Autoblog

[Source: Ford]

Sales for the month of October 2008 were... ahem... not good. The auto industry in the U.S. has found a way to slide further into oblivion with only a few bright spots from Audi and MINI, the latter of which enjoyed monster sales last month we suspect on account of greater production capacity this year versus October 2007.

While all the major players were down, General Motors, the largest of them all, was hit the hardest. Its sales volume for October 2008 fell 45% compared to last year. It went from selling an average of 11,923 cars per day in October 2007 to just 6,318 last month. Each of its brands were down, with HUMMER taking the Biggest Loser crown (yet again). The real story, however, is how close behind the other brands were, with Cadillac falling 55.1%, Buick 46.3%, Chevy 40.3%, GMC 52.5%, Pontiac 48.2% and Saturn 54.6%.

What can account for GM's entire brand portfolio taking such a hit? GMAC, the financing arm of General Motors that's majority owned by Cerberus. Halfway through the month GMAC decreed it would only lend money only to buyers with a credit score above 700, which effectively wiped out in-house financing for the majority of GM customers. While dealers could still work with banks to secure financing (and were encouraged to do so), it appears the damage wrought by GMAC could not be undone.

BY THE NUMBERS - October 2008
Brand	Vol. % Change	Total Sales 10/08	Total Sales 10/07	DSR % Change	Daily Avg. 10/08	Daily Avg. 10/07
Acura	-21.56%	10,108	12,886	-24.46%	374	496
Audi	0.3%	7,443	7,420	-3.4%	276	285
BMW	-13.9%	20,203	23,451	-17%	748	902
Buick	-46.3%	7,642	14,231	-48.3%	283	547
Cadillac	-55.1%	9,541	21,267	-56.8%	353	818
Chevrolet	-40.3%	107,313	179,825	-42.5%	3,975	6,916
Chrysler	-50.8%	19,903	40,440	-52.6%	737	1,555
Dodge	-27%	53,267	73,020	-29.75%	1,973	2,808
Ford	-27.9%	114,969	159,361	-30.5%	4,258	6,129
GMC	-52.5%	21,109	44,456	-54.3%	782	1,710
Honda	-25.66%	75,756	101,913	-28.41%	2,806	3,920
HUMMER	-64.6%	1,368	3,864	-66%	51	149
Hyundai	-31.1%	20,820	30,232	-33.7%	771	1,162
Infiniti	-28.5%	7,112	9,954	-31.2%	263	383
Jeep	-32.9%	21,360	31,856	-35.4%	791	1,225
Kia	-38.5%	15,483	25,185	-40.8%	573	969
Lexus	-35.2%	16,283	25,119	-37.6%	603	966
Lincoln	-27.7%	7,399	10,229	-30.3%	274	393
Mazda	-25.9%	16,442	22,201	-28.7%	609	854
Mercedes-Benz	-34.3%	14,996	22,820	-36.7%	555	878
Mercury	-47.4%	6,753	12,844	-49.4%	250	494
MINI	56.4%	5,272	3,370	50.6%	195	130
Mitsubishi	-19.3%	7,486	9,280	-22.3%	277	357
Nissan	-33.5%	49,833	74,992	-36%	1,846	2,884
Pontiac	-48.2%	13,054	25,182	-50%	483	969
Porsche	-50.1%	1,427	2,862	-52%	53	110
Saab	-13.2%	1,975	2,275	-16.4%	73	88
Saturn	-54.6%	8,583	18,908	-56.3%	318	727
Subaru	NA
Suzuki	-46.7%	3,482	6,536	-48.7%	129	251
Toyota	-21.3%	135,818	172,473	-24.2%	5,030	6,634
Volkswagen	-7.9%	15,889	17,260	-11.4%	588	664
Volvo	-52.1%	3,717	7,761	-53.9%	138	299
COMPANIES
BMW Group	-5%	25,475	26,821	-8.5%	944	1,032
Chrysler LLC	-34.9%	94,530	145,316	-37.4%	3,501	5,589
FoMoCo	-30.2%	132,838	190,195	-32.7%	4,920	7,315
General Motors	-45%	170,585	310,008	-47%	6,318	11,923
Honda Amer.	-25.2%	85,864	114,799	-28%	3,180	4,415
Nissan NA	-33%	56,945	84,947	-35.4%	2,109	3,267
Toyota Mo Co	-23%	152,101	197,592	-25.9%	5,633	7,600

October 2008 had 27 selling days versus 26 selling days for October 2007

Update: Dodge numbers fixed.

