Posted on February 1, 2012, at 2:43 pm
 Although January often is the weakest sales month of the year in the US auto market, many automakers posted double-digit sales gains over the same month in 2010, indicating a good beginning for 2012. It appears that total light-vehicle sales might rise by more than 11% over January 2011 and that would translate to a 14.1 million-unit seasaonally adjusted selling rate (SAAR), according to J.D. Power and LMC Automotive analysis.*
All multi-franchise automakers, except for General Motors, posted increases, as did two of four independents—Mazda and Subaru. Fiat-Chrysler and Volkswagen Groups led the January gains with year-over-year increases of 48% and 44%, respectively. Not only did Chrysler Group LLC report stronger sales for its Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram brands than a year ago, but the company also said it earned a net profit of $183 million in 2011 vs. a loss of $652 million in the prior year.** VW Group sales in January were bolstered by strong demand for the Passat, now built in Tennessee. Among the independents, Mazda was a star with deliveries soaring 68%. Continue reading ›
Posted on January 18, 2012, at 7:47 am
 Three large pickups*, four midsize sedans and three compact models, including two compact conventional cars and one compact crossover (CUV), made up the 10 best-sellers in the US auto market in 2011. Three of the models, including the Ford F-Series, which was the top-volume model in the U.S. for the 30th straight year, were Ford products, while General Motors and Toyota Group each produced two of the 10 models with the highest sales volumes in the US market last year. Renault-Nissan Group and Fiat-Chrysler’s Ram brand each built one of the best-sellers, according to data collected by J.D. Power’s Power Information Network® (PIN) and LMC Automotive.
Some highlights for the 20 best-sellers in the US auto market in 2011:
• Half of the 20 best-sellers were domestic-brand models. Continue reading ›
Posted on January 17, 2012, at 7:38 am
 Raffi Festekjian Female new-vehicle owners and younger buyers—those between the ages of 23 and 47 years old—are less likely to choose the same vehicle brand for their next purchase in comparison with males and older owners, according to findings in our 2012 Customer Retention Study. Continue reading ›
Posted on January 14, 2012, at 11:31 am
 Among 33 automotive brands included in our 2012 Customer Retention Study, Hyundai ranks highest among all brands in retaining customers when they buy a new vehicle. The Korean brand improves its retention rate by 4 percentage points from 2010 to 64% in 2012.
Hyundai’s retention rate is primarily driven by loyalty to the Elantra and Sonata models. The non-premium brand’s increased retention rate also is shaped by its expanding model lineup, as well as the fact that perceptions of the brand’s quality and appeal have continued to improve during the past decade. Continue reading ›
Posted on January 13, 2012, at 11:29 am
 David Sargent Think small, electric and more fuel-efficient. This could be a theme for more than 50 new products and concepts touted and displayed during this week’s press preview at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, MI. The first auto show of the year, which was first held in 1907 at a local beer garden, is housed in Cobo Hall, where more than 1 million sq. ft. of space is devoted to exhibit stands that show off models for automakers around the world. David Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power, attended the preview and offers his thoughts:
“The Detroit Auto Show was an upbeat affair this year, reflecting the turnaround that the industry has achieved since the dark days of 2008-2009. All three Detroit automakers are investing heavily in new products, and each had something new and exciting to show. Continue reading ›
Posted on January 11, 2012, at 4:14 pm
 Mohit Arora The Asia Pacific region has been experiencing a steady increase in light-vehicle sales, and by 2015, it is projected that light-vehicle sales in the region will reach 44.1 million units. This rosy outlook for the Asia Pacific region is underscored by China reigning supreme in 2010 with 17.2 million units in light-vehicle sales, surpassing the next largest market—the United States—by more than 5 million unit sales. In India, light-vehicle sales reached 2.7 million units, making it possible for India to surpass more mature markets such as France, the U.K. and Italy to become the sixth-largest light-vehicle market in the world. Continue reading ›
Posted on January 6, 2012, at 12:40 pm
 The US auto market finished 2011 on a robust note in spite of concerns about both the domestic and global economies, as well as significant setbacks to production and inventory levels for two major Japanese automakers following the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Nearly 10% more new cars and light trucks were sold in the US market during the past year in comparison to 2010—12.75 million unit sales in 2011 vs. 11.56 million unit sales in 2010. The final (retail and fleet) sales tally was only slightly stronger than projected by J.D. Power’s Power Information Network® (PIN) and LMC Automotive a few weeks ago in their monthly forecast. Continue reading ›
Posted on January 5, 2012, at 9:45 am
 Tim Dunne I appreciated recent comments from one of our readers, Tim S. from Wisconsin, about a post “New China Duty Only Impacts Makers of Vehicles with Larger Engines” on the minimal impact of a new duty that has been imposed by the Chinese government on cars imported from the U.S.
I want to address some of the reader’s questions and concerns.
First, what percentage of vehicles with larger engines are produced in China by General Motors and Ford? Between GM and Ford, approximately 99% of the vehicles they produced in China in 2011 were fitted with sub-2.5-liter engines.
As for GM and Ford vehicles that are exported to China from the U.S., I would guess (the data is not readily available) that nearly the opposite is true, and that nearly all are fitted with engines greater than 2.5 liters. But let’s put things into perspective: In 2011, GM and Ford built and sold nearly 1.6 million vehicles in China, but their combined exports to China from the U.S. were only some 35,000 vehicles (or a ratio of 50-to-1 of locally built vs. imported vehicles.) Continue reading ›
Posted on January 3, 2012, at 10:25 am
 Tim Dunne China’s Ministry of Commerce (in mid-December) announced that it would begin to impose—effective immediately and continuing for two years—a new duty on cars imported from the United States. The duty, which the Chinese government said is to offset unfair government subsidies and a policy of dumping on the Chinese market by US manufacturers, will affect only vehicles with engines larger than 2.5 liters. The duty will range from between 2-21.5%, with the rate increasing as the size of the vehicle’s engine increases.
Given that China’s automotive market is the world’s largest—and that General Motors Company and Ford Motor Co. are both heavily dependent on China for future growth—it might appear at first glance that the new policy could put a significant dent in their China ambitions. But the truth is the new policy is more political posturing and negotiating theater, rather than an actual effort to stem alleged illegal trade practices. Continue reading ›
Posted on December 2, 2011, at 11:06 am
 November’s average annual selling pace (SAAR) in the US auto market reached 13.6 million units, which was the highest monthly rate this year and significantly stronger than last November’s 12.3 million-unit SAAR, based on analysis from J.D. Power’s Power Information Network® (PIN) retail transaction data and LMC Automotive. The SAAR in November also outpaced the 13.2 million-unit pace in October 2011.
Overall light-vehicle sales climbed 9.3% (on a selling-day-adjusted basis*) to 992,312 units from 871,299 units a year ago. Deliveries last month were partly bolstered by owners needing to replace their current vehicles, an early spate of holiday ads, and the upbeat mood of consumers during the post-Thanksgiving Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events. Continue reading ›
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Although January often is the weakest sales month of the year in the US auto market, many automakers posted double-digit sales gains over the same month in 2010, indicating a good beginning for 2012. It appears that total light-vehicle sales might rise by more than 11% over January 2011 and that would translate to a 14.1 million-unit seasaonally adjusted selling rate (SAAR), according to J.D. Power and LMC Automotive analysis.*
