MARCH AUTO SALES

Japan 3 post gains as Detroit automakers fall

Dale Jewett | Automotive News / April 3, 2007 - 2:02 pm / UPDATED:
4/3/2007 5:37 P.M.

March's U.S. auto sales results have a familiar look: Toyota Motor
Sales U.S.A. Inc. and American Honda Motor Co. posted gains while
General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler saw their numbers
drop.

Overall, U.S. auto sales in March were up 0.7 percent from a year ago
to 1,542,498 units. But for the year to date, sales are down 1.2
percent to 3,889,952 units.

The top six automakers ranked like this for the month:


No. 1: GM, down 4.0 percent to 345,418 units.


No. 2: Ford Motor, down 9.0 percent to 263,582 units.


No. 3: Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., up 11.7 percent to 242,675
units.


No. 4: DaimlerChrysler, down 4.1 percent to 228,066 units.


No. 5: American Honda Motor Co., up 11.3 percent to 143,392 units.


No. 6: Nissan North America, up 7.8 percent to 111,119 units.


After the first three months of this year, those six automakers line
up in the same order.

A year ago, for both March sales and the year-to-date total,
DaimlerChrysler held the No. 3 spot with Toyota Motor Sales in fourth
place.

Both Ford and GM cited a reduction in sales to rental fleets as a
factor in their sales declines in March, a strategy they have been
pursuing for several months.

Market share shifts

As a group, Toyota Motor Sales, American Honda and Nissan North
America took 32.2 percent of U.S. auto sales in March, a gain of 2.9
percentage points compared with March 2006. The combined market share
of Ford Motor, GM and DaimlerChrysler for the month totaled 54.3
percent, down 3.6 percentage points from a year earlier.

Rising sales for Japanese automakers weren't confined to Toyota, Honda
and Nissan.

Sales at Mazda North America Operations rose 47.9 percent in March
compared with a year earlier, to 37,742 units. The increase was
propelled by the CX-7 and CX-9 crossovers. March U.S. sales were also
up at Mitsubishi Motors North America and American Suzuki Motor Corp.
..

Korea's Hyundai Group continues to gain. Combined U.S. sales of the
Hyundai and Kia brands were up 2.6 percent in March to 69,551 units --
making it the seventh-ranked automaker for the month. For the year to
date, the Hyundai group's U.S. sales are up 4.1 percent to 177,808
units.

American automakers weren't the only losers. Despite a record-setting
month for its Audi brand, the Volkswagen group saw its U.S. sales fall
8.6 percent in March to 25,677 units. Sales were down for every model
in the VW lineup except the Eos convertible, which was not on sale a
year ago.

On an annualized basis, Wall Street forecasts for industrywide U.S.
auto sales for March had been projected at 16.2 million to 16.6
million vehicles compared with 16.6 million a year ago.

Incentives down slightly

Last month, sales incentives offered to new-car buyers in the United
States fell slightly, according to Edmunds.com, an auto industry
tracking Web site.

The average manufacturer incentive on cars and light trucks sold in
the United States was $2,512 in March, down 0.4 percent from a year
earlier, Edmunds.com said.

Sales incentives are widely tracked as an indication of the relative
profitability of various automakers and the pressure they face to move
inventory.

On an industrywide basis, the total sales discounts amounted to $3.8
billion for March, with the U.S. automakers accounting for 69 percent
of that total, Edmunds.com said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...03/042379.html has details
on Toyota sales by model. It is an interesting read.

Avalon sales are in free fall - down nearly 17%
Camry sales are up moderately - 10%
The big movers were the Prius (up 133%) and Yaris (up 448.3%).
Scion sales are still falling.
The "new" Tundra finally had an increase (10.4%)

I think if you look at this I think you can see why Toyota is doing
well compared to the Domestics - people are worried about fuel
efficiency.

I did see one more disturbing trend - Toyota is building fewer cars in
the US and importing more from Japan. This is not a case of Toyota
reaching capacity in the US - except for Tundras and Corollas, they
built fewer car in the US in March 2007 than in March 2006, and
imported more cars from Japan (even Camrys).This has a logical basis -
the Japanese auto market is in the toilet. Sales in Toyota's home
market were down for the 29th consecutive month. Since Toyota
Manufacturing in the US uses a lot of temporary workers, it is easier
to reduce production in the US than in Japan where they maintain a
full employment policy.

Ed

"C. E. White" <cewhite3 (AT) removemindspring (DOT) com> wrote

They must have opened a second factory. If they did and were clearing a
waiting list last month, Prius sales could slow - and prices could cool.

What impresses me is the total volume of hybrids. Between the Camry H,
Highlander H and Prius, Toyota sold just shy of 25,000 hybrids last month.
They're going to be approaching 300,000 hybrids per year, all by themselves.

And let's not forget Ford. They didn't post/break out hybrid units where I
could find them but the Escape/Mariner hybrid is an effective hybrid and
Ford did say that sales of that hybrid is up 43% this year, March over
March. I admire Ford for the effort and I'd like to see it pay off.