We're not waiting for Suzuki to reveal its September 2008 sales results any longer, as it is highly unlikely that the little Japanese brand will arise as the only brand/automaker to post positive numbers this month. Take a good look below, as it's the first time since we started publishing sales data back in mid-2006 that every single brand and automaker is in the red. It doesn't matter how you slice it, whether you look at the change in volume from Sept. 2007 to Sept. 2008 or if you consider the change in the Daily Sales Rate. Everyone is down.

For the record, we suppose Audi is this month's Biggest Winner with a sales drop of just 5.4%, while HUMMER is again our Biggest Loser with a 54.8% fall in sales. You can peruse the rest of the carnage below for yourself.

BY THE NUMBERS - September 2008
Brand	Vol. % Change	Total Sales 9/08	Total Sales 9/07	DSR % Change	Daily Avg. 9/08	Daily Avg. 9/07
Acura	-30.4%	9,997	14,369	-27.5%	417	515
Audi	-5.4%	7,584	8,020	-1.5%	316	321
BMW	-29.5%	14,744	20,901	-26.5%	614	836
Buick	-20.5%	14,121	17,754	-17.1%	588	710
Cadillac	-39.1%	12,432	20,398	-36.5	518	816
Chevrolet	-11.2%	172,803	194,637	-7.5%	7,200	7,785
Chrysler	-39.6%	23,346	38,668	-37.1%	973	1,547
Dodge	-25.2%	62,572	83,671	-22.1%	2,607	3,347
Ford	-33.8%	102,685	155,037	-31%	4,279	6,201
GMC	-12.8%	39,029	44,754	-9.2%	1,626	1,790
Honda	-23.2%	86,629	112,831	-20%	3,610	4,513
HUMMER	-54.8%	2,298	5,080	-52.9%	96	203
Hyundai	-25.4%	24,765	33,214	-22.3%	1,032	1,329
Infiniti	-24.1%	7,779	10,250	-20.9%	324	410
Jeep	-42.8%	21,431	37,460	-40.4%	893	1,498
Kia	-27.8%	17,383	24,087	-24.8%	724	963
Lexus	-36.1%	16,045	25,113	-33.4	669	1,005
Lincoln	-22.5%	7,571	9,764	-19.2%	315	391
Mazda	-35.6%	16,169	25,098	-32.9%	674	1,004
Mercedes-Benz	-16.4%	18,779	22,459	-12.9%	782	898
Mercury	-43.2%	6,478	11,403	-40.1%	270	456
MINI	-6.7%	3,762	4,031	-2.8%	157	161
Mitsubishi	-39%	7,378	12,102	-36.5%	307	484
Nissan	-38.4%	51,786	84,019	-35.8%	2,158	3,361
Pontiac	-26.7%	23,324	31,817	-23.6%	972	1,273
Porsche	-44.8%	1,458	2,641	-42.5%	61	106
Saab	-27.2%	1,765	2,424	-24.2%	74	97
Saturn	-10.8%	18,528	20,776	-7.1%	772	831
Subaru	-11.9%	14,491	16,457	-8.3%	604	658
Suzuki	N/A
Toyota	-31.8%	128,215	187,929	-28.9%	5,342	7,517
Volkswagen	-9.4%	17,109	18,891	-5.7%	713	756
Volvo	-51.8%	4,054	8,408	-49.8%	169	336
COMPANIES
BMW Group	-25.8%	18,506	24,932	-22.7%	771	997
Chrysler LLC	-32.8%	107,349	159,799	-30%	4,473	6,392
FoMoCo	-34.6%	120,788	184,612	-31.8%	5,033	7,384
General Motors	-15.8%	284,300	337,640	-12.3%	11,846	13,506
Honda America	-24%	96,626	127,200	-20.9%	4,026	5,088
Nissan NA	-36.8%	59,565	94,269	-34.2%	2,482	3,771
Toyota Mo Co	-32.3%	144,260	213,042	-29.5%	6,011	8,522

September 2008 had 24 selling days versus 25 selling days for September 2007

Check it out. We've completely revamped By the Numbers to convey more sales information than before in a much easier to digest way. Now we'll be reporting both the change in monthly sales volume for each brand and automaker as well as the change in their Daily Sales Rate or average number of vehicles sold per day. On to the armchair analysis...

