HYUNDAI reported its best-ever September for the U.S., a total of 60,025 vehicles sold, up 15% from a year ago.
The total of 60,025 sales was a September record for Hyundai and marked a seventh consecutive month of more than 60,000.
Sales are up 10% the first nine months vs. the period a year ago.
"We
avoided the traditional back-to-school sales decline (in September) and
began to reap the benefits of a materially improved inventory situation
on our core vehicle lines," said sales chief Dave Zuchowski in a
statement. "Our fourth quarter production plan is up nearly 20% on a
year-over-year basis."
Top
gainers beyond the Elantra line, up 27%, were the redesigned Azera big
sedan, up 1,028%, the Tucson small crossover, up 23%, and the quirky
Veloster three-door coupe, up 262%. Elantra compact was a driver of
that, up 27%. It's newly redesigned, and additional models have been
added to the lineup. The South Korea-headquartered company's new Santa
Fe also did well, up 19%.U.S.
CEO John Krafcik said a third shift
at the automaker's U.S. plant helped provide enough vehicles for a
significant boost in sales.
Overall, though, Hyundai sales growth
will begin to taper off because the company's global capacity is nearly
tapped out, Krafcik has said.
TOYOTA said U.S. sales rocketed 41.5% ahead of last year.
Total
sales for the Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands during September were
171,910, Toyota said, noting that all Toyota and Lexus hybrids together
jumped 120.6% to 26,747. That makes gas-electric power 15.6% of Toyota's
sales, or about one of every six vehicles.
The Toyota brand had
strong sales of both cars and trucks. Camry remains the top seller,
accounting for 40% of Toyota-brand car sales. Among trucks, RAV4 compact
SUV and Tacoma pickup, which Toyota calls a mid-size truck, were the
top performers.
Overall, car sales rose 47.1% and trucks were up 36.6%.
Scion,
Toyota's youth-oriented brand, hit 6,743 sales, a hefty 75.7% jump. The
tC sports coupe and recently launched FR-S were the top sellers.
Lexus
luxury division posted 12,020 sales, up 35.7%, lead by the new-design
ES 350 entry sedan, including a hybrid version that's never been offered
before.
The first nine months, Lexus reports sales of 170,990,
putting it well out of contention for top-selling luxury brand in the
U.S., a title it once seemed destined to own forever. Now, though, the
battle's between Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
The Toyota sales numbers
make clear that the fallout has settled from a flood a year ago in
parts-making hub Thailand, as well as any lingering effects of shortages
caused by the tsunami in Japan in March 2011.
NISSAN sales,
however, fell 1.1% to 91,907 vehicles, pulled down by a 2.4% from a
year ago drop for the Nissan brand. The Infiniti luxury unit's sales
were up 11.4% to 9,445, its best month since 2007.
Nissan brand's drop came in cars. Its trucks were up 3.3%, led by the Rogue crossover, up 12.7%, and Pathfinder SUV, up 38.7%.
Infiniti
results also were driven by its crossovers and SUVs, with sales up 107%
in the month. That was helped by the addition of the new JX 7 three-row
crossover with sales of 2,251 in the month. And the FX performance
crossover was up 107% to 1,659.
HONDA said combined sales
of mainstream Honda and premium Acura brands zipped 30.9% in September. A
big push to sell down "old" 2012 Accords combined with a warm welcome
for the redesigned 2013 Accord that went on sale Sept. 19 kept the
mid-size sedan atop the automaker's charts.
Accord sales hit
29,182, a 56.6% increase from the year before. Not a lonely hero,
though, Accord was joined by CR-V SUV sales that hit 22,268, a 13.6%
gain and a record for September for that model, and a 57% jump in Civic
sales, to 21,546.
Acura's best-seller remains the MDX SUV, up
60.4% to 4,692. Gratifying for Acura, the redesigned and repositioned
RDX compact SUV jumped 119.9% to 2,938 sales.
TL sedan rose 29.1% to 3,236.
KIA, Hyundai's corporate sibling, zoomed 35.1% to sales of 48,105 for the month.
Driving
the total were the Optima mid-size sedan at 14,304, the Sorento
crossover at 10,066 and the boxy little Soul, which just brought back
its hamster ads, at 9,467.
MAZDA sales fell 5.4% to 24,135, though it reported year-to-date sales still up 9.5%.
The
September leader was the Mazda3 sedan, up 57.1% to 14,031. The new CX-5
crossover continued a strong launch, hitting 4,468, which Mazda said
was held down by lack of inventory.
MITSUBISHI reported
that sales tumbled 17.2%, to 4,8-06, at least partly influenced by the
discontinuing of some models last year, the automaker said.
Bright
spot was the Outlander Sport, a small SUV Its sales jumped 49% to
2,253, making it the best month in the vehicle's two years on the U.S.
market.
SUBARU September sales rose 32% to 27,683.
Year-to-date sales of 245,463 are up 25% overr 2011. The refreshed
Outback and Legacy were up 39% and 31% respectively and the redone
Impreza, with inventory up, was up 211%.
USA Today