Strong December Caps Rebound Year for Most Automakers
With BMW, Mercedes yet to report, Chrysler, Kia and VW show strong year-end increases.
With BMW and Mercedes-Benz yet to release their final 2011 sales tallies -- the two manufacturers are in a down-to-the-wire race to claim Lexus' former spot atop the luxury category -- Chrysler, Kia and Volkswagen are reporting the highest sales increases during a strong December for a rebounding auto industry in the U.S. Chrysler sales in December shot up 37 percent compared with the same month a year earlier, its 12th straight monthly increase. Chrysler Group boosted overall sales to 1.37 million units for the year, up 26 percent from the 1.08 million reported in 2010.
In 2011, for the fifth time, Kia marked a year-over-year increase of more than 40 percent. December 2011 numbers increased 43 percent from the previous year, to 43,390. Volkswagen, attributing its bump to demand for the new Passat and Jetta, reported a 26 percent yearly gain in 2011 and a 36 percent increase in December sales.
Other notable sales figures include the 645,691 units that Hyundai moved off the lot -- including unprecedented numbers of Sonata and Elantra models -- which marks a U.S. sales record for the South Korean brand. Ford also posted gains, with a 10 percent increase in December sales contributing to a 9 percent year-over-year bump.
There were a few losers among the major automakers, all of them Japanese manufacturers affected to varying degrees by the devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami in March. Infiniti, Honda and its Acura division all fell between 5 and 8 percent. The biggest loser was Toyota Group, which dropped 7 percent overall, to 1.64 million, from its 2010 numbers, while Lexus and Scion dropped 13 percent and 6 percent, respectively.
Lexus' poor showing, due partly to supply issues caused by the earthquake, leaves the door open for either BMW or Mercedes-Benz to claim the badge's longstanding title of top luxury automaker; through November, BMW led Mercedes by fewer than 1,600 units.
You can read Automotive News' full sales report here.
You're just looking more irrational and crazy at this point. LOL.
556V, I've been urging frostyross (a.k.a carbuff346) to seek profession help for some time now to help him deal with his Toyota obsession and the inability to stick to the truth. Maybe his form of Obama-care doesn't include counseling?
That's right, I see absolutely NOTHING on the market right now that is compelling enough to get me to say "I want to spend my hard earned money on that". There are some that come close, like the Mazda 6, the Mazda 3, the Accord Coupe, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, the Hyundai Veloster, the Fiat 500, the MINI Cooper. However, none of them are quite right.
So for now, I am stuck in Station Wagon purgatory, using a 21 speed bicycle and bus pass when I need to, keeping an eye on my budget and the used car ads, and hoping that the Scion FR-S will be all that it's cracked up to be.
So it's an improvement on a terrible year.
The previous year was a terrible year for the entire car industry, not just Chrysler. In relative terms Chrysler is having a better comeback than most companies. Strong enough rebound to actually push Toyota to the #4 position in U.S. sales a few months in 2011 making the Big 3 the Big 3 again.Toyota has regained the #3 slot, but at #4 Chrysler is still outselling Honda, Hyundai-Kia, Nissan, VW/Audi, etc. With Honda sales way down and Chrysler sales way up the gap between the two is enlarging making it that much more difficult for Honda to ever catch Chrysler. That holds true for Toyota whose sales have been down or flat. At the current double-digit rate of growth, Chrysler may grab that #3 slot from Toyota more decisively next time. I expect Hyundai-Kia to push Honda into 6th place within two years.
Even with a 5-8% decrease, the article shows that they still outsold almost all of the other brands mentioned.
I wouldn't be concerned about a slide by these two manufacturers unless their sales drop by about 20-25%, which is highly unlikely.
Curious TXMX-5EE, why not look at an RX8?
Well, I was restricting my scope to new cars only, as in the current new car market. The RX-8 at this point is no longer sold new. In my opinion, the new car market right now is just awful. It's filled with bland, boring, excessively large and heavy cars that have been watered down until they are nothing more than appliances. So for now I will sit on my cash. I eagerly await the Scion FR-S. That thing holds so much promise, but I will just have to wait further until it is released late this year to either find out if it will be a disappointment or not.
As I said, right now I am keeping my eye on the used car ads, and the RX-8 is most certainly high on my list of prices to keep track of.
EXPLORE NEW CARS
MORE ON MSN AUTOS
8 most outrageous SUVs on earthMSN Autos treks the globe to find the SUV of your dreams — or nightmares.
ABOUT EXHAUST NOTES
Cars are cool, and here at MSN Autos we love everything about them, but we also know they're more than simply speed and style: a car is an essential tool, a much-needed accessory to help you get through your day-to-day life. What you drive is also one of the most important investments you can make, so we'll help you navigate your way through the car buying and ownership experiences. We strive to be your daily destination for news, notes, tips and tricks from across the automotive world. So whether it's through original content from our world-class journalists or the latest buzz from the far corners of the Web, Exhaust Notes helps you make sense of your automotive world.
Have a story idea? Tip us off at exhaustnotes@live.com.
