January proved to be a difficult month for many automakers, stalling growth that had been sustained in 2015.
Winter is a notoriously difficult season for auto sales as many potential buyers stay home rather than battling nasty weather in many states. January was no exception as the so-called Winter Storm Jonas affected nearly a third of the US population in the fourth week of the month.
Several automakers managed to post gains despite the poor weather. Jeep sales were up by 15 percent and Dodge surged by 19 percent, putting FCA ahead by 7 percent for the month. Buick skyrocketed by an impressive 46 percent, though the gains were washed away by a drop in Cadillac and Chevrolet sales. Both Jaguar and Land Rover rose by around seven percent, while Volvo posted a 12-percent increase.
Unsurprisingly, Volkswagen brand sales were down by 15 percent as the company continues to deal with the TDI emissions scandal. The fiasco drove group sales down by seven percent, despite strong performance from Audi and Porsche.
January year-over-year, 2016 total:
- Acura down 15%, 10,250
- Alfa down 31%, 67
- Audi up 3%, 11,850
- Bentley down 16%, 81
- BMW down 5%, 18,082
- Buick up 46%, 18,269
- Cadillac down 8%, 10,740
- Chevrolet down 4%, 137,803
- Chrysler down 22%, 18,214
- Dodge up 19%, 42,109
- Fiat down 20%, 2,594
- Ford down 3%, 165,301
- GMC up 4%, 36,933
- Honda flat, 90,247
- Hyundai up 1%, 45,011
- Infiniti down 12%, 8,514
- Jaguar up 7%, 1,352
- Jeep up 15%, 59,032
- Kia flat, 38,305
- *Lamborghini up 3%, 65
- Land Rover up 7%, 5,655
- Lexus down 10%, 20,933
- Lincoln up 8%, 7,177
- Maserati up 16%, 525
- Mazda down 3%, 19,703
- **Mercedes-Benz up 2%, 26,563
- MINI flat, 3,238
- Mitsubishi down 4%, 6,264
- Nissan up 3%, 97,220
- Porsche up 11% to 4,354
- Ram up 5%, 33,021
- Scion up 38%, 5,009
- smart down 19%, 399
- Subaru up 1%, 41,101
- *Tesla up 9%, 2,075
- Toyota down 5%, 135,251
- Volkswagen down 15%, 20,079
- Volvo up 12%, 4,244
*Based on estimates from Automotive News.
** NOT including Sprinter
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