Cruze Beats Corolla As GM Leads a Strong Sales Month

After losing the sales race to Ford in March, General Motors came out swinging in April, with a 26.4 percent sales gain over April 2010. Ford posted a 24.5 percent gain over a particularly strong April ’10. GM’s margin over Ford a year ago was 21,001. Last month, the margin was 49,996.

Both GM and Ford estimate April industry sales of about 1.7 million including medium and heavy-duty trucks. That’s a Seasonally Adjusted Average Rate in the mid-13 million range, in case you care about that.

Chevrolet had a big month in selling sedans. It sold a record 25,160 Cruzes to 24,701 Malibus and 21,071 Impalas. Break out retail sales among Cruze and Malibu, however, and the compact’s sales consisted of 18,470 retail units and 6,690 fleet, while the midsize car, which will be replaced early next year with the 2013 Malibu, sold 13,599 retail and 11,102 fleet. The ancient Impala is heavily fleet.

Both Chevy and Ford already seem to be benefitting from slowed production at Japanese automakers.

GM’s push to move the compact class out of the bargain basement seems to be working. Chevy sales chief Alan Batey says the average transaction price of a Cruze is about $19,000, while the ATP for the Malibu is about $21,000.

We’re downsizing our engines, too. There is a replacement for displacement, according to Ford’s George Pipas. In December, Ford sold 100 percent of retail F-150s with V-8s. Last month, half of the F-150s sold retail left dealers’ lots with V-6s. The EcoBoost 3.5-liter made up 37 percent of F-150 retail sales, while the naturally aspirated 3.7 V-6 accounted for 13 percent.

Ford says strong truck fleet sales points to an improving commercial market, and national economy.

GM says its retail sales increased 25 percent over a year ago, with passenger car retail up 49 percent and crossover retail up 28 percent. Fleet sales comprised 33 percent of GM’s April ’11 number and 36 percent of Ford’s numbers. Year-to-date, they comprise 26 percent of GM’s sales and 34 percent of Ford’s. However, Ford breaks its fleet sales out in terms of the more profitable government and commercial fleet, which accounted for 20 percent in April and 19 percent year-to-date, versus daily rental fleet, which was 16 percent and 15 percent. Half of Ford’s April fleet sales consisted of F-Series, Econolines and Crown Victorias.

Toyota says fleet sales remain under 10 percent and that share will decline as the Japanese earthquake and tsunami takes its effect on the company’s production. The resulting parts shortages and factory power outages has affected supply more than sales, though if you don’t like the color selection of your local dealer’s Prii, you might go to a competitor. Toyota reports a 45-day supply of Camrys and about 40 days for Corolla. Prius is down to 10 days, though Toyota promises it will find you one before it turns away any customers.

And so, to the numbers …

1. General Motors 232,538, up 26.4 percent.

At 25,160, the Chevrolet Cruze passed Toyota Corolla last month. That compares with 13,701 Cobalts sold in April ’10 (Chevy also sold 37 Cobalts last month).April was a strong month for Camaro and Mustang, though Challenger was down. Chevy sold 10,852 Camaros, up 18.6 percent, to 8,180 Ford Mustangs, up 59 percent. Dodge sold 3,617 Challengers, off 3 percent.Chevy sold 29,342 Silverados, off 0.9 percent. Combined with Avalanche (1,339, -12.5 percent) and GMC Sierra (10,523, +12.4 percent), GM trucks fall 4,231 units short of Ford F-Series sales.Chevy sold 17,067 Equinoxes, up 42.4 percent, and 9,666 Traverses, up 7.2 percent.Buick sales rose 51.2 percent, to 18,413. LaCrosse remains its leader, at 5,649, up 7.9 percent. It sold 4,525 Regals and claimed a 49-percent conquest rate on that car.Cadillac sales rose 16 percent, to 13,127. CTS was up 28.7 percent, to 4,220, though SRX remains the brand’s volume leader, at 4,380, up 12.2 percent.Chevy delivered 493 Volts last month.

2. Ford Motor Company: 189,778 up 16.4 percent.

F-Series was up 11 percent, to 45,435.Ford Focus was up 22.4 percent, to 21,189. Of that, 12,324 were the new ’12 model, and 4,941 were the old. If you’re nostalgic for a straight-to-rental compact, Ford has about 2,500 ’11 Foci remaining.Fusion was up 11.7 percent to 21,189, falling behind Chevy Malibu’s retail/fleet sales.Ford claims the Explorer as a success, with 12,593 sold, up 137.9 percent over the old, body-on-frame model. Taurus was up 1.6 percent, to 6,262.Even with spy shots showing up for the ’13 Vertrek-inspired Escape, the old model sells well, at 21,240, up 10.9 percent.Lincoln sales fell 0.6 percent, to 7,236. The MKZ, at 2,546, up 40.1 percent, and the MKX, at 1,859, up 16.5 percent, were the only gainers. MKS plummeted 28.6 percent, to 828, MKT was off 27 percent to 456, and Navigator outsold its unibody sibling, at 604, off 35.6 percent. Dealers sold 0 Mercurys last month, down from 9,128 in April ’10.

