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August auto sales: a mixed picture

Posted by Hootan Mahallati | September 01, 2009 | In miscellaneous news

Winner's circle
Now that August sales are behind us, a mixed picture emerges of the state of auto sales in the US. Ford's light vehicle sales rose by 17.2%, the largest boost the company has enjoyed since July 2005. The Ford Focus and Escape were particularly strong sellers.

Honda's light vehicle sales went up by 9.9%, while rival Toyota's sales gained 6.4%, the largest increase for the Japanese giant since June 2007. Toyota's German challenger Volkswagen Group saw an 11.4% increase. On the premium side of the market, the most notable winner was Audi, whose sales saw a 26% hike last month. The biggest relative winner of all was Subaru, who can boast a 51.5% gain.

The losers
Not everyone had a good August. Recovering GM saw a 20.1% decrease in sales, while Chrysler reported a 15.4% decline. While Audi enjoyed a stellar month, its German rivals did not fare well at all. Daimler AG, parent of Mercedes-Benz and Smart, lost 10.5%, while BMW Group declined 21.3%.

What does this mean for the industry?

Analysts attribute the temporary shot-in-the arm to the Cash for Clunkers incentive program (CARS) and expect a return to more dismal sales in September. As evidence, they note a sharp decline in car sales as CARS came to an end the last week of August.

[Source: Automotive News w/subs.]

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