Indeed, while total sales were off 0.3 percent, according to Autodata, car shopping site TrueCar.com said sales growth was at a healthy 8 percent based on the adjusted daily selling rate taking into account the fewer days to sell. January sales were 17.58 million on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, Autodata said.
“Jonas curtailed business for many dealerships on the East Coast, but January is typically one of the slowest months for the industry, especially following holiday and year-end sales events,” said Eric Lyman, TrueCar’s vice president of industry insights. “Severe winter weather isn’t ideal for car shopping, but we see signs of strength heading into 2016 and expect consumers to buy a record 18 million new vehicles this year.”
While sales slackened a smidge, all of the top ten carmakers, except for Volkswagen, over-achieved forecasts.
Crossovers continue to be the fastest growing category. “Consumer preference has clearly shifted to crossovers, and that will contribute to a fourth consecutive year of contraction for the midsize car segment,” said Stacey Doyle, TrueCar’s senior industry analyst. “Light trucks will again outpace cars this year, with pickup trucks and utility vehicles likely accounting for 56 percent of total new vehicle volume.”
There are market forces that should be a headwind for sales in 2016 in terms of repeating a record year–a volatile and falling stock market, interest rate hikes and an election year. But falling oil prices is putting extra spending power in consumer wallets, and automakers are helping it along with extra incentive spending. TrueCar says incentive spend was $2,932 on average in January, up 13.4 percent from a year ago.
Here are the numbers and breakdown:
1.General Motors: 203,745 up 0.5 percent
*The best January for GM in eight years, and best January since 1997 for Chevy
* Buick retail sales were up 45 percent
*GM says it plans to restrict rental fleet sales and operate with about a 70-day supply
*Cadillac sales down 8 percent overall and down 27.3 percent at retail.
2. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 175,974 up 6.9 percent.
*Jeep, Dodge and Ram brands all post best January ever
*Dodge Durango up 70 percent and Caravan sales up 83 percent. Dart sales are down 42 percent.
*FCA said it is its 70th straight month of sales increases, though an Indiana dealer has launched a lawsuit against FCA charging that company reps have conspired to misrepresent sales reports.
3. Ford Motor Company: 173,723 off 2.8 percent
*Ford Edge sales up 26 percent
*Lincoln brand sales up 8.4 percent with a surge from MKX
*F Series sales down 5 percent, but transactions were up $2,500 as buyers climb the features ladder.
*Fiesta and Focus sales down 26 percent and 30 percent respectively.
4. Toyota Motor Sales: 161,283, off 4.7 percent
*RAV4 posted best selling January in its history
*Lexus sales for the month were off 9.5 percent
*Tacoma sales up 11.5 percent as interest grows in mid-sized truck segment.
*Prius sales down 24 percent despite and all-new design amidst plunging gas prices.
*Sienna minivan sales up 23 percent
5. Nissan: 105,734, up 1.6 percent.
*Crossovers, trucks and SUVs managed a gain of 18 percent.
*Nissan Titan sales are tracking at fewer than 1000 per month.
*Maxima sales are responding to a new design, and are up 106 percent.
*Infiniti sales down 11.8 percent
6. American Honda, 100,497, down 1.7 percent
*Civic, which win North American Car of the Year, sold more than 26,000 for a 54.9 percent gain.
*Fit sales down 42 percent as pressure mounts on small gas sippers.
*CR-V sales down 10.3 to fewer than 10,000 despite surging sales for mid-sized crossovers.
*Acura sales down 14.5 percent, with only the ILX posting a gain.
7. Hyundai: 45,011 up 1.1 percent.
*Best November sales ever.
*Sonata and Elantra up 23-percent and 33 percent respectively.
*Santa Fe up 32 percent and Tucson up 71 percent.
8. Subaru: 41,101 up 0.7 percent
*Forester is the best seller, and sales are up 6.2 percent
*Outback sales are off 1.4 percent to 11,197.
*Thirtieth straight month of sales gains.
9. Kia: 38,305 flat from previous year.
*Kia followed its record year with a record January
*Soul up 13 percent as it is viewed as more of a crossover than hatch
*Sorento up 13 percent.
10. Mercedes-Benz USA: 24,664, up 1.3 percent
*C-Class is volume leader at 5,079
*AMG models accounted for 1,904 sales, a 141 percent increase over January 2015
11. Volkswagen: 20,079 down 8.9 percent
*Volkswagen sales under pressure across the board because of negative publicity about diesel debacle around the brand.
*Only Tiguan, with heavy incentives, in the plus-column with a 72 percent increase.
*Beetle down to fewer than 1,000 sales a month.
*Touareg down 27 percent despite industry surge in SUVs.
12. Mazda: 19,703, off 2.8 percent.
*Best January ever for Mazda CX-5 with an 19 percent gain.
*Mazda3 holding its own with a 4.4 percent decline, better than many small cars.
*SUVs up 24 percent while cars are down 17.6 percent
13. BMW Group: 18,082, off 4.0 percent
*BMW brand sales down 4.7 percent and MINI sales up 0.3 percent
14. Audi: 11,850 up 2.7 percent.
*The all-new Q7 doubled sales from the year earlier
*Smaller cars, A3, A4 and A5 all posting declines
*Brand seems unphased by the debacle gripping sister Volkswagen brand
15. Jaguar/Land Rover: 7,604, up 7.0 percent.
*Land Rover sales were up 7.1 percent
*Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Sport sales down
*Jaguar sales were up 6.6 percent, impressive with no SUVs yet.
16. Mitsubishi: 6,264, down 3.5 percent.
*Outlander sales up 53.8 percent
*Sold two i-MiEVs in the month
17. Porsche: 4,354, up 10.6 percent.
*Cayenne sales up on the month
*Macan sales almost doubled from last year
18. Volvo: 4,244, up 11.9 percent.
*Boosted by North American Truck of the Year honors, the XC90 accouted for more than half of total sales.
Compact cars, year-to-date:
1. Toyota Corolla 22,362
2. Honda Civic 18,699
3. Nissan Sentra 16,144
4. Chevrolet Cruze 14,362
5. Ford Focus 12,977
Midsize cars, YTD:
1. Toyota Camry 26,848
2. Nissan Altima 22,156
3. Honda Accord 20,694
4. Ford Fusion 19,877
5. Hyundai Sonata 15,209
Compact CUVs, YTD:
1. Toyota RAV4 21,554
2. Nissan Rogue 19,762
3.Ford Escape 19,219
4. Honda CR-V 19,208
5. Chevrolet Equinox 18,574
Luxury/Premium Brands, YTD:
1. Mercedes-Benz 26,563
2.Lexus 20,933
3. BMW 18, 082
4. Audi 11,850
5. Cadillac 10,740
