The Detroit Three accounted for 48% the market, dropping from 48.5% percent in August.
Five of the top ten selling vehicles in September were from offshore brands, an increase of one from August and only three in July as the new vehicle market continues its slow shift away from traditional trucks and SUVs.
Nonetheless, the best selling vehicle in the U.S. remains the Ford F-series pickup truck – a perennial Top Ten leader, followed closely by the Chevrolet Silverado in the Number Two spot as usual. The implications for policy and automakers are as clear as they are ignored by regulators – small and mini vehicles aren’t popular among buyers.
The third best seller and the top selling car in the U.S. – once again – is the Toyota Camry, which is in the midst of a major model changeover. September Camry sales were down 19%, but the clearance sales of the outgoing 2011 models emptied dealer’s lots. As a result Toyota said yesterday that Camry inventories are about a third of normal. (See Toyota Increases Fuel Economy and Equipment While Cutting Prices on 2012 Camry – a Gambit to Reestablish Leadership)
“The new Camrys began arriving at dealerships this past week and dealers started selling them as soon as they rolled off the truck,” said Bob Carter, Group Vice President and General Manager of the Toyota Division during a media conference call yesterday.
“That trickle of 2012 Camrys will turn into a flood during October as we ship about 35,000 to dealers,” Carter said. As a result Carter is “very confident Camry will hold on to its title of America’s best-selling car.”
This leaves the Nissan Altima as the second best selling car in September and likely for the near future. Altima handily outsold the Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata the other passenger cars in the Top Ten list. Both Accord and Sonata though were hampered by inventory shortages so some shuffling of positions is possible during the balance of the year – particularly against Ford’s Fusion.
Looked at another way, Asian brands sold 445,891 vehicles in September and held 42% of the market, down from 43% last month. European moved up to a 10% market share of the market, up 9% in August by selling 101,265 units. The Detroit Three accounted for 48% the market, dropping from 48.5% percent in August, at 506,566 vehicles.
