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AUTOS: Automakers Sail Toward Recovery
U.S. auto sales climb 11 percent for December and the year as car companies look ahead; battered Toyota still lags.
General Motors credits its redesigned crossover SUVs, including the GMC Terrain, with helping to boost the automaker's sales totals. (Photo: GMC)
U.S. auto sales ended 2010 on an upswing, with the car companies enjoying an 11 percent overall gain for December and for the year, compared with the dour results of 2009.
All three domestic automakers showed signs of life, with General Motors enjoying an eight percent gain for its four remaining brands buoyed by a number of new and redesigned models. For the year, GM was up seven percent, its first annual year-to-year advance since 1999.
Ford reported an increase of four percent for December and a 17 percent boost for the year, its first yearly gain since 2000. Chrysler posting a 16 percent rise compared with last December’s depressed sales, and 17 percent for the year.
GM credited its lineup of fuel-efficient crossovers with much of its newfound success coming out of last year’s bankruptcy.
“The crossover market is a great example of how consumers can have their cake and eat it too,” said Don Johnson, vice president of GM’s U.S. sales operations. “More and more, consumers are choosing to purchase fuel-efficient crossovers like the 32-mpg highway-rated Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain because they get everything they want – comfort, utility and quality.”
South Korea’s Hyundai/Kia remained the real sales stars of 2010, with a strong showing of 37 percent in positive territory compared with December 2009, the best among the major automakers, and a 22 percent rise for the year.
Kia reported its all-time record sales in 2010 of 356,268 units, up 18.7 percent over 2009 and the 16th consecutive year of increased market share in the U.S. A crossover SUV, Sorento, was also the highest volume vehicle for Kia.
Another annual star was Subaru, continuing its run of monthly gains at six percent and a 22 percent total for the year.
The only automaker not celebrating the overall sales rise was Toyota, still struggling with the aftereffects of the unintended-acceleration controversy and a series of massive recalls that damaged its image among consumers and dented sales. Compared with December 2009, Toyota was off six percent and its total for the year was a flat zero percent.
Still, Toyota was able to point out that it’s still the industry leader in a number of areas.
“Thanks to our customers’ enduring confidence in the quality and reliability of our vehicles, Toyota remained the best-selling retail brand for the third consecutive year, Camry was again the best-selling car in America for the ninth straight year and Lexus retained its place as the best-selling luxury brand for the eleventh year in a row,” Don Esmond, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., said in a media release.
Ford reclaimed its position as second-biggest automaker in the United States from Toyota despite sagging sales of Lincoln and the discontinued Mercury brands. GM remains at the top of the heap.
All three domestic automakers showed signs of life, with General Motors enjoying an eight percent gain for its four remaining brands buoyed by a number of new and redesigned models. For the year, GM was up seven percent, its first annual year-to-year advance since 1999.
Ford reported an increase of four percent for December and a 17 percent boost for the year, its first yearly gain since 2000. Chrysler posting a 16 percent rise compared with last December’s depressed sales, and 17 percent for the year.
GM credited its lineup of fuel-efficient crossovers with much of its newfound success coming out of last year’s bankruptcy.
“The crossover market is a great example of how consumers can have their cake and eat it too,” said Don Johnson, vice president of GM’s U.S. sales operations. “More and more, consumers are choosing to purchase fuel-efficient crossovers like the 32-mpg highway-rated Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain because they get everything they want – comfort, utility and quality.”
South Korea’s Hyundai/Kia remained the real sales stars of 2010, with a strong showing of 37 percent in positive territory compared with December 2009, the best among the major automakers, and a 22 percent rise for the year.
Kia reported its all-time record sales in 2010 of 356,268 units, up 18.7 percent over 2009 and the 16th consecutive year of increased market share in the U.S. A crossover SUV, Sorento, was also the highest volume vehicle for Kia.
Another annual star was Subaru, continuing its run of monthly gains at six percent and a 22 percent total for the year.
The only automaker not celebrating the overall sales rise was Toyota, still struggling with the aftereffects of the unintended-acceleration controversy and a series of massive recalls that damaged its image among consumers and dented sales. Compared with December 2009, Toyota was off six percent and its total for the year was a flat zero percent.
Still, Toyota was able to point out that it’s still the industry leader in a number of areas.
“Thanks to our customers’ enduring confidence in the quality and reliability of our vehicles, Toyota remained the best-selling retail brand for the third consecutive year, Camry was again the best-selling car in America for the ninth straight year and Lexus retained its place as the best-selling luxury brand for the eleventh year in a row,” Don Esmond, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., said in a media release.
Ford reclaimed its position as second-biggest automaker in the United States from Toyota despite sagging sales of Lincoln and the discontinued Mercury brands. GM remains at the top of the heap.
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