3. Toyota Motor Sales: 159,540, up 1.3 percent

Sales were off 2.4 percent, when adjusted for daily sales rate (27 selling days in April ’11 versus 26 in April ’10). Like Ford last year, Toyota had a very good April ’10, with a 24.4 percent increase.Camry was up 5 percent, to 30,443 units, one of the few volume models posting an increase.Corolla was off 16.5 percent (by daily selling rate), to 24,215. Toyota is in the process of shifting some Corolla production from NUMMI in Fremont, California, to its Tupelo, Mississippi plant, and is filling in with more imported units.Prius was off 4.3 percent to 12,477.Scion tC was up 119.9 percent, to 2,674.Tundra was off 10.6 percent, to 8,312.Lexus sales fell 7.8 percent (daily selling rate) to 17,576.All Lexus cars were down, with 3,493 ES models (off 23.5 percent), while all Lexus trucks were up, with RX up 0.8 percent to 7,802.

4. American Honda: 124,799, up 5.7 percent.

Honda was up 5.9 percent, to 113,195, and Acura was up 4.2 percent, to 11.604.Accord sales fell 8.1 percent, to 30,310. Crosstour accounted for 2,130 units, off 16.5 percent.Civic was up 3 percent, edging out Chevy Cruze, with 26,777 sold.Fit sales rose 66.3 percent, to 8,116.Insight was up 35.4 percent, to 2,644 and 1,819 CR-Zs were sold.Odyssey sales fell 9.8 percent, to 9,954.Pilot sales were off 2 percent, to 9,488.CR-V was up 25.3 percent, to 21,683. Honda has delayed introducing its all-new ’12 CR-V by one month because of production problems associated with the earthquake.MDX was Acura’s bestseller, up 1.4 percent, to 3,912.TSX was next, at 3,105, up 14.7 percent. Of those, 365 were wagons.

5. Chrysler LLC: 117,225, up 22 percent.

Dodge brand was up 14 percent, to 44,320 and Jeep was up 65 percent, to 32,384.Ram brand was up 29 percent, to 19,260, though Chrysler brand was off 9 percent, to 20,379.Claims best April sales since ’08 and best midsize sales since March ’08.That would be 8,274 Chrysler 200s, up from last year’s 4,053 Chrysler Sebrings, and 7,577 Dodge Avengers, up 26 percent.Dodge Charger fell 5 percent, to 8,485, still well ahead of the Ford Taurus. With ’11 Chrysler 300 production ramping up, sales of this car dropped 21 percent, to 3,263.Jeep Grand Cherokee remains hot, at 9,802, up 189 percent, while the smaller, cheaper Dodge Journey languishes at 4,598, up 3 percent.Dodge Caravan was off 16 percent, to 8,793, while Chrysler Town & Country fell 34 percent to 8,842.Fiat sold 882 500s, up from cinquecento 500s in March.Ending Chrysler on a high note, Ram pickup was up 29 percent, to 19,260.

6. Nissan North America: 71,526, up 12.2 percent.

Nissan sold 64,765, up 14.5 percent. Infiniti was off 6.2 percent, to 6,761.Altima was up 16.7 percent, at 17,232.Sentra jumped 42.2 percent, to 9,367.Versa was off 2.8 percent, though, to 6,413.Nissan delivered 573 Leafs last month.Infiniti sold 2,588 G sedans, off 13.8 percent, and 1,267 G coupes, up 0.4 percent.

7. Hyundai: 61,754, up 40.3 percent.

If you combine Hyundai and Kia sales, the total is 108,828, good enough for sixth place.Elantra was its bestseller, up 128.8 percent to 22,100. Sonata was up 17.3 percent, to 21,738.Genesis was up 16.9 percent, to 2,648. Hyundai sold 222 Equuses, er, Equii.

8. Kia: 47,074, up 56.7 percent.

Bestseller Sorento was up 41.4 percent, to 12,001.Forte was up 47 percent, to 8,535.Optima was up 124.3 percent, to 6,533.

9. Volkswagen: 28,542, up 23.4 percent.

Remained ahead of Subaru on the strength of Jetta sales, which were up 74 percent, to 16,995.VW sold no Passats as it prepared for the ’12 model. CC sales rose 39.7 percent, to 3,163.Tiguan sales rose 47.8 percent, to 2,791.

10. BMW Group: 25,247, up 19.6 percent.

BMW brand was up 8.9 percent, to 18,801.Mini gained 67.7 percent, to 6,446.Cooper/Cooper S hardtop was up 43.7 percent, to 3,367, while the convertible was off 15.8 percent, to 565 and the Clubman fell 2.9 percent, to 805.Mini sold 1,709 Countrymen. Or is that Countrymans?