Poor sales continued through the month of August as only a handful of brands are able to brag about increased sales. Nissan North America bucked the trend entirely reporting a 13.6% gain for the combined brands of Nissan and Infiniti with each marque reporting its own individual increases. Credit goes to VW (2.9%), as well, which posted a solid number, and the BMW Group (1.0%), which barely earned a positive increase in sales thanks to a strong 34.1% increase in MINI sales.

While GM (-20.4%), FoMoCo (-25.6%) and Chrysler LLC (-34.5%) sales were all down in a big way, Toyota MoCo and Honda America were also not immune falling 9.4% and 7.3%, respectively. In this environment, brands should consider a single-digit drop a small victory considering the majority of brands that fell by 10% or more.

BY THE NUMBERS - August 2008
Brand	Vol.	Total Vol. 8/08	Total Vol. 8/07	DSR	Daily avg 8/08	Daily avg 8/07
Acura	-8.2%	15,089	16,436	-8.2%	559	609
Audi	-15.9%	6,406	7,620	-15.9%	237	282
BMW	-4.1%	25,462	26,562	-4.1%	943	984
Buick	-7.7%	17,833	19,324	-7.7%	660	716
Cadillac	-20.9%	15,405	19,481	-20.9%	571	722
Chevrolet	-19.2%	185,080	229,012	-19.2%	6,855	8,482
Chrysler	-44.2%	24,337	43,650	-44.2%	901	1,617
Dodge	-24.6%	62,422	82,841	-24.6%	2,312	3,068
Ford	-26.2%	133,088	180,282	-26.1%	4,929	6,677
GMC	-17.6%	42,194	51,222	-17.6%	1,563	1,897
Honda	-7.2%	131,766	141,906	-7.2%	4,880	5,256
HUMMER	-62%	2,160	5,677	-62%	80	210
Hyundai	-8.8%	41,130	45,087	-8.8%	1,523	1,670
Infiniti	8.0%	11,076	10,252	8.0%	410	378
Jeep	-43.7%	23,476	41,712	-43.7%	869	1,545
Kia	-6.7%	25,065	26,874	-6.7%	928	995
Lexus	-9.1%	29,281	32,199	-9.1%	1,084	1,193
Lincoln	-8.5%	9,540	10,423	-8.5%	353	386
Mazda	-4.4%	23,680	24,762	-4.4%	877	917
Mercedes-Benz	-11.8%	18,507	20,980	-11.8%	685	777
Mercury	-31.7%	8,393	12,296	-31.7%	311	455
MINI	34.1%	5,469	4,077	34.1%	203	151
Mitsubishi	-29.3%	9,200	13,020	-29.3%	341	482
Nissan	14.2%	97,417	85,275	14.2%	3,608	3,158
Pontiac	-38.3%	24,257	39,324	-38.3%	898	1,456
Porsche	-44.9%	1,404	2,548	-44.9%	52	94
Saab	-50.1%	1,503	3,011	-50.1%	56	112
Saturn	-3.5%	20,385	21,117	-3.5%	755	782
Subaru	14.2%	18,932	16,573	14.2%	701	614
Suzuki	-31.7%	6,083	8,916	-31.7%	225	330
Toyota	-9.4%	182,252	201,272	-9.4%	6,750	7,455
Volkswagen	2.9%	22,292	21,655	2.9%	826	802
Volvo	-48.8%	4,669	9,119	-48.8%	173	338
COMPANIES
BMW Group	1%	30,931	30,639	1%	1,146	1,135
Chrysler LLC	-34.5%	110,235	168,203	-34.5%	4,083	6,230
FoMoCo	-25.6%	151,021	203,001	-25.6%	5,593	7,519
General Motors	-20.4%	308,817	388,168	-20.4%	11,438	14,377
Honda America	-7.3%	146,855	158,342	-7.3%	5,439	5,864
Nissan NA	13.6%	108,493	95,527	13.6%	4,018	3,538
Toyota Mo Co	-9.4%	211,533	233,471	-9.4%	7,835	8,647

August 2008 had 27 selling days versus 27 selling days for August 2007

UPDATE: Audi added and Subaru's sales figures corrected.

NOTE: There were 26 selling days in July 2008 versus 24 selling days in July 2007. All percentages are the change in the average number of vehicles sold per day or Daily Sales Rate (DSR), not the difference in actual number of vehicles sold for each month.

This is an easy month of sales to report. Every brand and automaker sold fewer vehicles per day on average in July 2008 versus July 2007 except for Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Nissan and Nissan North America.

