Most sales are down other than the Honda Fit whose sales are still impressive!
Wayne Gerdes -
CleanMPG - Oct. 1, 2008
2009 Honda Fit – 28/35 mpg w/ the AT and 27/33 mpg with the stick.
The Fit starts with a very reasonable $14,550 MSRP and finishes with an even more fun to drive character than its award winning predecessor.
With improved suspension, steering and body rigidity, improved rear Magic Seat®; and a high level of standard equipment including A/C, an AM/FM/CD audio system with four speakers, MP3/WMA playback capability, Radio Data System (RDS), auxiliary audio input jack, power windows, power mirrors and power door locks it comes loaded.
On the safety front. The new Fit includes the addition of the Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure and front seat active head restraints, dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags, dual front-side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS) and side-curtain airbags are standard equipment on all models.
No wonder its sales were up 48.7% vs. the September 07.
Fuel Efficient Non-Hybrids
The Big 5 fuel efficient non-hybrids sales are holding onto a year over year increase of 15% but with Corolla sales in particular off as much as they were, the non-hybrids may be heading towards a break even year if the current sales trends continue. If it is not gas prices, it is the Wall Street Bailout and general consumer confidence that is wreaking havoc in the auto industry and not even the fuel efficient were spared this month.
The Honda Civic edged out the Toyota Corolla for the sales crown with 21,577 units sold, a decrease of 9.2% under the year ago sales period. For the year, the Civic is still up by 12.1% vs. the same 07 YTD sales period.
The Corolla’s sales were right on the heel of the Civic with 21,316 units sold in September but by comparison to last September, sales are off an astounding 24.9% vs. the year-ago period.
The shine in this months report comes from the Honda Fit. Total September sales of 6,515 vehicles was the single best showing of the entire group with an astounding 48.7% increase over September of 2007 sales.
The Toyota Yaris subcompact saw 5,721 units sold yielding an increase of just 0.1% vs. the same period a year ago.
The MINI Cooper saw its first sales decline this year with September sales down 6.7% to 3,762 vehicles compared to 4,031 sold during the same period a year ago.
The Smart Fortwo was purchased by 1,778 new owners but that was a harsh fall off compared to the 2,400 to 2,500 units being sold the previous 3 months.
In Canada, Toyota had a spectacular September with total sales up 14.9% vs. September of 2007. Leading the lineup for our Northern neighbors was the Yaris with combined sales of 3,975, up 85.4% vs. the year ago period, a new all-time sales record. The Corolla saw a jump of 56.7% to 5,457 vehicles, it too a monthly record. The Toyota Prius was taken in by 325 new Canadian owners, an increase of 170.8%.
September 2008 Fuel Efficient Non-Hybrid Sales Summary
| | | Month to Date | | | Year to Date | |
| Make and Model | September 2008 | September 2007 | DSR* % Change | September 2008 | September 2007 | DSR* % Change |
| Honda Civic** | 21,577 | 24,752 | -09.2% | 285,715 | 230,203 | +12.1% |
| Toyota Corolla | 21,316 | 29,550 | -24.9% | 279,685 | 291,981 | -4.2% |
| Toyota Yaris | 5,721 | 5,956 | +0.1% | 88,495 | 68,465 | +29.3% |
| Honda Fit | 6,515 | 4,565 | +48.7% | 63,368 | 41,085 | +54.2% |
| Mini Cooper | 3,762 | 4,031 | -6.7% | 40,694 | 31,936 | +27.4% |
| Smart Fortwo | 1,778 | NA | NA | 18,156 | NA | NA |
DSR*: Daily Selling Rate - There were 24 selling days for the September 2008 sales period vs. 25 in 2007. There were 230 days 08 YTD vs. 230 days YTD in 2007.
** Honda Civic sales include the HCH-II.
Hybrid’s
Hybrids had another disappointing month due to not just supply constraints with the Toyota and Ford hybrids but with the overall automobile market as it contracted with a vengeance.
The Toyota Prius posted September sales of 10,873, a drop of 9.3% from the September of 2007 sales period. The Prius’ year over year sales are down an uncharacteristic 4.8%. Toyota once again reported “limited availability” for I believe the fourth straight month which will surely bring total 2008 sales under the 181,000 mark the Prius touched last year.
The Toyota Camry Hybrid achieved sales of 2,785, down a sizable 30.9% vs. the September 2007 sales period. Year over year sales sent negative to the tune of – 3.6% compared to the 2007 cumulative sales totals.
The Honda Civic Hybrid saw total sales of 2,020 sold, up 0.6% compared to the September 2007 sales period. The HCH-II is showing a 15.8% increase year to date however.
The HiHy sold 921 units, up 397.1% for the September 2008 vs. September 2007 comparison period. September of 2007 was a very poor sales month for an unknown reason however? Year over year, the SUV based hybrid is still up 3.0%.
The FEH/MMH twins' had a dismal September with only 990 units sold, a drop of 37.6% vs. September of 2007. For the year, the twins are off 19% which also tops the Big 6 Hybrid list in the percentage sales decline.
The Lexus RX 400h hybrid reported sales of 744 units for the month, down 20.8% vs. the year ago sales period. For the year, sales are still up by 2.5% vs. 2007.
The Breakout of GM’s hybrids have yet to be released.
Overall sales for 5 of the Big 6 Hybrid’s listed above are down for the year by 1.5% and decelerating.
September 2008 Hybrid Sales Summary
| | | Month to Date | | | Year to Date | |
| Make and Model | September 2008 | September 2007 | DSR* % Change | September 2008 | September 2007 | DSR* % Change |
| Toyota Prius | 10,873 | 12,494 | -9.3% | 130,561 | 137,114 | -4.8% |
| Toyota Camry Hybrid | 2,785 | 4,196 | -30.9% | 39,418 | 40,879 | -3.6% |
| Honda Civic Hybrid | 2,020 | 2,092 | -0.6% | 27,597 | 23,828 | +15.8% |
| Toyota Highlander Hybrid | 921 | 193 | +397.1% | 16,575 | 16,088 | +3.0% |
| Ford Escape Hybrid/Mercury Mariner Hybrid | 990 | 1,652 | -37.6% | 15,015 | 18,535 | 19.0% |
| Lexus RX400h | 744 | 979 | -20.8% | 12,498 | 12,193 | +2.5% |
DSR*: Daily Selling Rate - There were 24 selling days for the September 2008 sales period vs. 25 in 2007. There were 230 days 08 YTD vs. 230 days YTD in 2007.
Big 5 Manufacturers Overall
For the Monthly comparison, Chrysler sales were off 32.8%, Ford, Mercury and Lincoln combined sales were off 34.5%, GM sales were down 15.6%, Toyota was down an uncharacteristic 32.3%. Even Honda had a haircut this month with a monthly sales decline of 20.9%. Honda’s Acura division was responsible for a large portion of the sales fall off showing a loss of 27.5%.
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