July 2015 Auto Sales: Winners and Losers
For better or worse summer is rapidly drawing to a close. This is bad news for fair-weather aficionados but it’s actually been a great season for automakers. July sales are in and last month’s year-over-year performance was up a healthy 5.3 percent.
Overall deliveries exceeded 1.5 million, which compares favorably to the 1.4 million and change that were pushed out in July of 2014.
So far for the year, manufacturers have moved in excess of 10-million cars and trucks. That means for the first seven months of 2015, sales are up 4.5 percent compared to the same time period last year. That’s healthy, if not record-breaking growth. However, let’s all be happy things are continuing to move in the right direction.
SEE ALSO: Volkswagen Passes Toyota in Global Sales Race
Most automakers posted generous gains but others weren’t as fortunate. Here are the sales winners and losers from last month. Is your favorite brand on the list? If so, which side of zero did it land?
Winner: Audi +20.8 Percent
Posting an impressive gain of nearly 21 percent, Audi and its dealers have a lot to be happy about. The four-ring brand sold just shy of 18,000 vehicles in America last month, making this its best-ever July and its 55th consecutive monthly sales record. Clearly the German automaker’s products are resonating with drivers in the U.S.
Winner: Lincoln +21.3 Percent
Far from dead, Ford’s Lincoln luxury brand came roaring back last month. Its year-over-year sales were up more than 21 percent, topping 9,500 units. So far in 2015 its deliveries are up 8.1 percent at nearly 57,000 units, not a bad performance for a brand without much new product. Lincoln’s redesigned MKX crossover and all-new Continental sedan should put some additional wind in its sales.
Winner: Infiniti +22.2 Percent
The number two spot belongs to Infiniti. Nissan’s premium division posted a 22.2-percent sales increase last month with total deliveries topping 10,400 vehicles. For the first seven months of 2015, Infiniti has sold nearly 75,000 cars and trucks, a 10.1 percent increase.
Winner: Jeep +22.9 Percent
Without question, Jeep is the engine that drives Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. This off-road division just keeps posting bigger and better sales figures, month after month after month. In July its deliveries increased by nearly 23 percent, topping 73,000. That’s A LOT of grilles and even more slots (about seven times as many). For the year they’ve sold just shy of 475,000 vehicles.
Winner: Mitsubishi +23.9 Percent
And Mitsubishi has delivered a whisker fewer than 58,000 units in 2015, a far cry from Jeep’s volume. However, on a percentage basis the three-diamond brand is up, and big. For the first seven months of 2015 they’ve increased sales nearly 25 percent compared to the same time period in 2014. In July, the Japanese automaker’s sales were up 23.9 percent at nearly 8,000 units.
Loser: Dodge -12.7 Percent
Jeep may be an uncontested winner, but some of FCA’s other divisions aren’t as lucky. Dodge’s July sales for instance were off nearly 13 percent compared to the same month in 2014. Deliveries totaled 37,649; for the year the company has sold nearly 295,000 units, a drop of nearly 16 percent compared to 2014.
Loser: Fiat -15 Percent
Even worse than Dodge’s performance were the numbers Fiat posted. The Italian purveyor of small cars saw its figures slip by an even 15 percent in July. Sales totaled a paltry 3,235, or less than half of what Mitsubishi sold. Ouch!
Loser: Maserati -15.5 Percent
Likewise, Maserati’s deliveries were off by 15.5 percent. Trident dealers sold 957 vehicles in July 2015, compared to 1,132 in the same month last year. From January to the end of July they delivered some 6,200 vehicles, a year-over-year decrease of around 4.8 percent.
Loser: Scion -24.6 Percent
Jeep is one of those brands that just keeps on growing, but of late Toyota’s Scion brand is the complete opposite. This youth-oriented division saw its July sales drop by nearly 25 percent. Overall deliveries totaled just 3,865. And so far for the year things are nearly as grim. Sales have dropped 19.5 percent, falling just shy of 29,000 units.
Loser: smart -67.4 Percent
And finally we come to the biggest loser, ironically the brand that sells the smallest cars, smart. This Daimler division’s sales last month were off by an astronomical 67.4 percent! That’s a difficult number to fathom, but what’s not hard to understand is that they sold just 441 cars in July and 4,065 for the year. Also, for the first seven months of 2015, deliveries were off by more than 32 percent.
[Source: Automotive News]
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Born and raised in metro Detroit, Craig was steeped in mechanics from childhood. He feels as much at home with a wrench or welding gun in his hand as he does behind the wheel or in front of a camera. Putting his Bachelor's Degree in Journalism to good use, he's always pumping out videos, reviews, and features for AutoGuide.com. When the workday is over, he can be found out driving his fully restored 1936 Ford V8 sedan. Craig has covered the automotive industry full time for more than 10 years and is a member of the Automotive Press Association (APA) and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA).
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Holy Sheit, Scion has just dropped off a cliff. They are even worse than Dodge and FIAT? How do you fall faster than Dodge and FIAT? Are they just looking at their bleeding vein because they are under orders not to react? I mean i can understand customers of the smart brand waiting for the all new 453 model to arrive in the next couple of months, but what are the Scion customers holding out for? Or have they all moved on to real car manufacturers, like Mitsushiti?
Personnaly I just bought a Honda CR-V AWD EX and I am very proud of my acquisition. Before I bought it I went to see Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Sante FE and Ford Escape and I have driven all of them for a test drive. My heart went for Honda CR-V EX and I realy like it. Other product are good but it all depends what you are looking for. First of all the interior design as well the exterior and the options I was looking for the kind of money I had to invest Honda was my need for a SUV. I am not declining all other brands mind you however my heart went for Honda and it is my first Honda and previously I alway owned american brands.