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In the U.S. in June 2005, Sales by Quality Four Continue
Growth and GM Shows World That It Can Move Off Dealer Lots Anything That Rolls
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Auto on Info July 2005 In the U.S. in June 2005, Sales by Quality Four Continue Growth and GM Shows World That It Can Move Off Dealer Lots Anything That Rolls By James B. Bleeker Toyota Motor Corporation, with a 1996-2000 Reliability Percentrank average of .90, saw its U.S. auto sales rise by 10% in June 2005, over those of June 2004. Its U.S. car sales rose 12% and its U.S. truck - SUV, minivan, and pickup - sales rose 7%. June sales set another record, and strong sales in earlier months made first half and second quarter sales records as well. The following table provides detailed information regarding Toyota Motor Corporation's U.S. sales in the month of June 2005, together with 1996-2000 model, line, and manufacturer Reliability Percentrank averages. Those models that were among July 2004's Hottest Ten, per WSJ's lot-stay time, for all manufacturers, are in bold blue. That model that received CAA's most recent Pyramid Award for ownership satisfaction is italicized.
The Toyota Motor Corporation models showing the largest sales gains in June 2005 over June 2004 were the Lexus GS 430 sedan, up 370.1% to 616, the Lexus GS 300 sedan, up 341.7% to 2,701, the Toyota Avalon large sedan, up 183.1% to 9,134, the Toyota Prius gas-electric hatchback, up 119.3% to 9,622, the Toyota Highlander midsize sport utility vehicle, up 15.0% to 13,029, the Toyota RAV4 small sport utility vehicle (1996-2000 RPA of .93 and with a CR 2005 predicted short-term reliability in the highest category and a CR 2005 owner satisfaction Quick Pick, a CR 2005 overall Quick Pick, and a CR 2005 best all-around Quick Pick), up 11.9% to 6,489, the Toyota Tundra pickup truck, up 10.3% to 10,212, the Lexus RX 330/400h midisze sport utility vehicle, up 9.9% to 10,015, the Toyota Sienna minivan, up 7.7% to 15,327, and the Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, up 6.9% to 14,328.
Toyota's Scion line, up 51.4% for the month, is a new line. It is intended to meet the tastes and needs of young adults; however, it has, as well, proven popular with Baby Boomers - older folks who are generally young at heart. The Toyota Prius, up 119.3% for the month, is Toyota's gas-electric hybrid. The extraordinary popularity of the 2005 edition is likely a consequence of a combination of factors. First, the 2005 Prius is a midsize sedan. Second, it employs new gas-electric power-train technology that delivers more power and performs greater work per unit of energy source. This gives it an acceleration comparable to that of the Camry midsize sedan and increases its estimated EPA rating for in-city driving from 55 miles per gallon to 60 miles per gallon.1 In short, the 2005 edition of the Prius is a bigger car with better gas mileage than its pre-2004 editions. Third, it is a Consumer Reports 2004 Quick Pick, a CR 2004 Top Pick, a CR 2005 reliability Quick Pick, a CR 2005 owner satisfaction Quick Pick, a CR 2005 fuel efficiency Quick Pick, and a CR 2005 Top Pick. Nonetheless, the Prius has a stalling glitch. (See "Prius Has Stalling Glitch, NHTSA Commences Investigation," Auto on Info, June 2005.) It will likely be incumbent upon Toyota to resolve it, for sales momentum to be maintained. U.S. sales of the Lexus LX 470 through June 2005 exceeded those of the Toyota Land Cruiser, a more Spartan cousin, by 46.2%. Honda Motor Company, with a 1996-2000 RPA of .86, saw its June 2005 U.S. auto sales rise 5% to set a record for the month of June. Honda Motor Company's models showing the largest sales gains in June 2005 over June 2004 were - excluding the Insight, which has nominal sales - the Acura RL sedan (1996-2000 RPA of .90 and with a CR 2005 predicted short-term reliability in the second highest category), up 235.9% to 1,565, the Honda S2000 convertible (too recent to have a 1996-2000 RPA, but with a CR 2005 predicted short-term reliability in the middle category and a CR 2005 predicted owner satisfaction in the highest category), up 48.6% to 972, the Honda Pilot sport utility vehicle (too recent to have a 1996-2000 RPA, but with a CR 2005 predicted short-term reliability in the second highest category and a CR 2005 owner satisfaction Quick Pick and a CR 2004 and 2005 Top Pick, and with the Pilot EX-L edition a CR 2005 overall Quick Pick), up 28.3% to 11,531, the Honda Odyssey minivan (1996-2000 RPA of .87 and with a CR 2005 predicted short-term reliability in the second highest category, also a CR 2005 Top Pick and an IIHS 2005 Best Pick Frontal), up 8.1% to 15,997, the Acura TSX (a CR 2005 owner satisfaction Quick Pick and a CR 2005 overall Quick Pick), up 7.3% to 3,085, and the Honda CR-V small sport utility vehicle (with a 1996-2000 RPA of .99, the highest of all, and with a CR 2005 predicted short-term reliability in the highest category and a CR 2005 owner satisfaction Quick Pick and a CR 2005 best all-around Quick Pick), up 6.8% to 12,668. Through June 2005, the Honda Odyssey minivan outsold the Toyota Sienna by 9,811 vehicles, or 12.6%, and the Honda CR-V sport utility vehicle outsold the Toyota RAV4 by 37,486 vehicles, or 104.3%.