11. Subaru: 24,762, up 6.7 percent.

Says WRX/STI sales more than doubled, as part of Impreza’s 15 percent gain to 4,367.Outback was up 23.1 percent, to 9,465.

12. Mazda: 20,638, up 9 percent.

Bestseller 3 was off 7.9 percent, to 8,584.CX-7 was up 28.4 percent, to 2,873, while CX-9 was up 23.9 percent, to 2,750.Iconic Miata was up 14.2 percent, to 659.

13. Daimler AG: 19,624, up 3.8 percent.

Mercedes-Benz sold 18,042 cars and trucks, up 2.3 percent.That leaves 467 units for Smart, off 31.3 percent, and 1,115 Sprinters, up 85.8 percent.Mercedes E-Class was the bestseller, up 17.9 percent, to 5,342.

14. Audi: 10,018, up 7.5 percent.

A4 was the bestseller, up 4.8 percent to 3,328. Audi sold 408 A7s.

15. Mitsubishi: 8,081, up 106 percent.

Outlander and Outlander Sport combined sales were up 98 percent.

16. Volvo: 6,404, up 40.9 percent.

Led by the S60 at 1,972 cars, up 100 percent.

17. Jaguar/Land Rover: 4,231, up 16 percent.

Land Rover was up 8 percent, to 2,982.Jaguar was up 39 percent, to 1,249.

18. Porsche: 3,172, up 82 percent.

The new Cayenne leads the way, up 384 percent, to 1,578.

19. American Suzuki: 2,132, up 9 percent.

Kizashi is its bestseller, up 42 percent, to 577.

Compacts in March:

Honda Civic: 26,777Chevy Cruze: 25,160Toyota Corolla: 24,215Hyundai Elantra: 22,100Ford Focus: 17,265

Midsize cars in March:

Toyota Camry: 30,443Honda Accord: 30,310Chevy Malibu: 24,701Hyundai Sonata: 21,738Ford Fusion: 21,189

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March Sales: Gas Prices Push Compacts, Ford Beats GM

No April Fools here. It’s a good-news day for the economy. Unemployment fell to 8.8 percent, with 216,000 jobs added in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says, the lowest level in two years. Manufacturing contributed 17,000 jobs, many of them in the auto industry. Professional and business services added 78,000, although 37 percent of those were temp help jobs.

Manufacturing expanded by its fastest pace in nearly seven years, with help from both U.S. and overseas demand. Here in Michigan, the employment growth rate is running third highest in the nation, though unemployment remains in the double digits. Anecdotally, the Detroit Three are trying to lure computer geeks away from Silicon Valley. They may not be able to handle the weather, but they’ll like the housing prices. And Chrysler LLC is running out of room in its Auburn Hills tech center. So many of the new jobs in the Detroit Metro area are white collar, presumably with healthy salaries.

The automakers estimate March auto sales at 1.2 million units, up about 13.2 percent over March ‘10, counting medium and heavy-duty trucks. The seasonally adjusted average rate (SAAR) is running in the low 13-millions.

Still, statistics show little growth in average hourly rates, further widening this country’s long widening income gap. Sure, blame $3.65 per gallon gas, but perhaps slow income growth also is responsible for American consumers shifting to smaller cars. GM is trumpeting the fact that it sold 50,205 Chevy Cruzes in the first quarter of the year, compared with 48,725 Malibus and 49,541 Impalas. The Malibu and Impala have been trading places as Chevrolet’s number-one sedan in past months, and the Cruze passed them overall for the quarter by being second every month. Of 18,018 Cruzes sold in March, 15,541 were retail and 2,477 were fleet. Of 18,063 ancient Impalas, just 4,572 were retail and 13,491 were fleet.

Ford Motor outsold GM in March, as GM eased up on the incentives that gave it a strong January and February. GM says its March incentives were about the same as Ford and Chrysler’s, but above the industry average, in order to maintain, and gain market share.

B- and c-segment car retail market share for the industry increased from 19 percent in December 2010 to 21 percent in January/February, and to 25 percent in March, says Ford sales analyst George Pipas. Sport/utilities were off 4 points, to 29 percent retail market share, from December to March and full-size pickups were off 3 points, to 10 percent of retail share. Keep in mind these were numbers for the U.S. industry, not just Ford. However, Ford reported big numbers for its pickups and vans, including the Transit Connect, because it sold a lot of trucks to commercial fleets last month.

As evidence of oil price sensitivity, EcoBoost and 3.7-liter V-6 take rates on the F-150 are strong among retail buyers. B- and c-cars, or subcompacts and compacts, leveled off in the last three weeks of March as gas prices leveled (not unlike the spring 2008 scenario).

Pipas said he’s continuing to monitor whether fairly steady gas prices, or reduced small car inventory contributed most to this late-month flattening. Already, Fiesta inventory has dropped from a 60-day supply in late March to 40 days.