Of the major automakers, Chrysler LLC's average daily sales fell 34% while General Motors saw a 32.4% drop. FoMoCo saw its DSR fall 21.5%, and even Toyota felt the pain to the tune of an -18.7%. Nissan North America did post positive numbers, but just barely at 0.12%.

Some model specific news: The Ford F-150 is back to being the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. with July sales of 44,289. Check out the Top 10 at KickingTires Blog. Also, shortages in nickel-metal hydride batteries have once again kept Prius sales around 15,000 units/month, and though the Focus is selling well (up 26.2% so far this year), Toyota still sold twice as many units of the Corolla/Matrix last month (15,200 vs. 34,438).

Biggest Winner
MINI14.9% at 5,063 | 195/day
(7/07: 4,069 | 170/day)

Biggest Loser
HUMMER-65% at 1,877 | 72/day
(7/07: 4,895 | 204/day)

AUTOMAKERS
BMW Group-5.7% at 28,977 | 1,114/day
(7/07: 28,364 | 1182/day)
Chrysler LLC-34% at 98,109 | 3,773/day
(7/07: 137,728 | 5,739/day)
Ford Motor Co-21.5% at 161,530 | 6,213/day
(7/07: 189,920 | 7,913/day)
General Motors-32.4% at 235,184 | 9,046/day
(7/07: 320,935 | 13,372/day)
Honda America-9.2% at 138,744 | 5,336/day
(7/07: 141,049 | 5,877/day)
Nissan North America0.12% at 95,319 | 3,666/day
(7/07: 87,877 | 3661/day)
Toyota Motor Co.-18.7% at 197,424 | 7,593/day
(7/07: 224,058 | 9,336/day)

Follow the jump view the sales performance for individual BRANDS.

You're going to be reading in the mainstream press about how horrible sales were in the U.S. during June, 2008. Yes, they were bad for many automakers, but consider that there were only 24 selling days last month versus 27 days in June, 2007. This makes comparing raw sales numbers misleading, since there were three fewer days to sell. Thus, as always, all the percentages below represent the change in Daily Sales Rate, i.e. the average number of vehicles sold per day, not the change in raw number of vehicles sold.

The big news is how hard Toyota fell last month, its DSR dropping 11.5% as a whole while the Toyota brand itself fell 10.3%. Cross-island rival Honda, however, bucked that trend by improving its DSR a whopping 13.8% and 17.9% for the Honda brand alone. Among the domestics, General Motors fared best with its DSR falling only 8.3%. If you look closely at the list below, while HUMMER, Saab and GMC were down in the big double digits, GM's volume brands held their own and most were down less than 5%. Ford, meanwhile, dropped its DSR by 19.1% (note this is the first month Jaguar and Land Rover sales were not included in Ford's numbers), and Chrysler, LLC, which performed the worst, saw its DSR plunge 28%. As you can see, however, many brands found a way to make it work in June, with Audi, MINI, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Suzuki and Volkswagen all up in a big way.

Biggest Winner
MINI 40.5% at 5,211 (6/07: 4,174)

Biggest Loser
HUMMER –54.2% at 2,072 (6/07: 5,093)

BRANDS
Acura –16.4% at 12,456 (6/07: 16,766)
Audi 18.5% at 8,203 (6/07: 7,789)
BMW –6.6% at 20,944 (6/07: 25,220)
Buick –34.4% at 9,631 (6/07: 16,519)
Cadillac –3.1% at 14,337 (6/07: 16,647)
Chevrolet –3.5% at 159,998 (6/07: 186,474)
Chrysler –36% at 27,128 (6/07: 47,658)
Dodge –21.3% at 63,687 (6/07: 91,089)
Ford –19.8% at 145,715 (6/07: 204,303)
GMC –14.6% at 30,713 (6/07: 40,457)
Honda 17.9% at 130,083 (6/07: 124,169)
HUMMER –54.2% at 2,072 (6/07: 5,093)
Hyundai 14% at 50,033 (6/07: 49,368)
Infiniti –0.9% at 9,304 (6/07: 10,558)
Jeep –32.8% at 26,642 (6/07: 44,600)
Kia 21% at 28,292 (6/07: 26,288)
Lexus –21% at 20,253 (6/07: 28,869)
Lincoln –12.5% at 9,718 (6/07: 12,494)
Mazda 3.8% at 23,771 (6/07: 25,761)
Mercedes-Benz 12.4% at 19,576 (6/07: 19,589)
Mercury –16.3% at 11,657 (6/07: 15,660)
MINI 40.5% at 5,211 (6/07: 4,174)
Mitsubishi –35.2% at 7,494 (6/07: 13,014)
Nissan –8.3% at 66,543 (6/07: 81,655)
Pontiac –5.1% at 28,402 (6/07: 33,683)
Porsche –8.7% at 2,650 (6/07: 3,267)
Saab –51.7% at 1,872 (6/07: 4,361)
Saturn –1.9% at 18,912 (6/07: 21,686)
Subaru 18.4% at 18,007 (6/07: 17,108)
Suzuki 6.6% at 9,785 (6/07: 10,325)
Toyota –10.3% at 172,981 (6/07: 216,870)
Volkswagen 12.8% at 23,208 (6/07: 23,137)
Volvo –17.7% at 7,001 (6/07: 9,572)

