July 2009 Auto Sales Figures
It’s the beginning of August, which means that automakers are posting their July 2009 auto sales figures. We actually have a bit of good news this month! For the first time in over 1.5 years, Ford is back in the black. Ford posted a 2.4% increase in sales when compared to July 2008. Industry analysts are saying that the Cash for Clunkers program, combined with Ford’s image as the most financially stable of the Detroit 3, is partially responsible for this increase in sales. Now on to the rest of the numbers…
Domestic Automakers
General Motors, which only recently emerged from bankruptcy, posted a 19.4% decline in year over year sales. Although this is still a double-digit decline in sales, it is a drastic improvement over the 33.4% posted in June 2009. It is also important to note that hundreds of GM dealerships closed in early June so there are fewer outlets from which GM can sell their vehicles.
Chrysler, another company that is in the process of bouncing back from bankruptcy, experienced a 9.4% decline in sales. Again, this is somewhat good news. First, it isn’t a double-digit decline. Second, it is exponentially better than the 41.9% decrease posted last month.
As I already mentioned, Ford posted an increase in sales. That’s right, Ford moved more units in July 2009 than they did a year ago. The 164,795 vehicles sold in July 2009 brings the automaker near the 1 million-vehicle mark for 2009, year-to-date.
Imports
Although Cash for Clunkers was designed to stimulate all of the nation’s auto sales, it didn’t seem to have as much of an effect on imports. American Honda sales were down by 17.3%; this is an improvement from the 29.5% decrease seen in June.
Nissan sales were down by 24.6% in July. This is a slight increase from the 23.1% drop posted in June 2008.
Toyota, who is receiving quite a bit of recognition for the 50-mpg Prius, posted an 11.4% decline. This is a big improvement over the 31.9% decrease the company experienced.
While the numbers are still bleak (for the most part), I think that the results are perhaps a glimmer of hope.
Photo by dailyinvention
|
Filed Under: General |
|
If you enjoyed reading this article... Subscribe to Our Feed |
Loading ...
[...] I posted the July 2009 auto sales figures and one company, Ford, posted an increase in sales. Although the increase was only 2.4%, it [...]
[...] A Yahoo news article listed the top 10 clunker trade ins and the top 10 new cars, as of early August. The Ford Focus tops their list of new cars purchased through the program. This may help explain Ford’s increase in sales in July 2009. [...]