February 2012 Auto Sales

VOLKSWAGEN GROUP +34%

Audi slowed down a bit but Volkswagen is still white-hot. Volkswagen +43%
Last month, the Passat bolstered VW's total by about 6000 units; this month, it was better than 8000. The redesigned Beetle is far outselling its predecessor but is still only about half the volume of the Golf/GTI. The CC (-39%) suffered the biggest drop. Audi +10%
The new A6 (+64%) continues to ring the register at Audi, along with the A7. The A3 (+22%) has swung to the plus side but the Q7 (-50%) suddenly dropped. Bentley +25%

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BMW GROUP +31%

After BMW's narrow victory over Mercedes-Benz in the luxury-car derby last year, Mercedes jumped out into the lead in January but BMW was ahead in February. It appears that we're setting up for another close race. BMW +29%
The new 3-series (sedan) has arrived, and its presence is felt, as 3-series sales jumped 66%. The 6-series also was hot, as was the revamped X3 (+43%). All SUVs, in fact were up; the only downers were the 5-series (-4%) and the 1-series (-30%). Mini +42%
In a particularly egalitarian effort, both the regular Minis and the Countryman jumped by better than 40%. Rolls-Royce +7%

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MAZDA +32%

Small cars made big news at Mazda: both the suddenly hot Mazda2 (which tripled its year-ago sales) and the Skyactiv-enhanced Mazda3 (+40%). The Mazda6 (+80%) pitched in as well, but all SUVs and the Mazda5 minivan declined. The new CX-5, just starting to trickle into dealerships, isn't yet a factor.

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SUBARU +17%

The new Impreza is off to an impressive start at Subaru, up 85%. The Legacy and the Outback showed modest growth, but the Forester (-12%) is starting to weaken.

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VOLVO +10%

The S60 (+55%) remains the Scandinavian powerhouse, with a surprise assist from the aging XC90 (+33%). The equally aged S80, however, is looking pretty arthritic (-37%).

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MITSUBISHI -31%

Eclipse sales have all but dried up (121 units sold) and so far, the battery-powered i car (44 units) isn't exactly riding to the rescue. If it weren't for the Outlander (+18%) and the Outlander Sport (+7%), it would have been all bad news this month.

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JAGUAR LAND ROVER +32%

Jaguar +48%
The arrival of the XK-RS help triple sales of Jaguar's grand tourer, and the XF (+84%) enjoyed a sudden spike in interest as well. Land Rover +27%
The Evoque has become the second-bestselling Land Rover, behind the Range Rover Sport. The rest of the lineup mirrored last month, with the LR4 and the Range Rover down, while the LR2 was up.

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SUBARU+48%

Subaru pulled up out of last month's nosedive, with help from all corners of the lineup. The biggest contributions came from the most important quarters: the SX4 (+54%) and the Kizashi (+77%).

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PORSCHE +6%

No surprise: The new 911 saw a dramatic increase in sales (+112%). Big surprise: That made it the bestselling Porsche model. Hurrah!

TOP 10 BESTSELLING NAMEPLATES IN FEBRUARY

1. Ford F-series 47,273
2. Toyota Camry 34,542
3. Nissan Altima 32,953
4. Chevrolet Silverado 32,297
5. Honda Civic 27,087
6. Honda CR-V 24,759
7. Ford Focus 23,350
8. Dodge Ram 22,595
9. Toyota Corolla/Matrix 22,148
10. Ford Fusion 21,773