BMW Group, +19%
Although the new Z4, significant quantities of which are just arriving in showrooms, posted a huge increase from the artificially depressed numbers of the prior month, it was BMW's bread-and-butter models that drove the company's impressive gain in May. The X3, which has been languishing for the past year, finally had a good month; so did the 3-series and the Mini Cooper. Together, they more than offset declines across the rest of the model range.
Advancers
Z4 +1352%
X3 +152%
3-series +43%
Mini +26%
Decliners
6-series -57%
7-series -18%
Rolls-Royce -17%
5-series -10%
Volkswagen Group, +16%VW saw an upturn in May, driven by a big sales month for the Jetta, the Eos, and the GTI. The VW division overall posted a 20% gain, which was mitigated by Audi's weaker 7% increase (Bentley rallied by 42%, but that still equates to only 159 cars for the month).
Advancers
GTI +78%
Jetta +76%
Eos +69%
A6 +33%
R8 +26%
Touareg +25%
Q7 +18%
Q5 +15%
A3 +15%
TT +14%
Decliners
Routan -47%
New Beetle -37%
CC -13%
A8 -13%
Subaru, +12%
Subaru was able to make good headway in May, mostly on the strength of the Impreza, although all four Subaru model lines showed at least some improvement.
Advancers
Impreza +30%
General Motors, +11%
GM managed to bounce back a bit in the run-up to the company's bankruptcy announcement. Unlike Ford, the good news was not shared by all brands; and in contrast to Chrysler, it was not concentrated in its weakest models. Of the continuing divisions, Chevrolet climbed 11% on the strength of the Silverado, the Colorado, big vans, the HHR, and the Cobalt, plus the arrival of the Camaro. Big SUVs and the Traverse were a drag on sales. Cadillac slipped 4% on CTS weakness, despite peddling more Escalades. Buick was up a bit (3%), thanks to the LaCrosse and the Enclave. GMC powered up 17%, driven by the Sierra and the Yukon. Of the departing brands, Hummer, surprisingly, gained 20%, all due to the H3. Pontiac posted a 23% gain, with most of its car models participating. Saturn sold 9% more cars, mostly on the strength of the Outlook and the Aura. Saab, though, fell another 12%, as the 9-3 sank further.
Advancers
Camaro +900%
G5 +66%
Yukon +61%
Solstice +60%
G8 +53%
Outlook +46%
HHR +46%
G3 +43%
Vibe +42%
Escalade +42%
Sky +36%
Colorado +35%
Express van +32%
Sierra +24%
LaCrosse +24%
H3 +22%
Aura +20%
Silverado +19%
Corvette +17%
Decliners
Suburban -40%
Avalanche -35%
CTS -25%
9-3 -25%
Tahoe -23%
Astra -21%
Traverse -14%
Lucerne -13%
Hyundai Motor America, +6%
With its heavy incentive spending and the boom-and-bust sales figures for its various models, Hyundai/Kia is more akin to a domestic auto company than to the Japanese automakers it seeks to emulate. Still, it moved forward in May, driven more so by its Hyundai division than by Kia. The latter had a boom month for the Sportage and likely more organic growth for the new Soul and the Spectra, offset by slackening demand for the aging Sedona, Sorento, Amanti, and Rio. At Hyundai, it was steady going for the new Genesis and the mainstay Sonata, with boom sales for the Santa Fe and the Elantra.
Advancers
Sportage +112%
Santa Fe +74%
Elantra +48%
Soul +20%
Accent +13%
Spectra +10%
Decliners
Amanti -66%
Tiburon -50%
Rio -50%
Sorento -29%
Sedona -22%
Mazda, +4%
Mazda was able to scrape out a tiny gain for May. The main factor behind the good news was a recovery in sales of its crossovers, the CX-7 and CX-9, both of which passed the Mazda5 minivan, which is seeing a falloff in demand after a big 2008.
Advancers
RX-8 +55%
CX-9 +51%
CX-7 +30%
Decliners
Mazda5 -32%
Miata -31%
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