September Sales: Industry Down 20 Percent, GM Says

car sales

October 1, 2008

September sales reports are starting to come in, and the talking heads on CNN International were right: It's shaping up to be the crappiest month in 2008.

Some analysts are suggesting the annualized rate of sales in September could run 12.5 to 13 million vehicles--a far cry from a "normal" month of 15.5 to 16 million units.

So far, here are the results we've seen cross the wires:

Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury dealers reported total sales of 116,734 in September, down 34 percent versus a year ago. September was the lowest sales month for Ford and the industry this year.

GM total September sales were down 16 percent, "compared to an industry decline anticipated to exceed 20 percent," the company said.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today reported September sales of 144,260 vehicles, a decrease of 29.5 percent from last September, on a daily selling rate basis.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., posted September vehicle sales of 96,626, a decline of 20.9 percent compared to September 2007 results. The Acura Division posted sales of 9,997, a decrease of 27.5 percent compared to September 2007.

Chrysler LLC today reported total September 2008 U.S. sales of 107,349 units, down 33 percent from the same period last year.

Volkswagen of America announced September 2008 sales of 17,109 units, a 9.4 percent decrease over the September 2007 sales of 18,891 vehicles.

Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today reported September 2008 sales of 59,565 units versus 94,269 units a year ago, a decrease of 36.8 percent. Sales of Nissan Division vehicles declined 38.4 percent, while sales of Infiniti Division vehicles fell by 24.1 percent.

Hyundai Motor America announced sales of 24,765 for the month of September, a 25 percent decrease from September 2007 levels.

Audi of America announced auto sales for the month of September totaling 7,584, a decrease of 5.4% from last year's figures.

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) reported September sales of 18,779 vehicles, bringing the company’s year-to-date volume to 177,298, a 1.6 percent decrease over its year-to-date record set last year.