Nissan Motor Company, with a 1996-2000 Reliability Percentrank average of .74, increased its U.S. auto sales by 14% in June 2005. Its U.S. car sales rose 15% and its U.S. truck sales rose 13%. Nissan Motor Company's models showing the largest gains in U.S. sales in June 2005 over June 2004 were the Infiniti M45 sedan (too recent for a 1996-2000 RPA or a CR 2005 predicted short-term reliability), up 2,067.8% to 2,480, the Nissan Pathfinder sport utility vehicle(1996-2000 RPA of .84), up 170.8% to 6,620, the Nissan Murano sport utility vehicle (too recent for a 1996-2000 RPA, but with a CR 2005 predicted short-term reliability in the second highest category and with the Murano SL edition a CR 2005 overall Quick Pick), up 49.5% to 6,449, the Nissan Sentra sedan (1996-2000 RPA of .63 and with a CR 2005 predicted short-term reliability in the second lowest category), up 25.6% to 12,018, the Nissan Altima sedan (1996-2000 RPA of .78 and with a CR 2005 predicted short-term reliability in the middle category, also with the 3.5 SE V6 edition a CR 2005 safety Quick Pick), up 22.1% to 22,239, and the Nissan Armada sport utility vehicle (too recent for a 1996-2000 RPA, but with a CR 2005 predicted short-term reliability in the lowest category), up 7.1% to 3,251. Nissan's reliability scourge, the Nissan Quest minivan (1996-2000 RPA of .39), had its U.S. sales fall 11.3% in June 2005.
Subaru, with a 1996-2000 RPA of .82, saw its June 2005 U.S. auto sales rise 6%. Its car sales rose 16% but its truck sales fell 15%. Subaru's media site failed to provide a sales breakdown for the month of June, as of July 1st. Mazda, with a 1996-2000 RPA of .72, saw its June 2005 U.S. auto sales fall 21%. Its car sales fell 21% and its truck sales fell 23%. In summary, the June 2005 sales by the auto manufacturers of quality products were solid; sales by Toyota, Honda, Subaru, and Nissan rose 10%, 5%, 6%, and 14%, respectively. At the other end of the quality spectrum, General Motors Corporation, with rather colossal inventories of unsold vehicles through May 2005, devised a marketing ploy to move vehicles off dealer lots that proved successful. June 2005 sales of its GMC line (with a 1996-2000 RPA of .27) rose 84.8%, sales of its Cadillac line (with a 1996-2000 RPA of .13) rose 63.8%, sales of its Chevrolet line (with a 1996-2000 RPA of .32) rose 42.5%, sales of its Saturn line (with a 1996-2000 RPA of .35) rose 33.4%, and sales of its Buick line (with a 1996-2000 RPA of .49) rose 31.1%. Overall, June sales by GM (with a 1996-2000 RPA of .29) rose 41%. If anyone thought that GM had to improve its quality standing to move its vehicles, June 2005 put the notion to rest. (For related articles, click "Did GM's Marketing Department Make Out GM's CEO an Unmitigated Nincompoop?" and "Did GM's Marketing Department Make Out Big Three Consumers Unmitigated Nincompoops?") Chrysler, with a 1996-2000 RPA of .33, saw its June 2005 U.S. auto sales rise a modest 1%. GM's marketing ploy put a halt to the rotation out of GM products and into Chrysler products, at least for the moment. Interesting will be the response of Dietr Zetsche, Chrysler Group's head executive, who has still to show that his talents exceed the combined talents of GM's top 500 executives. Ford, with a 1996-2000 RPA of .50, saw its June 2005 U.S. auto sales fall 3%. This is par for the course these days. GM's successful marketing ploy knocked Nissan's and Ford's U.S. market shares down .01 and thrust GM's up .02. The year-to-date and historical U.S. market shares, together with natural market share estimates, are given in the table below.
