Rio and Sportage provide the sales lift. Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – April 3, 2018 2018 Kia Rio The all-new 2018 Rio sedan and 5-door hatch are the latest additions to the Kia lineup. The new subcompact duo provides better efficiency, new technology, advanced safety technology, everyday convenience and fun-to-drive character for a value oriented first time buyer price. The sedan’s passenger volume is 89.9 cu. ft. while the 5-door hatchback provides 90.5 cu ft. Front seat occupants are provided with more head room, leg room and shoulder room while second row passengers benefit from greater leg- and shoulder room. These improvements are the result of re-profiled door trims, new material for the headliner and a reshaping of the dashboard. The sedan’s cargo volume equals 13.7 cu. ft. while the 5-door hatch provides a 17.4 cu. ft. cargo volume spec. With the seats folded down, the hatchback offers 32.8 cu. ft. with a low and flat cargo load floor. The Rio’s three trims – LX, S and EX – are all powered by the 130 hp and 119 pound-feet of torque 1.6L GDI I4. That engine is mated to the front wheels through either a 6-speed MT or 6-speed AT providing a 29/37 mpg city/highway rating and 28/37 mpg city/highway rating respectively. The Rio offers Bluetooth, a six-speaker stereo with satellite radio and a rear-view camera system. The top trim EX includes a seven-inch floating touchscreen, UVO3 voice recognition infotainment and both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Kia March 2018 U.S. Auto Sales Kia reported it sold 50,645 vehicles in the United States in March, up 2.5 percent above the 49,429 sold in March of 2017. The uptick was despite a 15.9-percent decrease in fleet sales. Sales were down 1.2 percent on a daily selling rate (DSR) basis in which there were 28 selling days in March of 2018 vs. 27 in March of 2017. Kia’s YTD sales of 126,945 were down 0.6 percent below the 127,728 sold through the same period of 2017. Sales were down 4.3 percent on a DSR basis with 77 selling days in 2018 vs. 75 through the same period of 2017. Kia March and 1Q Sales Highlights The Rio accounts for a miniscule volume for the Korean automaker but the model achieved March sales of 2,147 vehicles, up 72.3 percent over the 1,246 sold in March of 2017. YTD sales of 5,025 were up 63.6 percent over the 3,072 sold through the same period of 2017. The larger and more profitable model news was Sportage which was picked up by 7,880 new owners, up 41.7 percent over the 5,560 sold in March of 2016. The model has set monthly sales records in each of first three months of the year in fact. YTD sales of 19,459 were up 26.2 percent over the 15,414 sold through the same period of 2016. 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.
Thanks , Bill. I'm accustomed to reading about cars that are too new to be on the company website. I didn't think to look there !