Not Yet Reported
Jaguar
Land Rover

COMPANIES
BMW Group 0.1% at 26,155 (6/07: 29,394)
Chrysler Group –28% at 117,457 (6/07: 183,347)
Ford Motor Co –19.1% at 167,090 (6/07: 232,457)
General Motors –8.3% at 265,937 (6/07: 326,300)
Honda America 13.8% at 142,539 (6/07: 140,935)
Nissan North America –7.5% at 75,847 (6/07: 92,213)
Toyota Motor Co. –11.5% at 193,234 (6/07: 245,739)

Honda Civic, Accord, Toyota Camry and Corolla all outsell Ford F-150 for the first time

The two brands who lost and gained the most sales last month (MINI and HUMMER) sum up nicely what happened to auto sales during May in the U.S. Brands armed with small cars weathered the storm and big trucks and SUVs continued to nose dive. In fact, after 17 years worth of being this country's best-selling vehicle, the Ford F-150 full-size pickup (42,973) has fallen for the first time to fifth place behind the Honda Accord (43,728), Toyota Camry (51,291), Corolla (52,826) and your new best-selling vehicle in the U.S., the Honda Civic (53,299). Note to automakers: that would be the sound of the canary in your coal mine hitting the floor.

U.S. automakers continued their year of suffering last month (Chrysler LLC had not yet broken down its numbers by brand at the time of posting), with General Motors taking the beating of its life and Chrysler LLC not far behind. Every single GM brand was down not just in the double-digit range, but all were down more than 20% with HUMMER falling off the map at less than 2,000 units sold. FoMoCo was down nearly 20%, but can at least take heart knowing that its new Focus (32,579) has found a lot fans. Toyota was also down, but was buoyed by the aforementioned incredible popularity of the Camry and Corolla. Nissan and Honda were both up, however, with the big 'H' bucking all trends and posting a gain of 11.3%.

NOTE: Because there were 27 selling day in May 2008 versus 26 in May 2007, all percentages represent the change in average Daily Sales Rate, i.e. the average number of vehicles sold per day, rather than the change in raw number of vehicles sold.

Biggest Winner
MINI 47.2% at 6,312 (5/07: 4,130)

Biggest Loser
HUMMER –61.7% at 1,843 (5/07: 4,636)

BRANDS
Acura –9.9% at 14,893 (5/07: 15,920)
Audi -6.4% at 8,534 (5/07: 8,788)
BMW –8.1% at 25,469 (5/07: 26,689)
Buick –37.8% at 11,033 (5/07: 17,087)
Cadillac –26% at 13,348 (5/07: 17,380)
Chevrolet –27.1% at 167,202 (5/07: 220,870)
Ford –16.6% at 184,402 (5/07: 212,572)
GMC –38.8% at 30,724 (5/07: 48,336)
Honda 13.9% at 153,104 (5/07: 129,447)
HUMMER –61.7% at 1,843 (5/07: 4,636)
Hyundai 1.8% at 46,415 (5/07: 43,885)
Infiniti –6% at 10,495 (5/07: 10,748)
Jaguar 22.7% at 1,757 (5/07: 1,379)
Kia 4.9% at 31,047 (5/07: 28,494)
Land Rover –32.3% at 3,003 (5/07: 4,269)
Lexus –19.6% at 26,593 (5/07: 31,847)
Lincoln –42% at 8,365 (5/07: 13,880)
Mazda .4% at 27,921 (5/07: 26,788)
Mercedes 8.3% at 24,480 (5/07: 21,771)
Mercury –28% at 13,593 (5/07: 18,178)
MINI 47.2% at 6,312 (5/07: 4,130)
Mitsubishi –26% at 10,430 (5/07: 13,651)
Nissan 5.7% at 90,379 (5/07: 82,314)
Pontiac –25.9% at 27,966 (5/07: 36,325)
Porsche –20% at 2,796 (5/07: 3,348)
Saab –28% at 2,148 (5/07: 2,872)
Saturn –32.7% at 18,099 (5/07: 26,905)
Subaru 9% at 18,436 (5/07: 16,282)
Suzuki –2% at 10,364 (5/07: 10,190)
Toyota –6.3% at 230,811 (5/07: 237,176)
Volkswagen –3.6% at 22,346 (5/07: 22,325)
Volvo –24% at 7,238 (5/07: 9,192)