In the Hyundai vs. General Motors war, GM dealt a counterblow. GM's marketing ploy lured consumers from Hyundai dealer lots, with the result that Hyundai's June sales rose less than 1%. U.S. June 2005 auto sales by Saab, a European subsidiary of General Motors with a 1996-2000 RPA of .50, rose 57%, but sales by Volvo, a European subsidiary of Ford with a 1996-2000 RPA of .29, fell 9%. Benefit from yesteryear's European renown may be waning, but only slowly. In the niche markets, Porsche June U.S. auto sales fell 13%, BMW sales fell 7%, and Mercedes-Benz sales rose a small fraction. GM's marketing ploy seems to have hurt Europe's nobility. Note: Big Three sales and market shares do not include sales of European lines - Mercedes-Benz, Saab, Volvo, Jaguar, and Land Rover. Percentage unit sales changes for June 2005 over June 2004 are daily selling rate percentage changes and consequently take account of the fact that there were 26 selling days in June 2005 and 25 in June 2004. Source for June 2005 auto manufacturer sales data: "June 2005 U.S. Auto Sales," the Associated Press, Detroit News, at http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0507/02/autos-234803.htm Source for detailed Toyota sales data: "Toyota Reports Strong June Sales: Set Second-Quarter and First-Half Sales Records," July 1, 2005, at http://pressroom.toyota.com/photo_library/display_release.html?id=20050701 Source for Nissan sales data: "Nissan North America Announces Best June Sales," July 1, 2005, available at http://www.nissannews.com/nissan/sales/index.shtml Source for Honda sales data: "American Honda Reports June Sales Records," July 1, 2005, http://hondanews.com/CatID1000?mid=2005070148995&mime=asc Source for General Motors sales data: "GM Reports 558,092 Deliveries in June, Up 41 Percent," July 1, 2005, accessible at http://media.gm.com Source for Reliability Percentranks and Percentrank averages: Auto on Info's Table I-MVRP Source for July 2004's Hottest Ten: "Hot Off the Lot," Wall Street Journal, August 11, 2004, p. D4 (See "Toyota Has Four of July 2004's Hottest Selling Top Ten; Honda, BMW, and DaimlerChrysler - Each Two," Auto on Info, August 2004.) Sources for Consumer Reports 2004 Quick Picks: Consumer Reports, February 2004, p. 49 and Consumer Reports, May 2004, p. 53, Consumer Reports, August 2004, p. 51, Consumer Reports, December 2004, p. 59 Source for CR 2004 Top Picks: Consumer Reports, April 2004, pp. 8,9 Source for CR 2005 Top Picks: Consumer Reports, April 2005, pp. 6,7 Sources for CR 2005 Quick Picks: Consumer Reports, April 2005, p. 31 and Consumer Reports, August 2005, p. 51, the latter providing the "best all-around Quick Picks" Source for CR 2005 predicted short-term reliability ratings: "Vehicle Profiles: A User's Guide," Consumer Reports, April 2005, pp. 40-73 Sources for IIHS Best Pick Frontals: "Toyota Camry and Honda Accord Dominate Results of IIHS' Frontal Offset Crash and Side Impact Tests," Auto on Info, April 2005, "Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey Minivans Score Best on IIHS 2005 Crash Tests, Receive "Best Pick Frontal" Designation; GM's Chevrolet Astro, GMC Safari, Pontiac TransSport / Montana, and Chevrolet Venture Score Worst," Auto on Info, April 2005, and "Toyota Tacoma Pickup Truck Scores Best on IIHS 2005 Crash Tests, Receives "Best Pick Frontal" Designation," Auto on Info, April 2005 1 "Toyota Announces 50-Percent Boost in 2005 Prius Hybrid Production To Meet Unprecedented Demand," at http://pressroom.toyota.com/photo_library/display_print.html?id=20040803b
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