I’m concentrating on the Chevy Cruze, because it was the first new compact out after GM and Ford first said consumers were downsizing. They believe the compact segment will eventually pass the midsize segment, permanently, in the U.S. Chevy says its $19,000 Cruze average transaction price is $2,000 more than the soon-replaced Honda Civic and $3,000 more than the Toyota Corolla. Still, compare the Cruze’s ATP with GM’s average for cars, $25,900, reported for the second quarter of 2010.

GM has long claimed it can make money on small cars like the Chevy Cruze, but there’s a much bigger problem coming from the East. The Japanese earthquake and tsunami has affected the country’s domestic market and auto production. It has affected parts production, and power disruptions will affect production across the country for the next several months, at least. Publicly, GM, Ford, Chrysler and their foreign competitors are spinning the looming parts shortage. They’re “continually monitoring the situation” don’t have any shortage of models, yet. That will change later in the year if they don’t find alternate part supplies by mid-May. Second quarter profits across the industry could be in for a big, big hit.

And so, to the numbers …

1. Ford Motor Company: 212,777, up 19 percent.
First quarter: 496,720, up 15.9 percent.

Ford brand sales rose 28.2 percent, to 204,276.F-Series rose 25.3 percent, to 53,272.Twenty-two percent of ‘11 F-150 retail buyers bought the EcoBoost engine and 15 percent bought the 3.7 V-6. Ford’s retail order bank has a 40-percent take rate for the EcoBoost V-6.Fusion sales set a monthly record, at 27,566, up 21 percent. For the quarter, Ford has sold 65,023 Fusions, up 26.5 percent.Fiesta sales neared the 10k level, at 9,787.Escape was up 25 percent, to 23,975.Focus fell 11.9 percent, to 17,178 as the old model sold down. Only a handful of new ’12 Foci are in those numbers.Explorer was up 111.3 percent, to 12,482, and 10,828 of them were the new, unibody, transverse-engine ‘12 model.Explorer looks ready to take over for Flex, which has not been able to catch Chevy Traverse sales. Flex was down 28.8 percent, to 2,468.Lincoln dropped 2.2 percent, to 8,501 last month. Will it follow Mercury into the brand graveyard? Mercury sold 10,486 units in March ’10, and of course, zero last month.

2. GM: 206,621 up 9.6 percent.
First quarter: 592,545, up 24.1 percent

Chevy Silverado’s number was 32,555. Add 1,655 Avalanches (yes, Chevy still builds them) and 11,622 GMC Sierras to total 45,832 big trucks.Chevy Colorado was up 25.2 percent, to 2,561 and GMC Canyon was up 24.4 percent, to 765. Obviously, the temporary parts-shortage plant shutdown won’t affect these trucks.Chevy Camaro again beat Ford Mustang, though the gap is really thin. Camaro was up 0.7 percent, to 8,964 and Mustang was up 46.8 percent, to 8,557. Dodge sold 3,989 Challengers, up 24 percent.Impala was GM’s bestselling car, at 18,063 (+15.8 percent), mostly with fleet sales. Cruze was next, at 18,018 and Malibu was off 12.4 percent, to 15,551.Chevy Equinox was up 16.7 percent, to 14,949 and GMC Terrain was up 29 percent, to 6,301.Chevy Traverse was off 4.7 percent, to 8,230. GMC Acadia was off 5.9 percent, to 6,418. Buick Enclave was up 8.4 percent, to 4,899.Buick division was up 20.9 percent, to 15,663. Cadillac was up 4.5 percent, to 12,164.Chevy delivered 608 Volts, Rush.

3. Toyota-Scion-Lexus: 176,222, off 9.2 percent.
First quarter: 433,924, up 11 percent.

Toyota announced mid-year price increases that will affect cars and trucks at dealerships by May. The company says unfavorable exchange rates are responsible, and that the decision was made prior to the earthquake.Toyota reports no shortage of any models as a result of the earthquake. Like everyone else, Toyota is “monitoring” parts and production availability, and Prius and Lexus stand to be most affected.Lexus sales chief Mark Templin says the brand’s “pipeline is full” with Japanese-built models on the way.Corolla sales of 30,234, off 1.7 percent, nearly caught Camry sales, off 16.4 percent, to 31,464.Prius was up 52 percent to 18,605.Toyota has 12,250 Prii in U.S. inventory. It has an 18-day supply, versus 32 days at the beginning of March.Prius V’s August launch date in the U.S. has not been affected, so far.Tundra nosedived 32.9 percent, to 7,515. Tacoma was up 3.5 percent, to 10,144.Lexus division was off 1.5 percent, to 20,682.Lexus delivered 8 LFAs.

4. American Honda (includes Acura): 133,650 up 18.9 percent.
First quarter: 307,978, up 18.5 percent.

Accord beat Camry, with 33,616 sold, up 11.2 percent. Crosstour was off 22.5 percent at 2,083, despite a new ad campaign.Civic beat Corolla, up 33.8 percent to 31,213 as Honda tried to make room for the new model.Insight was up 62.2 percent, to 2,782.Honda sold 1,685 CR-Zs.Acura division was up 3.6 percent, to 12,611.TSX was off 11.9 percent, to 2,810, with 388 of those wagons.

