We were expecting for car sales to calm down in February, but despite all the expectations and predictions we were still hoping for better results. Bad news, U.S. auto sales showed to be even less resilient this month than anticipated. If we have to compare these results with February last year, than they are down 1.1%. Automakers like General Motors (GM), American Honda Motor Co., and Nissan North America reported new-car sales gains from a year ago. Volkswagen Group, plus the premium German nameplates and three independent brands, also posted sales increases. However, Ford Motor Co. (Ford) and Toyota Group reported lower tallies.
American Honda Motor Co.—Sales at American Honda (+2.3%) edged up to 121,686 units, a February record for the company. Honda brand (+4.3%) delivered 110,882 new vehicles during the month, while Acura (-14.9%) sales fell to 10,864 units, despite strength for the RDX compact crossover SUV. Honda also set February benchmarks for the CR-V and HR-V and got a boost from the new Ridgeline pickup.
BMW of North America—Although BMW of North America (-2.5%) sold 24,712 units, BMW brand (+0.3%) sales rose by 60 units to 22,558 new vehicles with momentum from the 5 Series and X1, X3, and X5 SUVs. Mini (-24.1%) totals declined to 2,154 units despite strong demand for the Clubman.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles—FCA US (-10.1%) deliveries slumped to 168,326 units last month, despite strength from Ram trucks (+4%). Jeep (-15%) sales faltered despite solid gains for the Grand Cherokee and Renegade. Chrysler (-28%), Dodge (-7%), and Fiat (-19%) brands suffered even with gains from the Dodge Challenger, Journey, and Viper, and for the new Chrysler Pacifica minivan. Fiat Spider and Alfa Romeo bolstered totals.
Ford Motor Co.—February was soft for Ford (-4%). Sales slipped to 208,440 units (including heavy trucks), despite gains for SUVs (+6%), F-Series (+8.7%) to 65,956 pickups, and the Lincoln brand (+8.8%). Ford brand (-4.5%) sold 199,696 units but set a record for the Escape and a double-digit increase for the Expedition. Car deliveries fell 24% with gains only for the Taurus and Fiesta. Lincoln sold 8,744 units, led by the MKC, MKX, and Continental.
General Motors—February deliveries at GM (+4.2%) rose to 237,388 units. Chevrolet (+3.4%) and GMC (+17.2%) posted gains from a year ago, with increased demand for SUVs and large pickups. All GMC models posted gains. On the car side, Chevrolet reported strong performances for its EVs—the Volt and new Bolt—in addition to the Cruze and Spark. The Trax and Equinox SUVs also posted February bests. In contrast, Buick (-9.4%) and Cadillac (-8.6%) stumbled, despite double-digit increases for the Buick Cascada and Encore and momentum for the Cadillac XT5.
Hyundai Motor—Collectively, Hyundai and Kia (-6.9%) sales declined to 95,693 units. However, Hyundai brand (+0.0%) with its new Genesis luxury brand (1,582 units) sold 11 more units for a February record of 53,020 unit sales. The Hyundai Santa Fe and Elantra posted double-digit gains. Kia (-14.2%) sales declined to 42,673 units, with a best performance from the Forte and a boost from the new Niro crossover, which sold 2,143 units.
Mitsubishi—February deliveries at Japanese automaker Mitsubishi (+38.8%) were the best since 2005—10,924 units, with the Outlander up 72.8%. The Mirage and Lancer also improved.
