July 2011 Auto Sales

AMERICAN HONDA -28%
Honda suffered the worst decline of all major manufacturers in July. The company has indicated that it expects to return to full production in August, so perhaps the worst is now behind it. Honda -29%
With the lone exception of the Pilot (+4%), every single Honda model was down in July. That includes the new Honda Civic (-40%), which continues to be hampered a slow build rate. The Accord fell by 25%, putting it behind several key competitors. Acura -28%
All Acuras were down, but none more so than the ZDX (-82%) VOLKSWAGEN GROUP +21%
Volkswagen +22%
The new Jetta (+51%) continues to get it done, but the Touareg (+119%) and the Eos (+40%) also popped this month. The CC (-11%) had the only significant decline. Audi +17%
The A6 enjoyed a model-end boost (+64%) and the A8 is up a lot from its tiny, year ago levels. The biggest change in Audi's fortunes, though, was due to the arrival of the A7. Bentley +154% BMW GROUP +12%
BMW +12%
It's no surprise that the new X3 is up hugely (selling at 4 times the rate of its predecessor). The Z4 (+92%) and the 5-series (+59%) are also doing well. The 1-series (-52%), though, is sinking, and the aging 3-series (-3%) is finally looking tired. Mini +9%
The addition of the Countryman more than made up for a decline in the other Minis. Rolls-Royce +2%
Rolls-Royce sold 1 more car this July than it did last July. SUBARU OF AMERICA -9%
Subaru suffered its third down month in a row, as it, too, struggles with supply issues -- and an Impreza that's at the end of its life span. Not surprisingly, Impreza sales fell the most (-19%); only the Legacy (+14%) was in the positive column. DAIMLER-BENZ +13%
Mercedes-Benz +15%
The new CLS has zoomed ahead of its moribund predecessor and, strangely, ended up just a nose behind the Audi A7 (704 to 709). The new SLK is even stronger out of the gate, and together those two new models overcame slipping sales of Mercedes' volume cars, the C-class (-14%) and the E-class (-6%). SUVs were stronger, led by the M-class (+41%) and the GL (+60%) -- the Sprinter (+154%) lent a hand as well. Smart -42%
Smart continues to be a weight around Daimler's ankle -- a small weight, perhaps, but a weight nonetheless. Maybach -20%
Maybach sales dipped from 5 to 4, so apparently the rich are suffering too. MAZDA +0%
Mazda sales were flat, as the addition of the Mazda2 and an uptick for the CX-7 (+19%) ran counter to lower volumes for all the other models. MITSUBISHI +41%
The new Outlander Sport just missed being the second-best-selling Mitsubishi, edged out by the Galant, whose sales nearly doubled. Other suspicious leaps included the Endeavor (+203%) and the Eclipse, which increased by a factor of 4. VOLVO +30%
The return of the S60 is behind the increase here, and the S60 is now Volvo's bestselling model. JAGUAR LAND ROVER +0%
Jaguar -35%
All three Jaguars dropped significantly in July, most notably the XK, which fell by half. The XJ (-39%) was little better, and so the XF (down by only 25%) was the bestselling Jag. Land Rover +23%
The Land Rover story is nearly the opposite of that at Jaguar, with all models doing better, save the hapless LR2. The Range Rover Sport (+46%) is confidently out in front here. PORSCHE +2%
The Cayenne (+48%), already Porsche's bestselling model, continues to build its lead over the Panamera (-23%) and the sports cars, all of which slipped. SUZUKI +25%
The Kizashi (+12%) notched a gain but the real driver of Suzuki's increase in July was the SX4, which was up by half. SAAB -19%
A 19% decline doesn't look good for Saab, but sales actually were up a bit compared to June. And the 9-4X is finally starting to roll into showrooms. TOP 5 BESTSELLING NAMEPLATES in June (and rank last month)
1. Ford F-series 49,104 (#1)
2. Chevrolet Silverado 33,121 (#2)
3. Toyota Camry (#9)
4. Chevrolet Cruze 24,648 (#3)
5. Ford Escape 24,411 (#5)
Altima 21,340
Elantra 20,884
Malibu 19,529
Fusion 19,318
Accord 18,308