5. Chrysler LLC: 121,730 up 31 percent.
First quarter: 286,950, up 23 percent.

Dodge brand was up 49 percent, to 44,102 and Jeep was up 36 percent, to 33,155.Chrysler sold 6,750 200s, versus 3,783 Sebrings last year (and 975 leftover Sebrings this March).Jeep Patriot was up 109 percent, to 5,602 and Compass was up 108 percent, to 3,703.The new Dodge Charger posted 8,986, up 44 percent, while Avenger was up 92 percent, to 5,954.Ram pickup was up 23 percent, to 21,898. Dakota was up 45 percent, to 1,612.Is this a joke? Fiat sold 500 500s.

6. Nissan North America (with Infiniti): 121,141, up 26.9 percent.
First quarter: 285,358, up 25 percent.

Nissan says this is a U.S. sales record for any month in its history. Despite that, it fell 589 units short of Chrysler.Altima outsold Camry at 32,289, up 31 percent.Sentra was up 104.7 percent, to 17,851 and Versa was off 19.8 percent, to 11,075.Titan was off 21.8 percent, to 1,920, and Frontier was up 12.7 percent, to 4,609.Murano was up 3.5 percent, to 5,682. Nissan sold 4,089 Jukes.Infiniti was up 13.5 percent, to 11,287.

7. Hyundai: 61,873, up 32 percent.
First quarter: 142,620, up 27.9 percent.

Add Kia sales for a total of 106,052, still seventh.Sold 22,894 Sonatas, up 20.9 percent.Good month for the new Elantra at 19,255, up 134 percent.Hyundai says 28 percent of its March sales units are rated 40 mpg highway, or higher.

8. Kia: 44,179, up 44.7 percent.
First quarter: 104,774, up 36.6 percent.

Bestseller Sorento was up 1,866 units, to 11,071.Soul nearly doubled, to 10,028.Optima was up 89.7 percent, to 6,891.

9. Mazda: 30,905, up 33.3 percent.
First quarter: 64,559, up 15.4 percent.

Passed Subaru, VW, BMW Group and Daimler since last calendar year’s numbers, with all models posting increases except the lame-duck Tribute (they still make -that?).The 5 minivan was up 139.4 percent, to 3,866.The 6 was up 15.3 percent, to 4,135.3 is the bestseller, at 12,467, up 9.8 percent.CX-9 was up 22.5 percent, to 3,635.CX-7 was up 30.7 percent, to 3,407.Spring is here: Miata was up 7 percent, to 645.

10. Volkswagen of America: 27,176, up 22.7 percent.
First quarter: 67,039, up 15.0 percent.

Best sales month in seven years, enough to move it ahead of Subaru and BMW Group.Add in Audi for a total of 36,944.Jetta was up 84.5 percent, to 16,969. Maybe there’s something to selling on price after all.CC was up 16.9 percent, to 2,331.Tiguan was up 12.5 percent, to 1,970.Golf was up 5.8 percent, to 3,106.

11. Subaru: 26,916, up 13.2 percent.
First quarter: 67,457, up 17.3 percent.

Slid behind Mazda and VW, but passed BMW Group.Outback was up 37.8 percent, to 10,498.Forester fell 9.9 percent, to 7,629.Legacy was up 27.6 percent, to 4,450.

12. BMW Group: 26,382, up 21.7 percent.
First quarter: 64,958, up 18 percent.

The new X3 posted 2,648 units, up 270 percent.5 Series was up 55.6 percent, to 4,491.Mini brand had its second-best sales month, ever in the U.S., at 6,087, up 68.6 percent. Its best month came the last time oil prices were rising; 6,312 units in May 2008.

13. Daimler AG: 22,971, up 11 percent.
First quarter: 57,262, up 10.2 percent.

Mercedes-Benz sold 21,484, up 9.4 percent.Smart sold 1,062, up 175.1 percent and Sprinter sold 425, off 37.2 percent.C-Class was up 8.9 percent, to 6,542.E-Class was up 21.1 percent, to 6,107.

14. Audi: 9,818, up 14.3 percent.
First quarter: 25,383, up 19.1 percent.

A4 was the bestseller, up 12.1 percent, to 3,428.R8 was the biggest gainer, up 103.8 percent, to 106.Q5 was up 22.5 percent, to 2,083.

15. Mitsubishi: 7,560, up 39 percent.
First quarter: 20,167, up 48 percent.

Outlander Sport was up 8.6 percent, to 1,401.

16. Volvo: 6,369, up 21.6 percent.

First-quarter sales are up 10.2 percent.Sold 1,952 S60s.

17. Jaguar/Land Rover: 4,315 up 16 percent.
Up 18 percent for the first quarter

Land Rover was up 26 percent, to 3,441.Jaguar was off 11 percent, to 874.

