May 2011 Electric, Hybrid and high FE non-hybrid sales – Focus on Inventory

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Colin Wright - CleanMPG - July 15th, 2011

These are May's sales, but better late than never, right?

May was the month when the Japanese manufacturers' inventory ran out. That, combined with renewed confidence in US manufacturers and the great reputation of the Korean manufacturers (Daewoo excluded) led to the top 3 efficient non-hybrid gasoline vehicles being:

1. Chevrolet Cruze
2. Ford Focus
3. Hyundai Elantra

That's right. No Honda. No Toyota. May was a great chance for other manufacturers to make hay while the rising sun was hidden behind the clouds.

The LEAF was finally being delivered in volumes that could help relieve some of the frustrations of the early buyers, even if production is still slower than Nissan would like. As expected it's now crushing the Volt's sales numbers.

As for hybrids, well, we're just waiting for fall.

2012 Ford Focus -28/38/31mpg from $19,685 for normal people

The new Ford Focus has a fuel economy rating of 28 mpg city and 38 mpg highway, for a combined rating of 31 mpg. There's also the * package, or SFE (Super Fuel Economy) package as Ford calls it, which raises the highway mileage to 40 mpg.

The SFE package has an active grille shutter, LRR tires, 4 wheel disc brakes and, last but not least, an SFE badge. (Ford doesn't specify how much the SFE badge weighs).

Even ignoring the asterisk, the improved fuel economy of the 2012 Ford Focus brings a welcome improvement from the 25/34 rating of the 2011 model. It lags the new Hyundai Elantra in fuel economy, but the Focus has highly-rated driving dynamics on its side, even if the fun's considered a bit noisy.

The Focus has the now-standard front, rear and side airbags, VSC and traction control and 5 star safety ratings. Optional technology includes the Ford Sync system and Active Park Assist, both considered best-in-breed, as well as a rear back-up camera.

All this has added up to a significant jump in sales, even though it didn't beat the inventory-stuffed Cruze.

Fuel Efficient Non-Hybrids

The Chevrolet Cruze posted sales of 22,711 in May 2011; the Chevrolet Cruze was not sold until September 2010.

The Ford Focus posted sales of 22,303 in May 2011; up 42.7% compared to 16,931 in May 2010.

The Hyundai Elantra posted sales of 20,006 in May 2011; up 121.6% compared to 9,781 in May 2010.

The Honda Civic posted sales of 18,341 in May 2011; down 30.2% compared to 28,458 in May 2010.

The Toyota Corolla posted sales of 16,985 in May 2011; down 31.7% compared to 26,953 in May 2010.

The Ford Fiesta posted sales of 7,120 in May 2011; the Ford Fiesta was not sold until June 2010.

The Honda Fit posted sales of 5,921 in May 2011; up 46.3% compared to 4,383 in May 2010.

The Nissan Versa posted sales of 4,793 in May 2011; down 47.2% compared to 9,842 in May 2010.

The Chevrolet Aveo posted sales of 4,538 in May 2011; up 26.4% compared to 3,888 in May 2010.

The Mini Cooper posted sales of 4,091 in May 2011; up 4.7% compared to 4,233 in May 2010.

The Kia Rio posted sales of 2,519 in May 2011; up 16.9% compared to 2,334 in May 2010.

The Fiat 500 posted sales of 1,759 in May 2011; the Fiat 500 was not sold until September 2010.

The Toyota Yaris posted sales of 1,690 in May 2011; down 56.4% compared to 4,202 in May 2010.

The Hyundai Accent posted sales of 1,529 in May 2011; down 60.4% compared to 4,185 in May 2010.

The Mazda Mazda2 posted sales of 1,142 in May 2011; the Mazda Mazda2 was not sold until July 2010.