Not Yet Reported
Chrysler
Dodge
Jeep

COMPANIES
BMW Group –0.7% at 31,781 (5/07: 30,819)
Chrysler Group –28% at 148,747 (5/07: 199,393)
Ford Motor Co –19% at 217,998 (5/07: 259,470)
General Motors –30% at 272,363 (5/07: 375,682)
Honda America 11.3% at 167,997 (5/07: 145,367)
Nissan North America 4.4% at 100,874 (5/07: 93,062)
Toyota Motor Co. –7.9% at 257,404 (5/07: 269,023)

Remember when I said February 2008 was the worst month ever in the history of our reporting monthly sales figures? Well, April 2008 was just as bad. Though we had five brands this month that posted an increase in their daily sales rate (DSR) compared to four back in February, automakers had two extra days last month to sell compared to April 2007. Not even that helped as most brands went down flaming with double-digit dips in their DSR*.

The domestics were hit the hardest in April, with Ford Motor Company (-19%), General Motors (-22.7%) and Chrysler LLC (-29%) all down. You'll hear from analysts that two things are responsible for the Big 3's poor performance: too many trucks and SUVs that nobody wants combined with a decrease in fleet sales. Nissan North American and Toyota Motor Co. were down as well, but both by less than 5%. Honda informed us it's having technical difficulties reporting its numbers, so they're forthcoming.

The significant thing that happened last month is the big jump in small car sales. On a make/model basis, the Ford Focus was up 32%, the Chevy Cobalt and Aveo were up 15.5% and 14%, the Toyota Yaris and Prius rose 45.9% and 53.8%. While virtually all truck and SUV sales were down, as well as those of many larger CUVs, small and mid-size cars were definitely popular with the people.

Biggest Winner
MINI 28.6% at 4,713 (4/07: 3,382)

Biggest Loser
HUMMER –49.8% at 2,380 (4/07: 4,375)

BRANDS
Audi –12% at 7,730 (4/07: 8,106)
BMW –2.5% at 26,735 (4/07: 25,310)
Buick –11.7% at 12,665 (4/07: 13,234)
Cadillac –21.3% at 14,359 (4/07: 16,839)
Chevrolet –21.9% at 157,187 (4/07: 185,759)
Chrysler –45% at 30,670 (4/07: 51,441)
Dodge –23% at 83,348 (4/07: 100,463)
Ford –17.4% at 165,997 (4/07: 185,553)
GMC –29.6% at 31,854 (4/07: 41,748)
HUMMER –49.8% at 2,380 (4/07: 4,375)
Hyundai –7.4% at 39,280 (4/07: 39,137)
Infiniti –11.5% at 9,537 (4/07: 9,945)
Jaguar 15.7% at 1,785 (4/07: 1,424)
Jeep –24.4% at 33,733 (4/07: 41,200)
Land Rover –43.9% at 2,557 (4/07: 4,211)
Lexus –17.1% at 23,350 (4/07: 25,995)
Lincoln –19.3% at 10,340 (4/07: 11,832)
Mazda 4.1% at 23,760 (4/07: 23,760)
Mercedes-Benz –10.4% at 20,271 (4/07: 20,895)
Mercury –31.8% at 12,910 (4/07: 17,481)
MINI 28.6% at 4,713 (4/07: 3,382)
Mitsubishi –32% at 8,878 (4/07: 12,047)
Nissan 0.1% at 66,318 (4/07: 61,179)
Pontiac –15.9% at 24,009 (4/07: 26,346)
Porsche –11.9% at 3,099 (4/07: 3,248)
Saab –37.9% at 1,580 (4/07: 2,350)
Saturn –22% at 16,888 (4/07: 19,977)
Subaru 12% at 16,771 (4/07: 13,786)
Suzuki –2.8% at 9,669 (4/07: 9,179)
Toyota –2.7% at 194,350 (4/07: 184,462)
Volkswagen –6.1% at 19,415 (4/07: 19,086)
Volvo –18.9% at 7,138 (4/07: 8,122)

