Category Archives: sales

General Motors Posts Q2 Earnings of $2.5 Billion. Most in N.A.

Virtually all of GM’s earnings – $2.2B – came from North America, a worrisome development for the most international of the Detroit 3, whose largest markets are China, followed by the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Italy.

Earnings were helped by booking revenue from pickup trucks shipped to North American dealers. GM built 516,000 light trucks in Q2, up 14% from a year earlier. Passenger car production increased 10% to 308,000. GM dealers currently have 209,000 pickups in stock – the equivalent of a 115 days supply in an industry that considers 60 days normal. Continue reading

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Korean Auto Sales Surge as Japanese Remain Sidelined

Korean auto sales increased sharply in July while Japanese automakers watched as depleted inventories once again cut into their normal sales levels. Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia posted huge gains and a record month. A combination of high fuel economy and low prices – helped by the Korean Won – saw double-digit sales gains at both automakers. Still, several questions remain about the ability of Korean automakers to continue to grow at the significant rates they have been achieving. Continue reading

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Japanese Sales: Toyota, Honda Down. Nissan up Slightly in July

There were varying results for Japanese sales in the U.S. sales race in July with Toyota and Honda posting double digit declines while Nissan increased sales from July of 2010. Overall, the total U.S. light vehicle market grew less than 1% from what was a weak July of 2010 as the economy languishes and unemployment remains above 9%. Continue reading

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Ford Motor July Sales Up 9% in U.S. Led by Sport Utility Vehicles

Ford Motor Company today said its July sales totaled 180,865, up 9% versus a year ago. Sales were led almost entirely by a 31% increase in sport utility sales, as cars (+3%) and pickup trucks (+0.5%) were basically flat compared … Continue reading

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Chrysler Group U.S. July Sales up 20%. Best July in Four Years

The Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge brands all posted year-over-year sales gains in July, while the Fiat brand registered a 68% increase – albeit only 3,000 units- compared with the previous month of June 2011. Chrysler Group’s car sales increased 28% in July to 28,000 vehicles while truck sales were up 18% at 84,000 units compared with the same month a year ago. Continue reading

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GM U.S. Sales Increase 8% in July. Cadillac off 26%

General Motors dealers in the United States sold 214,915 vehicles in July, an 8% sales gain compared to July 2010. Retail sales for GM’s brands rose 6% for the month compared to a year ago, and were 1% higher than June, as the U.S. economy continues to struggle with slow – or no growth – and high unemployment rates. Continue reading

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Toyota Posts FY Q1 Loss from Earthquake and Strong Yen

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) in Japan today said that operating income decreased from ¥211.6 billion to a loss of ¥108.0 billion, while income before income taxes was a loss of ¥80.5 billion yen. This was Toyota’s first quarterly loss in two years as Net income decreased from ¥190.4 billion yen to ¥1.1 billion. Operating income decreased by ¥319.6 billion yen. Continue reading

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July Used Car Sales Boom. Have Automakers Priced New Vehicles – Now with an Average $30,000 Price – Too High?

The latest research shows that sales of used cars and light trucks in the U.S. grew strongly – up more than 13% for the month of July. About 4.5 million previously owned vehicles changed hands. That’s the best July since 2005… Continue reading

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Honda Q1 Barely Profitable as Earthquake Devastates Results

Honda’s automobile unit sales totaled 547,000 units, a decrease of 39.2% from the same period last year due to production disruptions in all regions from the Earthquake. Continue reading

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July Vehicle Sales Stall in U.S. SAAR Projected less than 10 M

The sale of new vehicles in the U.S. will be about 11.8 million units in July. This is the third straight month below the 12 million mark as the U.S. economy remains close to reentering a recession. Continue reading

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Debt Causes U.S. Treasury to Suspend Reinvestment in Exchange Fund. Last Stopgap Measure Taken before Default

The fund is a crucial financial tool because it includes purchasing or selling foreign currencies to stabilize international financial markets and thereby prevent damage to U.S. exports and the national economy.

Automakers had no immediate comment, but the uncertainty surrounding the effects of a default on U.S. debt – potentially turning the “almighty dollar” into a third world currency – has left executives cautious about predicting sales for the remainder of the year. U.S. sales declined in June for the second straight month. Continue reading

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Passenger Car Sales Down in EU Again as Economy Struggles

However some winners are emerging. Volkswagen Group remains the powerhouse in Europe with 23% share year-to-date of the EU and European Free Trade Areas. BMW group also posted strong double digit gains, as did Nissan, although both are on relatively small basis. The same could be said for Hyundai and Kia, which now have combines sales of more than 345,000 units year-to-date, compared to Volvo’s 138,000. Continue reading

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Volkswagen Group Posts Record Sales for First Half of 2011

The Volkswagen Group said today that it delivered more vehicles in the first six months of 2011 than eve before. A total of 4.09 million vehicles were delivered from VW, Škoda, Seat, Audi, Bentley and Porsche to customers worldwide from January to June of this year. Continue reading

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BMW Group Sales at Record for June and Six months

The BMW Group announced this morning in Munich that it delivered more vehicles in June than ever before in any month. A total of 165.855 BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce brand vehicles were sold, which is an increase of +15.9% compared to sales in June last year (2010 – 143,156 units). Continue reading

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New Vehicles Overpriced, Sending Sales to Used?

About 8% of the people who bought a used vehicle in June were trying to decide between purchasing a new or used car and elected for the older one. This means that approximately 360,000 new-vehicle sales went to older vehicles. That’s two final assembly plants worth, and it doesn’t include supporting component parts plants at a time when unemployment is officially more than 9%. Continue reading

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