Despite overall U.S. auto sales remaining relatively even in June compared to 2013, some of the major automakers stood out for both positive and negative reasons.
On the positive side, Chrysler Group LLC led the way for the industry with a 9 percent sales increase – powered primarily by a continued surge in the Jeep brand. Nissan and Toyota also posted moderate gains of 5 percent and 3 percent, respectively. Both Chrysler and Nissan have seen double-digit sales increases overall through the first six months compared to the same period last year.
Despite their ongoing recall drama, General Motors stayed nearly even in June with a 1 percent sales increase. Despite double-digit increases with both the Buick and GMC brands GM was weighed down by Chevrolet’s 3-percent drop.
Chief rival Ford saw a 6 percent drop in sales, even though it has remained clear of the GM-sized controversy. Honda also joined Ford with a 6 percent sales decrease, which included a steep 19-percent drop from its luxury brand Acura. Through the first six months of the year, Honda and Ford have seen a 2 percent and 1 percent decrease in sales compared to the first six months of 2013.
Of the German manufacturers, rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz posted increases of 12 percent and 9 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, Volkswagen Group continues its skid with an 8-percent sales decrease in June, with the VW brand contributing a 22-percent sales decrease. In spite of the overall group’s slide, the Audi brand was up 23 percent in June.
Low-volume Mazda and even lower-volume Mitsubishi each posted double-digit gains in June – 17 and 14 percent, respectively. The Hyundai Group, which consists of the Hyundai and Kia brands, posted a slight increase of 2-percent – fueled by the Hyundai brand’s 4-percent growth, as Kia remained unmoved.
Subaru continued its impressive streak of gains in June, but it ended its even more impressive streak of double-digit increases. Through the first half of the year, however, the brand is outpacing its 2013 sales numbers by 13 percent.