18. Porsche: 2,588, up 36 percent.
First quarter: 7,007, up 34 percent.

Cayenne sold 1,049, up from 397 in March ’10.Panamera sold 654, up from 542.911 was off, to 609 from 615. Boxster/Cayman fell to 276 from 351.

19. American Suzuki: 2,497, up 11 percent.
First quarter: 6,702, up 18 percent.

SX4 is the bestseller, off 14 percent to 1,070.Kizashi was up 77 percent, to 703.

Saab Cars North America: N/A

Compacts in March:

1.)   Honda Civic: 31,213

2.)   Toyota Corolla: 30,234

3.)   Hyundai Elantra: 19,255

4.)   Chevy Cruze: 18,018

5.)   Nissan Sentra: 17,851

Midsize cars in March:

1.)   Honda Accord: 33,616

2.)   Nissan Altima: 32,289

3.)   Toyota Camry: 31,464

4.)   Ford Fusion: 27,566

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March Sales: Gas Prices Push Compacts, Ford Beats GM

No April Fools here. It’s a good-news day for the economy. Unemployment fell to 8.8 percent, with 216,000 jobs added in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says, the lowest level in two years. Manufacturing contributed 17,000 jobs, many of them in the auto industry. Professional and business services added 78,000, although 37 percent of those were temp help jobs.

Manufacturing expanded by its fastest pace in nearly seven years, with help from both U.S. and overseas demand. Here in Michigan, the employment growth rate is running third highest in the nation, though unemployment remains in the double digits. Anecdotally, the Detroit Three are trying to lure computer geeks away from Silicon Valley. They may not be able to handle the weather, but they’ll like the housing prices. And Chrysler LLC is running out of room in its Auburn Hills tech center. So many of the new jobs in the Detroit Metro area are white collar, presumably with healthy salaries.

The automakers estimate March auto sales at 1.2 million units, up about 13.2 percent over March ‘10, counting medium and heavy-duty trucks. The seasonally adjusted average rate (SAAR) is running in the low 13-millions.

Still, statistics show little growth in average hourly rates, further widening this country’s long widening income gap. Sure, blame $3.65 per gallon gas, but perhaps slow income growth also is responsible for American consumers shifting to smaller cars. GM is trumpeting the fact that it sold 50,205 Chevy Cruzes in the first quarter of the year, compared with 48,725 Malibus and 49,541 Impalas. The Malibu and Impala have been trading places as Chevrolet’s number-one sedan in past months, and the Cruze passed them overall for the quarter by being second every month. Of 18,018 Cruzes sold in March, 15,541 were retail and 2,477 were fleet. Of 18,063 ancient Impalas, just 4,572 were retail and 13,491 were fleet.

Ford Motor outsold GM in March, as GM eased up on the incentives that gave it a strong January and February. GM says its March incentives were about the same as Ford and Chrysler’s, but above the industry average, in order to maintain, and gain market share.

B- and c-segment car retail market share for the industry increased from 19 percent in December 2010 to 21 percent in January/February, and to 25 percent in March, says Ford sales analyst George Pipas. Sport/utilities were off 4 points, to 29 percent retail market share, from December to March and full-size pickups were off 3 points, to 10 percent of retail share. Keep in mind these were numbers for the U.S. industry, not just Ford. However, Ford reported big numbers for its pickups and vans, including the Transit Connect, because it sold a lot of trucks to commercial fleets last month.

As evidence of oil price sensitivity, EcoBoost and 3.7-liter V-6 take rates on the F-150 are strong among retail buyers. B- and c-cars, or subcompacts and compacts, leveled off in the last three weeks of March as gas prices leveled (not unlike the spring 2008 scenario).

Pipas said he’s continuing to monitor whether fairly steady gas prices, or reduced small car inventory contributed most to this late-month flattening. Already, Fiesta inventory has dropped from a 60-day supply in late March to 40 days.

I’m concentrating on the Chevy Cruze, because it was the first new compact out after GM and Ford first said consumers were downsizing. They believe the compact segment will eventually pass the midsize segment, permanently, in the U.S. Chevy says its $19,000 Cruze average transaction price is $2,000 more than the soon-replaced Honda Civic and $3,000 more than the Toyota Corolla. Still, compare the Cruze’s ATP with GM’s average for cars, $25,900, reported for the second quarter of 2010.

GM has long claimed it can make money on small cars like the Chevy Cruze, but there’s a much bigger problem coming from the East. The Japanese earthquake and tsunami has affected the country’s domestic market and auto production. It has affected parts production, and power disruptions will affect production across the country for the next several months, at least. Publicly, GM, Ford, Chrysler and their foreign competitors are spinning the looming parts shortage. They’re “continually monitoring the situation” don’t have any shortage of models, yet. That will change later in the year if they don’t find alternate part supplies by mid-May. Second quarter profits across the industry could be in for a big, big hit.

