19 April 2010 — The US new vehicle market looks to be on the long road to recovery, according to latest figures from the world’s leading provider of automotive data and intelligence, JATO Dynamics.
New vehicle sales in the United States for the first quarter, 2010, were 15.7% higher than the same period, 2009 – although they remain some way distant of the pre-recession Q1 2008.
In total, 2,544,829 cars and trucks were bought in Q1 2010, compared to 2,199,933 in Q1 last year. Both figures are still well down on the 3,570,360 sold in Q1 2008.
Every single one of the top five brands in cars and trucks have all increased sales, vs. 2009, but despite these changes in sales volumes, the proportion of cars and trucks has stayed virtually unchanged, with each accounting for around half the market.
Commented David Mitchell, President Americas: “It would appear the US new vehicle market is mirroring the wider US economy, in heading towards a tentative recovery, in both car and truck sales. The encouraging element is perhaps the experience of domestic manufacturers, with Ford and Chevrolet as the top two brands, both recording healthy sales gains.”
Brand Performance
As the leading brand in overall sales, Ford has posted a 40.4% increase in total sales and a 60.3% rise in its car sales, vs. Q1 2009. Overall, Ford gained 2.7% market share in the first three months of 2010, its best quarterly performance since 1977.
While Ford trucks outsell cars almost 2:1, recent introductions such as the Fusion hybrid have helped the brand react to customer demand for more economical vehicles and end the quarter with 381,868 total sales.
Chevrolet – second overall and with a 38.8% total sales increase – also outsold import brands in combined car and truck sales, on its way to 337,785 new customers. It is second placed for both car and truck sales.
Of the major Japanese brands – Toyota, Honda and Nissan – only Nissan increased overall market share. Toyota’s total market share slipped back, from 13.9% last year, to 12.8% in Q1 2010, yet the brand retained its car sales crown, thanks to the enduring popularity of its Camry and Corolla/ Matrix models.
Top 5 brands
| Vehicle Type | Make/Model | Q1 2010 | Q1 2009 | Diff 2010 – 2009 | % Change |
Cars | TOYOTA | 177,886 | 172,575 | 5,311 | +3.1% |
CHEVROLET | 172,542 | 101,283 | 71,259 | +70.4% | |
NISSAN | 142,645 | 98,110 | 44,535 | +45.4% | |
HONDA | 141,280 | 120,938 | 20,342 | +16.8% | |
FORD | 136,698 | 85,266 | 51,432 | +60.3% | |
Trucks | FORD | 245,170 | 186,790 | 58,380 | +31.3% |
CHEVROLET | 165,243 | 142,162 | 23,081 | +16.2% | |
TOYOTA | 148,704 | 132,742 | 15,962 | +12.0% | |
HONDA | 87,339 | 85,527 | 1,812 | +2.1% | |
GMC | 68,619 | 51,066 | 17,553 | +34.4% | |
Model Performance
Top 5 Models
Vehicle Type | Make/Model | 2010 | 2009 | Diff 2010 – 2009 | % Change |
Cars | TOYOTA CAMRY | 68,595 | 67,199 | 1,396 | +2.1% |
HONDA ACCORD | 65,579 | 55,279 | 10,300 | +18.6% | |
TOYOTA COROLLA/MATRIX | 63,740 | 59,598 | 4,142 | +6.9% | |
NISSAN ALTIMA | 59,483 | 49,658 | 9,825 | +19.8% | |
HONDA CIVIC | 53,627 | 50,530 | 3,097 | +6.1% | |
Trucks | FORD F-SERIES | 103,039 | 81,579 | 21,460 | +26.3% |
CHEVROLET SILVERADO | 72,480 | 67,283 | 5,197 | +7.7% | |
FORD ESCAPE | 45,091 | 31,030 | 14,061 | +45.3% | |
TOYOTA RAV4 | 40,474 | 28,331 | 12,143 | +42.9% | |
RAM PICKUP | 38,042 | 46,619 | -8,577 | -18.4% | |
