Americans flocked to dealer lots in July, snapping up more than 1.5m cars and trucks, an increase of 5.3% from July 2014, well above analyst forecasts.
The growth translated to a SAAR (seasonally adjusted annualised rate) of 17.55m light vehicles. This was the second highest SAAR this year after May’s 17.78m. It’s also the second highest result since January 2006.
Go deeper with GlobalData
While all three Detroit automakers were in the black, General Motors set the standard. Fueled by incentives estimated to be the highest in the industry, its sales rose 6.4%. Right behind in both spending and growth was Fiat Chrysler. Sales of Chrysler brands were up 6.6% but were dragged down by a 15% decline in Fiat deliveries.
Light trucks were the market drivers last month. Truck sales rose 11.9% to claim 57.3% of the total market. That’s an increase of 3.4 percentage points from last year.
Crossover and SUV sales grew even faster, up 13.7% in July, accounting for 67.8% of light truck deliveries.
Jeep continued as the most popular brand of SUV although several brands reported healthy increases. Among the major players, GM was the only manufacturer to come up short. The deficit was due to declines in sales of its larger utilities.
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.
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 GlobalDataGM’s shortfall in SUVs was more than redeemed by a jump in pickup sales. Total sales of Chevrolet and GMC pickups soared 44.4% in July and sales of the full-size Silverado and Sierra were up 27.9%.
Sales of the market leading Ford F-series were up 4.8% last month, likely fueled by increased incentives.
Fiat Chrysler’s once hot Ram reported the smallest percentage increase among pickups, just 1%.
Nissan set a new July sales record as it beat Honda one more time. Big jumps in sales of its Nissan and Infiniti SUVs were the key to its success.
More sales records were set by Subaru, which posted its best sales month ever, Hyundai and Kia.
Triple-digit growth in sales of the new Golf and a nice bump in sales of the Tiguan and Touareg kept Volkswagen in the black in July. The XC60 and the new XC90 SUV did the same for Volvo.
Sales in the premium segment grew 8.3% in July and market share grew to 11.1%. Every upscale brand except Cadillac reported growth.
Audi reported its 55th consecutive month of growth and claimed that was the longest running record in premium brands history.
The numbers for BMW and Daimler didn’t reflect the results from their main lines. Both BMW brand and Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles reported sales increased slightly but were dragged down by a slump in Mini brand sales and those of the Smart ForTwo. Sales of Mercedes’ upscale passenger cars and SUVs set a July record.
Despite the improved sales, the Germans couldn’t beat Lexus which rode a 9.1% July increase all the way to the top for the month.
Based on estimates from TrueCar.com, overall incentive spending was down in July compared to both July 2014 and June 2015. However, Nissan and GM boosted their spends by significant margins. Nissan’s outlay in July was 9.6% higher than a year ago and GM’s rose 8.2%.
Incentives and access to credit continue to drive growth in the US. Barring a major adjustment, 17m looks like an easy target for 2015.
| Manufacturer | Current Month | Volume | Daily Sales | Market Share | Calendar Year-To-Date | Volume | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul-15 | Jul-14 | Change | Rate Change | Jul-15 | Jul-14 | 2015 | 2014 | Change | |
| FCA US LLC | 178,027 | 167,667 | 6.2% | 6.2% | 11.8% | 11.7% | 1,260,170 | 1,187,790 | 6.1% |
| Ford Motor Co. | 222,014 | 211,467 | 5.0% | 5.0% | 14.7% | 14.7% | 1,510,333 | 1,476,824 | 2.3% |
| General Motors Co. | 272,512 | 256,160 | 6.4% | 6.4% | 18.0% | 17.8% | 1,778,057 | 1,712,027 | 3.9% |
| Detroit Total | 672,553 | 635,294 | 5.9% | 5.9% | 44.5% | 44.3% | 4,548,560 | 4,376,641 | 3.9% |
| American Honda | 146,324 | 135,908 | 7.7% | 7.7% | 9.7% | 9.5% | 899,325 | 875,344 | 2.7% |
| Mazda North America | 27,157 | 29,235 | -7.1% | -7.1% | 1.8% | 2.0% | 186,153 | 185,665 | 0.3% |
| Mitsubishi | 7,868 | 6,349 | 23.9% | 23.9% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 57,412 | 46,021 | 24.8% |
| Nissan North America* | 130,872 | 121,452 | 7.8% | 7.8% | 8.7% | 8.5% | 867,355 | 825,929 | 5.0% |
| Subaru* | 50,517 | 45,671 | 10.6% | 10.6% | 3.3% | 3.2% | 322,935 | 283,074 | 14.1% |
| Toyota Motor Sales | 217,181 | 215,802 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 14.4% | 15.0% | 1,259,957 | 1,215,387 | 3.7% |
| Japan Total | 579,919 | 554,417 | 4.6% | 4.6% | 38.4% | 38.6% | 3,593,137 | 3,431,420 | 4.7% |
| Hyundai* | 71,013 | 67,011 | 6.0% | 6.0% | 4.7% | 4.7% | 442,163 | 431,445 | 2.5% |
| Kia* | 56,311 | 52,309 | 7.7% | 7.7% | 3.7% | 3.6% | 367,263 | 349,722 | 5.0% |
| Korea Total | 127,324 | 119,320 | 6.7% | 6.7% | 8.4% | 8.3% | 809,426 | 781,167 | 3.6% |
| BMW North America | 32,161 | 32,220 | -0.2% | -0.2% | 2.1% | 2.2% | 231,044 | 213,754 | 8.1% |
| Daimler AG* | 30,130 | 30,757 | -2.0% | -2.0% | 2.0% | 2.1% | 192,496 | 178,816 | 7.7% |
| Jaguar Land Rover | 6,253 | 5,830 | 7.3% | 7.3% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 46,401 | 40,333 | 15.0% |
| Maserati North America | 957 | 1,132 | -15.5% | -15.5% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 6,261 | 6,574 | -4.8% |
| Volkswagen Group** | 53,892 | 49,670 | 8.5% | 8.5% | 3.6% | 3.5% | 348,336 | 337,390 | 3.2% |
| Volvo Cars North America | 5,619 | 4,894 | 14.8% | 14.8% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 34,985 | 34,224 | 2.2% |
| Other (est.) | 2,133 | 1,968 | 8.4% | 8.4% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 223,353 | 199,830 | 11.8% |
| Europe Total | 131,145 | 126,471 | 3.7% | 3.7% | 8.7% | 8.8% | 1,082,876 | 1,010,921 | 7.1% |
| Total Light Vehicles | 1,510,941 | 1,435,502 | 5.3% | 5.3% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 10,033,999 | 9,600,149 | 4.5% |
* indicates a sales record.
**Volkswagen Group figures include Audi, Bentley, Porsche and Volkswagen brands
Other includes estimated sales for Aston-Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus, Rolls-Royce and Tesla
Source: Manufacturer’s reported sales
