GM Pickups have a field day in March. Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – April 3, 2018 2018 Chevrolet Equinox Turbo Diesel 28/39 mpg city/highway when equipped with the brands 1.6L Turbo Diesel. With the Q1 now behind us, U.S. March auto sales of 1.65 million vehicles was up on a volume basis and up 2.6 percent on a daily selling rate (DSR) basis. Finally, the consumer appears ready to spend more on new personal transportation, second only to a home as the most expensive purchase consumers make. The winners in March were GM, FCA, Mazda, VW, and Mitsubishi, all achieving double digit sales volumes gains. The losers were Nissan with a single digit falloff and Hyundai that once again experienced a double-digit decline. GM March 2018 U.S. Auto Sales GM reported it sold 296,341 vehicles in the United States in March, up 15.7 percent over the 256,224 sold in March of 2017. GMs YTD sales of 715,794 were up 3.8 percent over the 689,521 sold through the same period of 2017. GM March and 1Q Sales Highlights Chevrolet CUV sales were up 39 percent, with the Trax, Equinox and Traverse experiencing their best March sales in history. GMs pickups experienced strong sales led by a 24 percent gain for the Chevrolet Silverado, a 52 percent gain for the Chevrolet Colorado and a 9 percent gain for the GMC Canyon. GM’s Commercial deliveries rose 19 percent year over year in March and they were up 27 percent in the first quarter driven by higher pickup, crossover and Malibu sales. Rental deliveries were 11 percent of total sales for the month and the quarter, among the lowest levels in the industry. GM’s March average transaction prices (ATPs) net of incentives, were up more than $900 in the first quarter while incentive spending as a percentage of ATP was 14.5 percent in March, and 13.3 percent through the 1Q. The real news was GM stating their monthly sales reporting will no longer occur as it begins a quarterly only strategy. For 2018, Q2 sales will be released on July 3, Q3 on October 2 and Q4 sales on January 3, 2019. GM provided all kinds of reasons for the change, but the bottom line is really the bottom line. Top 10 March 2018 sales items of note: The well accepted Equinox continues to outsell the perennial leading CR-V. B and C-Segment March 2018 sales items of note: The Sonic had a poor showing into the end of last year but that has since subsided as discounts continue to move it back to a more prominent position in the B-segment. Remember it used to hold on to the #2 spot behind the Versa for months on end just a few years ago. The all-new and imho, best B-segment available, all-new 2018 Accent continues to flounder since its release. D and Utility-Segment March 2018 sales items of note: Other than the up and coming 5-series, there is a lot of blank ink in the D-Segment. The all-new Camry is holding its own while most of the segment continues to see sales declines as perspective purchasers continue to move to the CUV where double digit gains show across much of the top 10 in that segment. In the Crossover segment, Rogue has held onto its #1 position and #3 overall position through the1Q ahead of RAM pickups. That is saying something! Pickup-Segment March 2018 sales items of note: There really is no change other than the sheer volume of Pickups’ sold. The F-Series has outsold 12 of the top 18 manufactures by its lonesome. Electrified-Segment March 2018 sales items of note: With a slow January start, Ford has placed a lot of $s behind its Fusion Hybrid and its sales volume again dominates the HEV segment placing the strong RAV4 and fading Prius behind. The Camry Hybrid although not moving beyond its stagnant 5th spot within the HEV Top 10, the positive sales results bode well for continued success of the most efficient midsize available today. On the electric front, the Prius Prime PHEV now accounts for 41.8 percent of the Prius liftback sales. Given the lower cost and plug-in capability, is it any wonder? Tesla, Honda, FCA, and Kia do not supply HEV/PHEV/BEV monthly sales breakouts. U.S. Automobile March 2018 vs. March 2017 Market Share