Kia May 2012 Sales up 7.8%
 

Optima drives May sales results.

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - June 1, 2012

2012 Kia Optima - $21,000 to start and a 24/35 mpgUS city/highway rating.

Just four months ago a white Optima SX rolled off the assembly line of Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG) facility to become the 500,000th vehicle produced at the West Point, GA manufacturing facility.

KMMG began mass production of the Kia Sorento CUV on Nov. 16, 2009, a vehicle that quickly became the brand's best-selling product in the U.S. On Sept. 2, 2011, KMMG began production of the Kia Optima mid-size sedan, a vehicle that led the brand's U.S. sales in December 2011 and January.

While we have not driven the standard Kia Optima, we have placed quite a few thousand miles on the award winning 35/40 mpgUS city/highway rated 2011 and 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid. Along with its class leading exterior design, well appointed interior, 5 star crash test rating on the NHTSA (arguably the toughest in the world) and world record highway fuel economy capability, the Kia Optima Hybrid offers consumers something else. That would be hybrid affordability including cost at the pump. At $25,700 to start, it is only $465 more than the lesser equipped 2013 Chevrolet Malibu ECO while providing over 20% better fuel economy in a more attractive package.

The Kia Optima Hybrid is available in two configurations, a base model or with an advanced Hybrid Premium and Technology Package. All Optima Hybrids offer several features, including distinctive designs for the front grille and headlamps and 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lamps, heated outside mirrors, front and rear lower bumpers and side sills and LED tail lamp design.

For 2012 the Optima Hybrid adds an HD Radio and power folding outside mirrors to the Hybrid Premium and Technology Package.

Kia May 2012 Sales Overview

Kia this morning reported its best-ever May sales of 51,771 units, a 7.4-percent increase over the same period last year. Year-to-date sales are up 18.7 percent, and May also saw the sale of Kia's four millionth vehicle in the U.S. (since entering the market in 1994) and extended the brand's run of consecutive monthly sales records to 21.

Vehicles that achieve more than 30 mpg on the highway accounted for a whopping 78 percent of sales in May! Sales of the fuel-efficient 2012 Rio subcompacts increased 59.5 percent over the same period in 2011. The record-setting May performance was driven by strong demand for the brand's two U.S.-built Optima midsize sedan and Sorento CUV built at the company’s Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG) in West Point as well as the ongoing popularity of the Soul urban passenger vehicle.

B-Segment Sales Rank

1. Nissan Versa - 8,643
2. Chevrolet Sonic - 7,205
3. Hyundai Accent - 6,166
4. Ford Fiesta - 6,080
5. Kia Rio - 4,019
6. Honda Fit - 3,879
7. Toyota Yaris - 3,521
8. Mazda 2 - 901

C-Segment Sales Rank

1. Honda Civic - 33,490
2. Toyota Corolla - 31,847
3. Ford Focus - 24,769
4. Chevrolet Cruze - 19,613
5. Hyundai Elantra – 18,877
6. VW Jetta - 12,962
7. Mazda3 - 8,474
8. Forte - 7,782
9. Nissan Sentra - 7,600

D-Segment Sales Rank

1. Toyota Camry - 39,571
2. Honda Accord - 29,737
3. Chevrolet Malibu - 29,579
4. Ford Fusion - 26,857
5. Nissan Altima - 22,690
6. Hyundai Sonata - 20,765
7. Kia Optima - 13,364
8. Chrysler 200 - 13,250
9. VW Passat - 10,178

April segment ranking items of note: Versa still leads the B-Segment with Sonic and Accent closing. Rio and Fit both outsold the Yaris.

In the C-Segment, the Civic took hold of the lead with the ancient Corolla grabbing second place. The aging Forte outsold the aging Sentra.

The Camry leads everyone in the D-Segment with the Accord in second place.

Top 10 – May 2012 US Automobile Sales Leaders

Sales Rank	Make	Model	May-12	May-11	May-DSR % change	May-12 YTD	May-11 YTD	YTD-DSR % change
1	Ford	F-Series	54,836	42,399	+19.4%	246,116	214,461	+13.9%
2	Toyota	Camry	39,571	18,830	+94.0%	181,796	126,094	+43.0%
3	Chevrolet	Silverado	34,555	28,409	+12.3%	160,942	150,206	+6.3%
4	Honda	Civic	33,490	18,341	+68.6%	135,082	110,086	+21.7%
5	Toyota	Corolla	31,847	16,985	+73.1%	125,079	117,875	+5.3%
6	Honda	Accord	29,737	17,018	+61.3%	126,254	111,393	+12.4%
7	Chevrolet	Malibu	29,579	26,600	+2.6%	110,036	99,046	+10.2%
8	Ford	Fusion	26,857	24,666	+0.5%	112,416	110,878	+0.6%
9	Ram	Pickup	26,040	20,117	+19.5%	114,630	90,536	+25.6%
10	Honda	CR-V	25,186	16,307	+42.6%	123,400	95,423	+28.3%

The daily selling rate (DSR) is calculated with 26 selling days in May of 2012 and 24 selling days during May of 2011.
Year-to-date, the DSR is calculated with 127 days for 2012 and 126 days for 2011. All percentages reflect DSR.

Top 10 Sales Leaders items of note: Accord falls from third to sixth. Civic climbs two spots while Corolla falls back one. Malibu and Ram P/U climb one while CR-V falls back three places.

Automobile Manufacturer's US Sales Rank – May 2012 vs. May 2011 Comparison and Total Sales

1. GM May Sales up 10.9% with 245,256 vehicles sold.
2. Ford May Sales up 12.6% with 216,267 vehicles sold.
3. Toyota May Sales up 87.3% with 202,973 vehicles sold.
4. Chrysler May Sales up 30.1% with 150,041 vehicles sold.
5. Honda May Sales up 47.6% with 133,997 vehicles sold.
6. Nissan May Sales up 20.5% with 91,794 vehicles sold.
7. Hyundai May Sales up 13.2% with 67,019 vehicles sold.
8. Kia May Sales up 7.8% with 51,771 vehicles sold.
9. VW May Sales up 28.4% with 38,657 vehicles sold.
10. Subaru May Sales up 48.4% with 29,724 vehicles sold.
11. BMW May Sales up 7.1% with 28,321 vehicles sold.
12. Mercedes-Benz May Sales up 24.4% with 25,259 vehicles sold.
13. Mazda May Sales up 13.9% with 20,357 vehicles sold.
14. Audi May Sales up 10.0% with 11,503 vehicles sold.

May manufacturer sales rank items of note: BMW fell behind Subaru.

SAAR is running at approximately 14.2 Million units.