And so, to the numbers …

1. Ford Motor Company: 212,777, up 19 percent.
First quarter: 496,720, up 15.9 percent.

Ford brand sales rose 28.2 percent, to 204,276.F-Series rose 25.3 percent, to 53,272.Twenty-two percent of ‘11 F-150 retail buyers bought the EcoBoost engine and 15 percent bought the 3.7 V-6. Ford’s retail order bank has a 40-percent take rate for the EcoBoost V-6.Fusion sales set a monthly record, at 27,566, up 21 percent. For the quarter, Ford has sold 65,023 Fusions, up 26.5 percent.Fiesta sales neared the 10k level, at 9,787.Escape was up 25 percent, to 23,975.Focus fell 11.9 percent, to 17,178 as the old model sold down. Only a handful of new ’12 Foci are in those numbers.Explorer was up 111.3 percent, to 12,482, and 10,828 of them were the new, unibody, transverse-engine ‘12 model.Explorer looks ready to take over for Flex, which has not been able to catch Chevy Traverse sales. Flex was down 28.8 percent, to 2,468.Lincoln dropped 2.2 percent, to 8,501 last month. Will it follow Mercury into the brand graveyard? Mercury sold 10,486 units in March ’10, and of course, zero last month.

2. GM: 206,621 up 9.6 percent.
First quarter: 592,545, up 24.1 percent

Chevy Silverado’s number was 32,555. Add 1,655 Avalanches (yes, Chevy still builds them) and 11,622 GMC Sierras to total 45,832 big trucks.Chevy Colorado was up 25.2 percent, to 2,561 and GMC Canyon was up 24.4 percent, to 765. Obviously, the temporary parts-shortage plant shutdown won’t affect these trucks.Chevy Camaro again beat Ford Mustang, though the gap is really thin. Camaro was up 0.7 percent, to 8,964 and Mustang was up 46.8 percent, to 8,557. Dodge sold 3,989 Challengers, up 24 percent.Impala was GM’s bestselling car, at 18,063 (+15.8 percent), mostly with fleet sales. Cruze was next, at 18,018 and Malibu was off 12.4 percent, to 15,551.Chevy Equinox was up 16.7 percent, to 14,949 and GMC Terrain was up 29 percent, to 6,301.Chevy Traverse was off 4.7 percent, to 8,230. GMC Acadia was off 5.9 percent, to 6,418. Buick Enclave was up 8.4 percent, to 4,899.Buick division was up 20.9 percent, to 15,663. Cadillac was up 4.5 percent, to 12,164.Chevy delivered 608 Volts, Rush.

3. Toyota-Scion-Lexus: 176,222, off 9.2 percent.
First quarter: 433,924, up 11 percent.

Toyota announced mid-year price increases that will affect cars and trucks at dealerships by May. The company says unfavorable exchange rates are responsible, and that the decision was made prior to the earthquake.Toyota reports no shortage of any models as a result of the earthquake. Like everyone else, Toyota is “monitoring” parts and production availability, and Prius and Lexus stand to be most affected.Lexus sales chief Mark Templin says the brand’s “pipeline is full” with Japanese-built models on the way.Corolla sales of 30,234, off 1.7 percent, nearly caught Camry sales, off 16.4 percent, to 31,464.Prius was up 52 percent to 18,605.Toyota has 12,250 Prii in U.S. inventory. It has an 18-day supply, versus 32 days at the beginning of March.Prius V’s August launch date in the U.S. has not been affected, so far.Tundra nosedived 32.9 percent, to 7,515. Tacoma was up 3.5 percent, to 10,144.Lexus division was off 1.5 percent, to 20,682.Lexus delivered 8 LFAs.

4. American Honda (includes Acura): 133,650 up 18.9 percent.
First quarter: 307,978, up 18.5 percent.

Accord beat Camry, with 33,616 sold, up 11.2 percent. Crosstour was off 22.5 percent at 2,083, despite a new ad campaign.Civic beat Corolla, up 33.8 percent to 31,213 as Honda tried to make room for the new model.Insight was up 62.2 percent, to 2,782.Honda sold 1,685 CR-Zs.Acura division was up 3.6 percent, to 12,611.TSX was off 11.9 percent, to 2,810, with 388 of those wagons.

5. Chrysler LLC: 121,730 up 31 percent.
First quarter: 286,950, up 23 percent.

Dodge brand was up 49 percent, to 44,102 and Jeep was up 36 percent, to 33,155.Chrysler sold 6,750 200s, versus 3,783 Sebrings last year (and 975 leftover Sebrings this March).Jeep Patriot was up 109 percent, to 5,602 and Compass was up 108 percent, to 3,703.The new Dodge Charger posted 8,986, up 44 percent, while Avenger was up 92 percent, to 5,954.Ram pickup was up 23 percent, to 21,898. Dakota was up 45 percent, to 1,612.Is this a joke? Fiat sold 500 500s.