Comparison March 2018 Market Share items of note: GM market share was up an extremely strong 1.3 percent compared to March of 2017. On the downside, Ford was down .6 percent, Hyundai was down 0.8 percent, and Nissan was down a steep 1.1 percent. U.S. March 2018 Sales vs. March 2017 Sales Ranks and Results for the top 18 Automobile Manufacturers GM March 2018 Sales: 296,341 vehicles sold, up 15.7 percent above the 256,224 sold in March of 2017 Ford March 2018 Sales: 244,306 vehicles sold, up 3.4 percent above the 236,250 sold in March of 2017 Toyota March 2018 Sales: 222,782 vehicles sold, up 3.5 percent over the 215,224 sold in March of 2017 FCA March 2018 Sales: 216,063 vehicles sold, up 13.6 percent above the 190,254 sold in March of 2017 Nissan March 2018 Sales: 162,535 vehicles sold, down 3.7 percent below the 168,832 sold in March of 2017 Honda March 2018 Sales: 142,392 vehicles sold, up 3.8 percent above the 137,227 sold in March of 2017 Hyundai March 2018 Sales: 61,540 vehicles sold, down 11.2 percent below the 69,265 sold in March of 2017 Subaru March 2018 Sales: 58,097 vehicles sold, up 5.9 percent above the 54,871 sold in March of 2017 Kia March 2018 Sales: 50,645 vehicles sold, up 2.5 percent above the 49,429 sold in March of 2017 BMW March 2018 Sales: 35,842 vehicles sold, down 0.4 percent below the 36,002 sold in March of 2017 Mazda March 2018 Sales: 33,302 vehicles sold, up 35.7 percent above the 24,549 sold in March of 2017 VW March 2018 Sales: 32,548 vehicles sold, up 17.8 percent above the 27,635 sold in March of 2017 Mercedes-Benz March 2018 Sales: 31,484 vehicles sold, down 2.7 percent below the 32,352 sold in March of 2017 Audi March 2018 Sales: 20,090 vehicles sold, up 7.4 percent above the 18,705 sold in March of 2017 Mitsubishi March 2018 Sales: 14,319 vehicles sold, up 21.7 percent over the 11,766 sold in March of 2017 Jaguar/Land Rover March 2018 Sales: 14,232 vehicles sold, up 10.2 percent above the 12,918 sold in March of 2017 Volvo March 2018 Sales: 8,233 vehicles sold, up 53.7 percent above the 5,356 sold in March of 2017 Porsche March 2018 Sales: 4,756 vehicles sold, up 6.2 percent above the 4,479 sold in March of 2017 Manufacturer ranking Items of note: Hyundai moved back ahead of Subaru despite a double digit negative monthly result. BMW, Mazda, and VW moved ahead of Mercedes-Benz with Mazda and VW achieving double digit sales volumes gains in March. Audi has sold 20,000 U.S. vehicles for just the fourth time and first ever for a March result. March 2018 U.S. Automotive industry sales of 1.649 million was up 6.3 percent vs. the 1.551 million sold in March of 2017. On a Daily Selling Rate basis with 28 selling days in March 2018 vs, 27 in March of 2017, sales were still up a healthy 2.6 percent. 2018 YTD sales of 4.09 million is up .08 million or 2 percent over the 4.01 million sold through the same period of 2017. March 2018 automotive industry seasonally annual adjusted rate (SAAR) reached 16.8 million.
GM of Canada - March 2018 Overall and Highlights GM Canada achieved its best March sales result since 2008 and lead the country with sales of 30,159 vehicles in March, up 0.1 percent over the 30,115 sold in March of 2017. YTD sales of 64,931 vehicles was up 6.0 percent over the 61,248 sold through the same period fo 2017. Truks and SUVs accounted for 24,266 vehicles sold in March vs March car sales of 5,893 for a ratio of 4.11:1. GM Canada Brand Highlights for the First Quarter of 2018 (retail only) CHEVROLET Bolt EV +84.5% Traverse +167.2% Volt +20.8% GMC Canyon +20.9% Canada March 2018 Sales vs. March 2017 Sales Ranks and Results for the top 7 Automobile Manufacturers GM Canada March Sales: 30,159 Vehicles Sold, Up 0.1 percent Ford of Canada March Sales: 26,066 Vehicles Sold, Down 1.6 Percent FCA Canada March Sales: 24,490 Vehicles Sold, Down 7.7 Percent Toyota Canada March Sales: 21,040 Vehicles Sold, Up 8.4 Percent Honda Canada March Sales: 17,538 Vehicles Sold, Down 8.5 Percent Nissan Canada March Sales: 15,192 Vehicles Sold, Down 3.9 Percent Hyundai Canada March Sales: 9,739 Vehicles Sold, Down 12.1 Percent
