September Auto Sales Projected Down -25%

“The mismatch between strong consumer demand and constrained inventory is leading to higher vehicle prices.  In September 2021, average transaction prices are expected reach an all-time high of $42,802, the fourth consecutive month over $40,000,” said Thomas King, president of the data and analytics division at J.D. Power. This begs the question, AutoInformed opines, are automakers about to face another revenue threatening affordability crisis? Continue reading

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August Global Light Vehicle Sales Weaken Again

The US Light Vehicle market continued to be hurt by low inventories during July. Sales grew by only 3.2% YoY, to 1.28 mn units. This is a slight advance compared to July 2020’s pandemic-affected result. The selling rate declined more to 14.6 mn units/year, from 15.4 mn units/year in June. This is the lowest rate since June 2020. Continue reading

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US August Light Vehicle Sales Continue Shrinking Trend

 “The month of August is historically a peak selling month as manufacturers launch promotional events to clear inventories of outgoing model-year vehicles and begin sales of the new model year. This year, however, the industry has insufficient inventory at dealerships to meet strong consumer demand. The consequence is that the retail sales pace is depressed, but transaction prices are elevated,” said Thomas King, president of the data and analytics division at J.D. Power. Continue reading

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US Auto Sales Forecast Down Again in August

Overall new-vehicle sales for August 2021, including retail and non-retail transactions, are projected to reach 1,094,500 units, a 13.7% decrease from August 2020 and a 25.3% decrease from August 2019. Comparing the same sales volume without adjusting for the number of selling days translates to a decrease of 17.0% from 2020 and a decrease of 33.3% from 2019. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) for total new-vehicle sales is expected to be 13.1 million units, down 2.1 million units from 2020 and down 4.0 million units from 2019. Continue reading

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July Global Sales Days Dogged by Delta, Semiconductors

“The semiconductor shortage held back the post-lockdown recovery of vehicle sales in Europe, while its impact on inventories in the US meant average transaction prices soared. Meanwhile, rising Delta variant cases threaten to worsen the outlook in parts of Asia.” Continue reading

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US Vehicle Sales Drop in July for Third Month Running

Toyota, General Motors and Hyundai were the three bestselling OEMs, while Ford had the weakest performance compared to last July. Ford remains mired in simi-conductor shortages and long-standing troubled relationships with suppliers. Hyundai re-introduced the Compact Pickup segment in July, with the first units of the Santa Cruz delivered. This segment of course was once dominated by GM and Ford before Toyota and Nissan moved in. Continue reading

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Tesla Model 3 – Europe’s Second Best-Selling Car in June 21. Low Emission Cars at Record Share. Makers Lagging Buyers

Notably, low emissions cars (BEV and PHEV) continued to perform well, recording a new record total market share of 18.5% – up from 8.2% in June 2020. Registrations of BEVs totaled 126,000 units during the month, ahead of the 104,000 registered PHEV units. Yes that’s right pure EVs out sold hybrids, which were at the center automakers plans to fight emissions and global warming. Fiat, Tesla, Skoda, Volkswagen and Ford gained the largest market share in the BEV market while Cupra, Jeep, Volkswagen, Renault and Seat posted the highest market share gains in the PHEV market. Continue reading

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Daimler Q2 Results – Group Net Profit of €3,704 million

However, Daimler assumes that the current worldwide supply shortage of semiconductor components will affect Mercedes-Benz Cars unit sales also in the third quarter. Mercedes-Benz Cars unit sales “could be in the magnitude of the second quarter or below.” Full year unit sales are expected to be at prior year level (previously: significantly above). Continue reading

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June Global Light Vehicle Selling Rate Drops to 82.4 Million

The short-term trend is clear though. The recovery of the global auto industry is by no means assured given the flawed vaccination polices of nations comprising the world’s largest auto markets. Worse, the appearance of the aggressive and deadly Delta variant corona virus variant, as well as the ongoing semi-conductor shortage considerably cloud forecasting for the upcoming months. “The semiconductor shortage is clearly having an impact on selling rates in key markets. With no immediate remedy in sight, there is a risk of the situation worsening in coming months which could further disrupt the post-pandemic recovery in demand,” said LMC. Continue reading

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2021 Q2 US Sales – Light-Trucks, Crossovers, SUVs Rule

Real GDP in Q2 of 2021 is expected to grow by 8.6% on an annualized basis. The U.S. economy is predicted to return to its pre-COVID Trump Administration disaster level of ~ $19.2 trillion by the time final data is collected. For all of 2021, real GDP is expected to increase by around 7%. Initial jobless claims continue to fall each week and are headed toward pre-pandemic levels. About 14.7 million Americans continue to receive at least some type of unemployment benefits, down 54% compared to the same period in 2020 when Trump ruled. Continue reading

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BMW Group Sales Up for First Half of 2021. EV Sales Surge

With 153,267 units sold in the first half of 2021, the BMW Group grew its sales of both fully-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles by 148.5% year-on-year – making electric vehicles a major growth driver for the company in absolute terms. Sales of fully electric vehicles increased by 183.9% to a total of 36,089 and plug-in hybrid vehicles by 139.4% to 117,178 units. Continue reading

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Inventory Deficit Hurts June US Vehicle Sales. Again

With too much demand chasing too little supply, it’s not surprising many vehicles sold at or above MSRP and automakers have slashed incentive spending. According to J.D. Power, in mid-June 75% of vehicles sold for MSRP or above, which is up from 67% in May 2021 and way higher from the pre-COVID average of 36%. AutoInformed thinks that an affordability crisis is starting to emerge, as the Biden Administration economic boom continues. Continue reading

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Ford Leads NA Production Cuts from Semiconductor Shortage

Six months into the semi-conductor shortage it is obvious that not all automakers are affected in the same way. The Renesas fire in Japan hit Ford Motor hard, making the problem much worse for the struggling automaker. The fact is some automakers have been hurt worse than others. Ford Motor looks to have been affected the most, as shortage-related plant shutdowns left its facilities running at just 55% of total capacity through May of 2021. Ford’s estimated volume loss in the first half of this year is more than  50% greater than that recorded by the next manufacturer in line – and the largest in North America – GM, according to consultancy LMC. Continue reading

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Botched Vaccinations Haunt EU Vehicle Sales During May

Volkswagen Group took its second highest monthly market share since 2001. The German manufacturer’s share totaled 28.14% during May, second only to April 2020 when had  29.23% as competitive sales were hit to a greater degree by the onset of the pandemic in Europe. The results in May were due to strong performance from brands such as Audi, Skoda, Seat, and Cupra, formerly known as SEAT Sport. Total sales were boosted by increasing consumer demand for EVs and SUVs – with Volkswagen Group now leading in Europe across both segments. Continue reading

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