N/A: Kia, Honda and Acura (Delayed)

COMPANIES
BMW Group 1.2% at 31,448 (4/07: 28,692)
Chrysler LLC –29% at 147,751 (4/07: 193,104)
Ford Motor Co –19% at 200,727 (4/07: 228,623)
General Motors –22.7% at 260,922 (4/07: 311,687)
Honda America (Delayed)
Nissan North America –1.6% at 75,855 (4/07: 71,124)
Toyota Motor Co. –4.5% at 217,700 (4/07: 210,457)

*All percentages are reported as the change in Daily Sales Rate because there were 26 selling days in April 2008 versus 24 in April 2007. Comparing the raw number of vehicles sold both months would not be accurate because of this discrepancy in selling days, so we report the change in the average number of vehicles sold per day.

Though many news outlets will decry March as a horrible sales month in the auto industry, it wasn't that bad and there are some notable successes. The reason it isn't as bad as some will tell you is because most outlets compare the volume of cars sold last month to the same month in 2007, rather than comparing the average number of cars sold per day. Since there were two extra selling days last year (28 vs. 26), looking at the raw numbers is very misleading. All of our numbers below represent the change in the Daily Sales Rate (DSR) rate, so some brands that actually sold less overall did well by selling more cars per day.

There's no way, however, to sugarcoat the performance of General Motors and Chrysler LLC last month. Both sold about 13% fewer cars per day than last year. Ford Motor Company, meanwhile, was bolstered by a hot-selling Focus and mitigated the damage to just –7.7%. Toyota Motor Co. also got caught in the crossfire, with avg. sales per day down 3.4%. The BMW Group, Honda America and Nissan North America must've known something (or sold something) the rest didn't, as all improved their DSR last month.

We must point out Jaguar, which, thanks to the first month of XF sales, is up for the first time that we can remember. Saab, which has also been consistently flanked by a red arrow, bounced back improving its DSR by 12.4% last month. Volkswagen came out of nowhere with a 21.5% jump, and MINI took the crown of Biggest Winner with a 26.4% rise in its DSR.

Biggest Winner
MINI 26.4% at 4,289 (3/07: 3,655)

Biggest Loser
HUMMER –23.3% at 3,451 (3/07: 4,847)

BRANDS
Acura –15.8% at 13,288 (3/07: 16,986)
Audi 7.2% at 7,987 (3/07: 8,020)
BMW –1.7% at 23,115 (3/07: 25,325)
Buick –18.2% at 12,317 (3/07: 16,222)
Cadillac –0.8% at 17,453 (3/07: 18,943)
Chevrolet –16.9% at 164,564 (3/07: 213,156)
Chrysler –15.8% at 40,539 (3/07: 51,874)
Dodge –15.3% at 85,906 (3/07: 109,226)
Ford –6.7% at 187,828 (3/07: 216,788)
GMC 1.2% at 38,422 (3/07: 40,894)
Honda 6.9% at 125,446 (3/07: 126,406)
HUMMER –23.3% at 3,451 (3/07: 4,847)
Hyundai 9.8% at 42,796 (3/07: 41,984)
Infiniti 7.3% at 13,821 (3/07: 13,877)
Jaguar 13.2% at 1,752 (3/07: 1,667)
Jeep –5.1% at 39,941 (3/07: 45,335)
Kia –2.8% at 24,871 (3/07: 27,567)
Land Rover –10.2% at 3,054 (3/07: 3,663)
Lexus –6.9% at 24,939 (3/07: 28,855)
Lincoln –20.4% at 10,913 (3/07: 14,770)
Mazda –6.0% at 32,929 (3/07: 37,742)
Mercedes 3.7% at 20,808 (3/07: 21,612)
Mercury –11.4% at 14,333 (3/07: 17,426)
MINI 26.4% at 4,289 (3/07: 3,655)
Mitsubishi –7.7% at 10,750 (3/07: 12,536)
Nissan 3.1% at 93,100 (3/07: 97,242)
Pontiac –10.1% at 25,417 (3/07: 30,448)
Porsche –13.8% at 2,624 (3/07: 3,278)
Saab 12.4% at 2,962 (3/07: 2,837)
Saturn –7.5% at 18,146 (3/07: 21,123)
Toyota –2.9% at 192,791 (3/07: 213,820)
Volkswagen 21.5% at 19,587 (3/07: 17,355)
Volvo –6.4% at 9,263 (3/07: 10,661)

