With 249,795 vehicles sold, General Motors Co. reported a .6 percent decline in year-over-year September sales, while FCA US today reported U.S. September sales of 192,883 units, a 1 percent decrease year-over-year. Ford Motor Co. saw the largest year-over-year decline with U.S. September sales totaling 249,795 vehicles, an 8 percent drop.
GM sold 204,449 vehicles to individual or retail customers in the U.S. in September. Chevrolet’s retail sales in September grew 1 percent, while Buick and Cadillac retail sales also rose 7 percent and 5 percent, respectively.
The Chevrolet Malibu, Cruze, Corvette, Camaro, and Volt were up 50 percent, 6 percent, 16 percent, 10 percent, and 117 percent, respectively. The GMC Sierra had its best year-to-date sales since 2006, while the Canyon had its best September ever and year to date ever. GM reported that the Buick brand had its best year to date since 2005, and Cadillac’s Escalade was up 17 percent.
“We are achieving these results while maintaining disciplined incentive spending and commanding the industry’s best average transaction prices for any full-line manufacturer,” says Kurt McNeil, vice president of U.S. sales operations for GM.
GM also saw a 4 percent decrease in its total fleet sales in September, and its fleet mix in August was about 18 percent of total sales, which is below the company’s full-year guidance of 20 percent.
FCA US retail sales were 146,453 units in September, while fleet sales were 46,430 units. Retail sales represented 76 percent of total sales, and fleet sales were 24 percent.
The Ram Truck brand posted a 27 percent sales gain in September compared with the same month a year ago as pickup truck sales increased 29 percent year-over-year. Both the Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger turned in double-digit percentage increases in September, while the Jeep Grand Cherokee posted an 18 percent sales gain.
Sales of the new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan increased 23 percent in September, versus sales in the previous month of August, and sales of the new 2017 Fiat 124 Spider, the latest addition to the Fiat brand product lineup, were up 7 percent in September, compared with the previous month of August.
Compared to the same month a year ago, the company saw a decrease in its U.S. sales in September for its Jeep brand, (3 percent); Dodge brand, (6 percent); Chrysler brand, (27 percent); and Fiat brand, (30 percent).
With 50,553 sold, the Ford car line saw a 20.7 percent decline in sales compared to the same month year over year. The company sold 67,496 SUVs in September, a 3.4 percent decline, and 86,398 trucks, a 1.8 drop.
Fleet sales of 42,120 vehicles, including daily rental, commercial, and government segments, were down 21 percent, consistent with the company’s plan to front-load fleet sales this year, and sales to daily rental companies declined 36 percent for the month.
The company did see a 72.9 percent increase in its Expedition, with 6,033 sold, a 45 percent increase in its Police Interceptor Utility, with 2,479 sold, and a 6.4 percent sales increase in its Ford Transit Vans, with 10,799 sold in September,
“We continue seeing strong customer demand, especially for vans and pickup trucks, including our all-new Super Duty,” says Mark LaNeve, vice president of U.S. Marketing, Sales, and Service for Ford.
September marked 2016’s best month for F-Series’ retail sales. Ford F-Series sales totaled 67,809 vehicles, a 3 percent decline.