May 2011 Fuel Efficient Non-Hybrid Sales Summary

		Month			Year to Date
Make and Model	May 2011	May 2010	DSR* % Change	May 2011	May 2010	DSR* % Change
Chevrolet Cruze	22,711	n/a	n/a	98,076	n/a	n/a
Ford Focus	22,303	16,931	+42.7%	76,639	74,635	+2.7%
Hyundai Elantra	20,006	9,781	+121.6%	83,309	43,319	+92.3%
Honda Civic	18,341	28,458	-30.2%	110,086	107,127	+2.8%
Toyota Corolla	16,985	26,953	-31.7%	117,875	118,625	-0.6%
Ford Fiesta	7,120	n/a	n/a	36,594	n/a	n/a
Honda Fit	5,921	4,383	+46.3%	29,506	19,374	+52.3%
Nissan Versa	4,793	9,842	-47.2%	41,541	47,775	-13.0%
Chevrolet Aveo	4,538	3,888	+26.4%	17,397	14,749	+18.0%
Mini Cooper	4,091	4,233	+4.7%	17,868	16,804	+6.3%
Kia Rio	2,519	2,334	+16.9%	9,979	11,932	-16.4%
Fiat 500	1,759	n/a	n/a	2,641	n/a	n/a
Toyota Yaris	1,690	4,202	-56.4%	10,287	20,577	-50.0%
Hyundai Accent	1,529	4,185	-60.4%	20,406	22,463	-9.2%
Mazda Mazda2	1,142	n/a	n/a	6,359	n/a	n/a

DSR* There were 24 selling days in May 2011 compared to 26 in May 2010. There were 126 selling days in the year to May in both 2011 and 2010.

Hybrids, Plug-in Hybrids and Electric Vehicles

The Toyota Prius posted sales of 6,924 in May 2011; down 47.4% compared to 14,248 in May 2010.

The Ford Fusion/Lincoln MKZ posted sales of 1,817 in May 2011; down 23.2% compared to 2,562 in May 2010.

The Honda CR-Z posted sales of 1,557 in May 2011; the Honda CR-Z was not sold until September 2010.

The Honda Insight posted sales of 1,435 in May 2011; down 18.7% compared to 1,913 in May 2010.

The Nissan LEAF posted sales of 1,142 in May 2011; the Nissan LEAF was not sold until September 2010.

The Ford Escape posted sales of 1,118 in May 2011; down 12.4% compared to 1,383 in May 2010.

The Lexus RX 450h posted sales of 610 in May 2011; down 51.3% compared to 1,358 in May 2010.

The Toyota Camry posted sales of 592 in May 2011; down 55.9% compared to 1,455 in May 2010.

The Chevrolet Volt posted sales of 481 in May 2011; the Chevrolet Volt was not sold until December 2010.

The Lexus CT 200h posted sales of 454 in May 2011; the Lexus CT 200h was not sold until September 2010.

May 2011 Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Sales Summary

		Month			Year to Date
Make and Model	May 2011	May 2010	DSR* % Change	May 2011	May 2010	DSR* % Change
Toyota Prius	6,924	14,248	-47.4%	62,198	55,041	+13.0%
Ford Fusion/Lincoln MKZ	1,817	2,562	-23.2%	8,799	7,980	+10.3%
Honda CR-Z	1,557	n/a	n/a	7,046	n/a	n/a
Honda Insight	1,435	1,913	-18.7%	10,137	8,766	+15.6%
Nissan LEAF	1,142	n/a	n/a	2,310	n/a	n/a
Ford Escape	1,118	1,383	-12.4%	4,798	5,265	-8.9%
Lexus RX 450h	610	1,358	-51.3%	5,126	5,747	-10.8%
Toyota Camry	592	1,455	-55.9%	4,992	6,537	-23.6%
Chevrolet Volt	481	n/a	n/a	2,184	n/a	n/a
Lexus CT 200h	454	n/a	n/a	3,528	n/a	n/a

DSR* There were 24 selling days in May 2011 compared to 26 in May 2010. There were 126 selling days in the year to May in both 2011 and 2010.

Automobile Manufacturer's US Sales Rank - May 2011 vs. May 2010 and Totals

1. GM down 1.2% to 221,192 vehicles sold
2. Ford down 0.1% to 192,102 vehicles sold
3. Chrysler up 10.1% to 115,363 vehicles sold
4. Toyota down 33.4% to 108,387 vehicles sold
5. Honda down 22.5% to 90,773 vehicles sold
6. Nissan down 9.1% to 76,148 vehicles sold
7. Hyundai up 20.7% to 59,214 vehicles sold
8. Kia up 53.4% to 48,212 vehicles sold
9. VW up 27.9% to 30,100 vehicles sold
10. BMW up 19.7% to 26,452 vehicles sold
11. MB up 5.9% to 20,306 vehicles sold
12. Mazda down 20.9% to 17,875 vehicles sold
13. Audi up 13.6 % to 10,457 vehicles sold

[aca2983]

There is a definite Cruze/Daewoo connection, but I understand your point.