July sales lit up like fireworks for a majority of automakers.
Leading the way was Chrysler Group LLC, which posted gains again this month, increasing their sales by 20 percent, and making it the best July for the automaker since 2005. Sales were bolstered by a strong performance from its Jeep Brand, particularly the Cherokee model, and a 14 percent increase in Ram Pickup sales.
July was also a record month for Korean automaker Hyundai, which said in a tweet that it set a July sales record with 67,011 deliveries, an increase of 2 percent over last month.
Mazda also had a record month with sales rising by 17 percent, with the manufacturer having its best July since 1993, mainly driven by strong sales of its Mazda6 and CX-5 models.
Other U.S automakers had a strong month. Ford Motor Co. saw a 10 percent increase. Despite the additional rounds of recalls, GM retail sales also increased by 4 percent.
Volkswagen Group saw a 15 percent decrease in sales this month, continuing a downward trend. Its luxury brand Audi, however, announced a 12 percent gain. Other German automakers saw gains as well with BMW Group posting a 7 percent increase and Daimler AG reporting a 16 percent increase, due to a 15 percent increase in Mercedes-Benz.
Japanese automakers Nissan and Toyota saw increased sales for the month, with 11 and 12 percent increases respectively. Honda, meanwhile, saw a 2 percent overall decrease in sales, despite record July deliveries of the CR-V, while its Acura division slipped 18 percent.
Jaguar Land Rover reported a 3 percent sales increase. Kia’s sales also increased by 7 percent due to increased deliveries of its Soul model. Overall, their sales have rebounded 7 percent since last year’s lower posting.
Subaru posted its largest monthly gain of the year with 27 percent.
Due to the robust performance by the industry in June and strong July sales, experts have raised the industry sales forecast to 16.3 million. This number would be the highest number of auto sales since 2006 and would be the fifth year of consecutive growth for the industry.