YET TO REPORT
Subaru
Suzuki

COMPANIES
BMW Group 1.8% at 27,404 (3/07: 28,980)
Chrysler Group –13.2% at 166,386 (3/07: 206,435)
Ford Motor Co –7.7% at 227,143 (3/07: 264,975)
General Motors –13% at 282,732 (3/07: 349,866)
Honda America 4.2% at 138,734 (3/07: 143,392)
Nissan North America 3.6% at 106,921 (3/07: 111,119)
Toyota Motor Co. –3.4% at 217,730 (3/07: 242,675)

February 2008 will go down as the ugliest sales month ever in the history of By the Numbers posts. Out of the 35 brands we track, only four improved their daily average sales rate versus the same month last year: Honda (1.9%), Mazda (2.5%), Mercedes-Benz (3%) and our Biggest Winner, MINI (38.5%). Leap year is to blame, as the rare return of February 29th offered most automakers an extra to day to suck.

The big companies themselves fared just as poorly, with every multi-brand automaker except for one down in February compared to last year. Only Honda America scraped together a positive month, increasing its daily average sales rate 0.7% overall.

NOTE: There were 25 selling days in February 2008 versus 24 selling days in February 2007. As such, all percentages represent the change in daily average sales rate rather than the difference in raw number of units sold.

Biggest Winner
MINI 38.5% at 3,415 (2/07: 2,368)

Biggest Loser
Saturn –36.1% at 14,801 (2/07: 22,225)

BRANDS
Acura –8.0% at 13,084 (2/07: 13,658)
Audi –10.6% at 6,152 (2/07: 6,609)
BMW –10.5% at 20,775 (2/07: 22,274)
Buick –18.9% at 12,768 (2/07: 15,108)
Cadillac –2.1% at 14,420 (2/07:14,142)
Chevrolet –14.7% at 166,166 (2/07: 187,088)
Chrysler –13.2% at 41,709 (2/07: 46,112)
Dodge –19.35 at 76,141 (2/07: 90,618)
Ford –8.9% at 164,915 (2/07: 173,794)
GMC –22.7% at 33,237 (2/07: 41,279)
Honda 1.9% at 102,313 (2/07: 96,368)
HUMMER –22.7% at 3,362 (2/07: 4,177)
Hyundai –13.5% at 31,090 (2/07: 34,500)
Infiniti –0.4% at 10,068 (2/07: 9,704)
Jaguar –14.3% at 1,063 (2/07: 1,191)
Jeep –18% at 32,243 (2/07: 37,776)
Kia –10.2% at 21,988 (2/07: 23,512)
Land Rover –12.9% at 2,819 (2/07: 3,106)
Lexus –9.3% at 21,277 (2/07: 22,518)
Lincoln –14.6% at 9,573 (2/07:
Mazda 2.5% at 23,548 (2/07: 22,060)
Mercedes 3% at 18,564 (2/07: 17,304)
Mercury –25% at 10,806 (2/07: 13,843)
MINI 38.5% at 3,415 (2/07: 2,368)
Mitsubishi –10.1% at 9,105 (2/07: 9,726)
Nissan –3.2% at 76,151 (2/07: 75,514)
Pontiac –6.5% at 23,935 (2/07: 24,563)
Porsche –16.3% at 1,715 (2/07: 1,967)
Saab –25% at 1,734 (2/07: 2,221)
Saturn –36.1% at 14,801 (2/07: 22,225)
Subaru –3.8% at 12,907 (2/07: 12,875)
Suzuki –1.6% at 8,800 (2/07: 8,585)
Toyota –6.3% at 160,892 (2/07: 164,812)
Volkswagen –2.9% at 16,556 (2/07: 16,367)
Volvo –14.8% at 7,505 (2/07: 8,453)

COMPANIES
BMW Group –5.8% at 24,190 (2/07: 24,642)
Chrysler Group –17.4% at 150,093 (2/07: 174,506)
Ford Motor Co –10.6% at 196,681 (2/07: 211,150)
General Motors –16.7% at 270,423 (2/07: 311,763)
Honda America 0.7% at 115,397 (2/07: 110,026)
Nissan North America –2.9% at 86,219 (2/07: 85,218)
Toyota Motor Co. –6.6% at 182,169 (2/07: 187,330)