Final-week forecasts from Edmunds.com and Kelley Blue Book (KBB) suggest September 2014 light vehicle sales in the US will be down around 20% from August but up about 11% year on year to around 1.3m (SAAR: 16.5m).

Edmunds forecast 1,261,380 new cars and trucks would be sold in the US in September for an estimated Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of 16.5m. The projected sales would be a 20.3% decrease from August 2014, but an 11% increase from September 2013.

“September sales are consistent with the strength we’ve seen most of this year,” said senior analyst Jessica Caldwell.

“But the topline sales aren’t as interesting as the ways in which shoppers have driven those sales. Buyers have been able to secure low financing deals and have responded to lease offers in record numbers. These are behaviors that bode well for the continued strength of new car sales.”

Edmunds data:

SALES VOLUME FORECAST, BY MANUFACTURER

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Sales Volume

Sep-14 Forecast

Sep-13

Aug-14

Change from Sep 2013*

Change from Aug 2014*

GM

228,801

187,195

272,423

22.2%

-16.0%

Ford

177,310

184,452

221,273

-3.9%

-19.9%

Toyota

175,776

164,457

246,100

6.9%

-28.6%

Chrysler Group

165,004

143,017

198,379

15.4%

-16.8%

Honda

128,895

105,563

167,038

22.1%

-22.8%

Nissan

101,260

86,868

134,388

16.6%

-24.7%

Hyundai/Kia

99,919

93,105

124,670

7.3%

-19.9%

VW/Audi

45,332

44,985

52,282

0.8%

-13.3%

Industry

1,261,380

1,136,214

1,582,600

11.0%

-20.3%

*NOTE: September 2014 had 24 selling days, September 2013 had 23 and August 2014 had 27.

MARKET SHARE FORECAST, BY MANUFACTURER

Market Share

Sep-14 Forecast

Sep-13

Aug-14

Change from
September 2013
(Percentage pts.)

Change from August 2014
(Percentage pts.)

GM

18.1%

16.5%

17.2%

1.7%

0.9%

Ford

14.1%

16.2%

14.0%

-2.2%

0.1%

Toyota

13.9%

14.5%

15.6%

-0.5%

-1.6%

Chrysler Group

13.1%

12.6%

12.5%

0.5%

0.5%

Honda

10.2%

9.3%

10.6%

0.9%

-0.3%

Nissan

8.0%

7.6%

8.5%

0.4%

-0.5%

Hyundai/Kia

7.9%

8.2%

7.9%

-0.3%

0.0%

VW/Audi

3.6%

4.0%

3.3%

-0.4%

0.3%

KBB expects September new vehicle sales to increase 9.1% year on year to 1.24m units, resulting in SAAR of 16.4m.  “Based on the robust sales pace during the past few months”, KBB has hiked its sales 2014 forecast from 16.3m to 16.4m.    

“Following an extraordinarily strong month of sales in August, with the industry above 17m SAAR for the first time in eight years, Kelley Blue Book expects sales to level out in September,” said senior analyst Alec Gutierrez.

“Sales will remain strong and show healthy year over year improvement.  Rising incentive spend in recent months has been more than offset by increasing retail transaction prices, signaling continued consumer demand.”

KBB expects Chrysler Group to boost volume 17% in September for its seventh month of double digit growth this year. The automaker is benefiting from its Jeep and RAM brands, which have pushed their market share up by a full point this year, to its highest point since 2007.

With the benefit of an extra selling day, big gains are expected for many manufacturers in September.  One exception could be Ford, which may see a decline in F-Series sales as it manages current stock in preparation for the new 2015 model launch.

Compact utility volume is expected to increase 19%.  This year, the segment has passed the full size pickup truck segment to become the third most popular segment in the industry, trailing mid-size and compact cars. 

“Similar to previous months, growth in the compact utility segment has come at the expense of mid-size and compact cars,” said Gutierrez.

KBB data:

                

Sales Volume 1

Market Share

Segment

Sep-14

Sep-13

YOY %

Sep-14

Sep-13

YOY %

Mid-Size Car

180,000

166,894

7.9%

14.5%

14.7%

-0.2%

Compact Car

175,000

165,107

6.0%

14.1%

14.5%

-0.4%

Compact SUV/Crossover

157,000

131,814

19.1%

12.7%

11.6%

1.1%

Full-Size Pickup Truck

152,000

145,449

4.5%

12.3%

12.8%

-0.5%

Entry-level Luxury Car

63,000

61,703

2.1%

5.1%

5.4%

-0.3%

Total 2

1,240,000

1,136,240

9.1%

1 Kelley Blue Book Automotive Insights

           

2 Includes segments not shown

Sales Volume 1

Market Share 2

Manufacturer

Sep-14

Sep-13

YOY %

Sep-14

Sep-13

YOY %

General Motors (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC)

217,000

187,195

15.9%

17.5%

16.5%

1.0%

Ford Motor Company (Ford, Lincoln)

180,000

184,452

-2.4%

14.5%

16.2%

-1.7%

Toyota Motor Company (Lexus, Scion, Toyota)

176,000

164,457

7.0%

14.2%

14.5%

-0.3%

Chrysler Group (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, RAM)

168,000

143,017

17.5%

13.5%

12.6%

1.0%

American Honda (Acura, Honda)

118,000

105,563

11.8%

9.5%

9.3%

0.2%

Hyundai-Kia

103,000

93,105

10.6%

8.3%

8.2%

0.1%

Nissan North America (Infiniti, Nissan)

102,000

86,868

17.4%

8.2%

7.6%

0.6%

Volkswagen Group (Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche)

50,000

48,127

3.9%

4.0%

4.2%

-0.2%

Total 3

1,240,000

1,136,240

9.1%

1 Historical data from OEM sales announcements

           

2 Kelley Blue Book Automotive Insights

           

3 Includes brands not shown