I live in a suburb with very inefficient traffic signals and lots of them.
Hybrids in my town will save a LOT of fuel.

They must have been in limited availability last March to make that increase
percentage. It's just 7600 units at this point. Not bad but it's not the
same volume class as the Camry or Corolla.

The xB is, let us say, 'an acquired taste.' I guess fewer are making the
effort to acquire it...

This really shouldn't be news to Detroit. We've had oil price shocks off
and on for decades. And a good chunk of the world's oil comes from
politically unstable countries. Sudden supply restrictions are always a
possibility.

Or the product mix changed. The Rav is a pretty hot seller and it's still
built only in Japan. Is the Prius built here, now? If they're all still
built in Japan, that would account for a lot of the shift.

And why go on about this? Is GM increasing employment here? Or in Korea
and China? Over the past few years, Toyota has ramped up US employment with
good jobs. Why piss and moan about it?

Take a hard look at Wal*Mart. Wal*Mart is responsible for a LOT of jobs
going to China. At least the workers in Japan get a say in their government
and make decent wages. And, in another thread, you've been whining about
Toyota's ads being "deceptive" (they're not, they're just trying to
illustrate something, people can do the physics themselves, if they like),
where Wal*Mart was actually caught hanging "Made in the USA" signs on stuff
that was made overseas. "Aww, gee, did we do that?"



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I believe Scion sales are low because there are few cars available to sell
while Scion transitions to new models.

Are Prius made in US yet? I don't think so and that would also explain
import increase from Japan factories.


"C. E. White" <cewhite3 (AT) removemindspring (DOT) com> wrote

On Apr 4, 12:25 pm, "Art" <begunaNOSPAMPLE... (AT) mindspring (DOT) com> wrote:
Check the reference - All the Priuses and Yarises come from Japan. But
even the number of Camrys coming from Japan are up and the number made
in the US is down (5.4% fewer built in the US).

The local Toyota dealers have Scions on their lots - escpecially xCs
but I think you are correct, the xAs and xBs are all 2006 models. What
is the hold up with 2007 Models?

Ed

Ed

"C. E. White" <cewhite3 (AT) removemindspring (DOT) com> wrote

They must have opened a second factory. If they did and were clearing a
waiting list last month, Prius sales could slow - and prices could cool.

What impresses me is the total volume of hybrids. Between the Camry H,
Highlander H and Prius, Toyota sold just shy of 25,000 hybrids last month.
They're going to be approaching 300,000 hybrids per year, all by themselves.

And let's not forget Ford. They didn't post/break out hybrid units where I
could find them but the Escape/Mariner hybrid is an effective hybrid and
Ford did say that sales of that hybrid is up 43% this year, March over
March. I admire Ford for the effort and I'd like to see it pay off.

I live in a suburb with very inefficient traffic signals and lots of them.
Hybrids in my town will save a LOT of fuel.

They must have been in limited availability last March to make that increase
percentage. It's just 7600 units at this point. Not bad but it's not the
same volume class as the Camry or Corolla.

The xB is, let us say, 'an acquired taste.' I guess fewer are making the
effort to acquire it...

This really shouldn't be news to Detroit. We've had oil price shocks off
and on for decades. And a good chunk of the world's oil comes from
politically unstable countries. Sudden supply restrictions are always a
possibility.

Or the product mix changed. The Rav is a pretty hot seller and it's still
built only in Japan. Is the Prius built here, now? If they're all still
built in Japan, that would account for a lot of the shift.

Glancing at the chart, many of the vehicles sourced in Japan simply sold
better this month.

And maybe they're just not paying overtime in Kentucky or wherever this
year. The domestic Toyota plants were, if I remember correctly, running at
109% of capacity for a time. The article I read mentioned that Toyota does
not like to do that (they'd rather the workers rest regularly and then put
the cars together correctly, I suppose).

And why go on about this? What difference does it make? Who cares?

Is GM increasing employment here? Or in Korea and China? Over the past few
years, Toyota has ramped up US employment with good jobs. Why piss and moan
about it?

Take a hard look at Wal*Mart. Wal*Mart is responsible for a LOT of jobs
going to China. At least the workers in Japan get a say in their government
and make decent wages. And, in another thread, you've been whining about
Toyota's ads being "deceptive" (they're not, they're just trying to
illustrate something, people can do the physics themselves, if they like),
where Wal*Mart was actually caught hanging "Made in the USA" signs on stuff
that was made overseas. "Aww, gee, did we do that?"





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"DH" <dh (AT) stargate (DOT) com> wrote

The Teranews Experience:

Post.
Wait.
Look.
Wait Some More.
Look.
Wait Some More.
Look.
Give up and post it again.
Wait.
Look.
Wait some more.
Look.
Wait some more.
Look.
Oh, crap, there's repost AND the original.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

"DH" ...
*snip*
LOL you may have to actually *pay* for a newsserver...

Natalie

"DH" <dh (AT) stargate (DOT) com> wrote

"Wickeddoll®" <wickeddoll1958diespammersdie (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote

Actually, I did. This service involves a one-time fee. It's not "free,"
although they call it that. There is no recurring charge.



--
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