Though winter storms ravaged the Midwest and Northeast and petrol prices began to recover there was still activity on dealer lots last month – just not quite as much as analysts had forecast.
US light vehicle sales rose 5.3% to 1.26m, producing a seasonally adjusted annualised sales rate (SAAR) of 16.23m, the lowest rate since April of last year but a big improvement over last February’s 15.41m.
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Mitsubishi posted the largest gain as it had its best February in seven years while last year’s high-flyer Maserati crashed, reporting the largest deficit.
Among the major players, Toyota was the big winner, riding a February record in light truck deliveries to outsell Ford by 794 units and take the second spot for the month. Ford was hampered by slow car and utility sales and shortages of the new F-150 pickup.
Fiat Chrysler extended its streak of year over year gains to 59 months while Audi notched its 50th consecutive month of record sales. Subaru’s growth streak now stands at 39 months and it’s now ahead of Volkswagen Group of America in both monthly and year to date totals.
General Motors‘ results were up 4.2% as a big jump in light truck deliveries covered a big drop in car sales. Only four of GM’s 16 car lines posted improved sales.
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By GlobalDataIn a soft month for American cars, Fiat Chrysler displayed surprising strength. Chrysler 200 deliveries jumped 31.2% and it was the third-best-selling American-badged car for the month. Sales of Dodge’s continuing models, like the Charger and Challenger, were up 31.5%. Unfortunately, while the 200 was able to carry the Chrysler brand into the black, Dodge’s results were dragged down by the legacy of the discontinued Avenger and slumping sales of the Grand Caravan and Durango.
The Detroit automakers gave up 1.2% of the light vehicle market. Fiat Chrysler’s share was flat at 13% while Ford surrendered an entire percentage point, falling to 14.3% and GM dropped 0.2% to 18.4%. The Japanese and Korean manufacturers gained share in February.
Crossovers and SUVs continued to be popular with buyers but even though petrol prices rose 18% over the past month, mid-size and large SUVs were the big movers while the smaller crossovers barely kept pace with market growth. That played to Jeep’s strengths and it remained the top selling utility brand.
The hottest segment for the month was mid size pickups. Sales advanced 64.7% as the addition of GM’s Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon increased segment deliveries instead of cannibalising the incumbents. Sales of the segment leading Toyota Tacoma were up 13.1% and those of the Nissan Frontier rose 5.4%.
Full size pickup deliveries also outperformed the market, up 8.2%.
Sales of light commercial vehicles grew 20.5% with the Ford Transit leading the pack. Combined with the continuing strength in pickup sales, this is another positive sign for the US economy as it means businesses are updating their fleets.
BMW captured February’s crown in the upscale segment but Mercedes-Benz still has the lead in YTD sales. Luxury brand sales outperformed the market, capturing 11.1% of total sales.
February’s results showed the slowest two month growth rate since 2010 and the weak SAAR is causing some concern. So far, it seems like an unusually severe winter is the culprit as dealers in the most affected areas reported significantly reduced traffic. Automakers and industry watchers alike are hoping a spring thaw will bring shoppers back.
| Manufacturer | Current Month | Volume | Daily Sales | Market Share | Calendar Year-To-Date | Volume | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb-15 | Feb-14 | Change | Rate Change | Feb-15 | Feb-14 | 2015 | 2014 | Change | |
| FCA US LLC | 163586 | 154866 | 5.63% | 5.63% | 13.00% | 12.96% | 308593 | 282049 | 9.41% |
| Ford Motor Co. | 179673 | 183349 | -2.00% | -2.00% | 14.28% | 15.35% | 357114 | 336843 | 6.02% |
| General Motors Co. | 231378 | 222104 | 4.18% | 4.18% | 18.38% | 18.59% | 434164 | 393590 | 10.31% |
| Detroit Total | 574637 | 560319 | 2.56% | 2.56% | 45.66% | 46.90% | 1099871 | 1012482 | 8.63% |
| American Honda | 105466 | 100405 | 5.04% | 5.04% | 8.38% | 8.40% | 207650 | 192036 | 8.13% |
| Mazda North America | 25650 | 24341 | 5.38% | 5.38% | 2.04% | 2.04% | 45921 | 43155 | 6.41% |
| Mitsubishi | 7533 | 5977 | 26.03% | 26.03% | 0.60% | 0.50% | 14026 | 10844 | 29.34% |
| Nissan North America | 118436 | 115360 | 2.67% | 2.67% | 9.41% | 9.66% | 222543 | 205830 | 8.12% |
| Subaru* | 41358 | 34909 | 18.47% | 18.47% | 3.29% | 2.92% | 82170 | 67909 | 21.00% |
| Toyota Motor Sales | 180467 | 159284 | 13.30% | 13.30% | 14.34% | 13.33% | 349661 | 305649 | 14.40% |
| Japan Total | 478910 | 440276 | 8.77% | 8.77% | 38.05% | 36.85% | 921971 | 825423 | 11.70% |
| Hyundai* | 52505 | 49003 | 7.15% | 7.15% | 4.17% | 4.10% | 97010 | 93008 | 4.30% |
| Kia | 44030 | 41218 | 6.82% | 6.82% | 3.50% | 3.45% | 82329 | 78229 | 5.24% |
| Korea Total | 96535 | 90221 | 7.00% | 7.00% | 7.67% | 7.55% | 179339 | 171237 | 4.73% |
| BMW North America | 28998 | 24551 | 18.11% | 18.11% | 2.30% | 2.06% | 22286 | 20871 | 6.78% |
| Daimler AG* | 25749 | 24971 | 3.12% | 3.12% | 2.05% | 2.09% | 52365 | 49384 | 6.04% |
| Jaguar Land Rover | 6327 | 5558 | 13.84% | 13.84% | 0.50% | 0.47% | 12874 | 11579 | 11.18% |
| Maserati North America | 481 | 837 | -42.53% | -42.53% | 0.04% | 0.07% | 933 | 1405 | -33.59% |
| Volkswagen Group** | 40563 | 41403 | -2.03% | -2.03% | 3.22% | 3.47% | 79641 | 78286 | 1.73% |
| Volvo Cars North America | 4012 | 3991 | 0.53% | 0.53% | 0.32% | 0.33% | 7806 | 7783 | 0.30% |
| Other (est.) | 2358 | 2552 | -7.60% | -7.60% | 0.19% | 0.21% | 33964 | 29655 | 14.53% |
| Europe Total | 108488 | 103863 | 4.45% | 4.45% | 8.62% | 8.69% | 209869 | 198963 | 5.48% |
| Total Light Vehicles | 1258570 | 1194679 | 5.35% | 5.35% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 2411050 | 2208105 | 9.19% |
* 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