6. Nissan North America (with Infiniti): 121,141, up 26.9 percent.
First quarter: 285,358, up 25 percent.

Nissan says this is a U.S. sales record for any month in its history. Despite that, it fell 589 units short of Chrysler.Altima outsold Camry at 32,289, up 31 percent.Sentra was up 104.7 percent, to 17,851 and Versa was off 19.8 percent, to 11,075.Titan was off 21.8 percent, to 1,920, and Frontier was up 12.7 percent, to 4,609.Murano was up 3.5 percent, to 5,682. Nissan sold 4,089 Jukes.Infiniti was up 13.5 percent, to 11,287.

7. Hyundai: 61,873, up 32 percent.
First quarter: 142,620, up 27.9 percent.

Add Kia sales for a total of 106,052, still seventh.Sold 22,894 Sonatas, up 20.9 percent.Good month for the new Elantra at 19,255, up 134 percent.Hyundai says 28 percent of its March sales units are rated 40 mpg highway, or higher.

8. Kia: 44,179, up 44.7 percent.
First quarter: 104,774, up 36.6 percent.

Bestseller Sorento was up 1,866 units, to 11,071.Soul nearly doubled, to 10,028.Optima was up 89.7 percent, to 6,891.

9. Mazda: 30,905, up 33.3 percent.
First quarter: 64,559, up 15.4 percent.

Passed Subaru, VW, BMW Group and Daimler since last calendar year’s numbers, with all models posting increases except the lame-duck Tribute (they still make -that?).The 5 minivan was up 139.4 percent, to 3,866.The 6 was up 15.3 percent, to 4,135.3 is the bestseller, at 12,467, up 9.8 percent.CX-9 was up 22.5 percent, to 3,635.CX-7 was up 30.7 percent, to 3,407.Spring is here: Miata was up 7 percent, to 645.

10. Volkswagen of America: 27,176, up 22.7 percent.
First quarter: 67,039, up 15.0 percent.

Best sales month in seven years, enough to move it ahead of Subaru and BMW Group.Add in Audi for a total of 36,944.Jetta was up 84.5 percent, to 16,969. Maybe there’s something to selling on price after all.CC was up 16.9 percent, to 2,331.Tiguan was up 12.5 percent, to 1,970.Golf was up 5.8 percent, to 3,106.

11. Subaru: 26,916, up 13.2 percent.
First quarter: 67,457, up 17.3 percent.

Slid behind Mazda and VW, but passed BMW Group.Outback was up 37.8 percent, to 10,498.Forester fell 9.9 percent, to 7,629.Legacy was up 27.6 percent, to 4,450.

12. BMW Group: 26,382, up 21.7 percent.
First quarter: 64,958, up 18 percent.

The new X3 posted 2,648 units, up 270 percent.5 Series was up 55.6 percent, to 4,491.Mini brand had its second-best sales month, ever in the U.S., at 6,087, up 68.6 percent. Its best month came the last time oil prices were rising; 6,312 units in May 2008.

13. Daimler AG: 22,971, up 11 percent.
First quarter: 57,262, up 10.2 percent.

Mercedes-Benz sold 21,484, up 9.4 percent.Smart sold 1,062, up 175.1 percent and Sprinter sold 425, off 37.2 percent.C-Class was up 8.9 percent, to 6,542.E-Class was up 21.1 percent, to 6,107.

14. Audi: 9,818, up 14.3 percent.
First quarter: 25,383, up 19.1 percent.

A4 was the bestseller, up 12.1 percent, to 3,428.R8 was the biggest gainer, up 103.8 percent, to 106.Q5 was up 22.5 percent, to 2,083.

15. Mitsubishi: 7,560, up 39 percent.
First quarter: 20,167, up 48 percent.

Outlander Sport was up 8.6 percent, to 1,401.

16. Volvo: 6,369, up 21.6 percent.

First-quarter sales are up 10.2 percent.Sold 1,952 S60s.

17. Jaguar/Land Rover: 4,315 up 16 percent.
Up 18 percent for the first quarter

Land Rover was up 26 percent, to 3,441.Jaguar was off 11 percent, to 874.

18. Porsche: 2,588, up 36 percent.
First quarter: 7,007, up 34 percent.

Cayenne sold 1,049, up from 397 in March ’10.Panamera sold 654, up from 542.911 was off, to 609 from 615. Boxster/Cayman fell to 276 from 351.

19. American Suzuki: 2,497, up 11 percent.
First quarter: 6,702, up 18 percent.

SX4 is the bestseller, off 14 percent to 1,070.Kizashi was up 77 percent, to 703.

Saab Cars North America: N/A

Compacts in March:

1.)   Honda Civic: 31,213

2.)   Toyota Corolla: 30,234

3.)   Hyundai Elantra: 19,255

4.)   Chevy Cruze: 18,018

5.)   Nissan Sentra: 17,851

Midsize cars in March:

1.)   Honda Accord: 33,616

2.)   Nissan Altima: 32,289

3.)   Toyota Camry: 31,464

4.)   Ford Fusion: 27,566

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