May 2012 US Auto Sales

With May 2012 done with, the United States auto industry recently posted its sales figures for the fifth month of the year. Comprised of a full 26 selling days, the month closed out with solid figures all around. For the segment sales, each market saw an increase with the exception of just one: the large car. Hurting since the start of the year, the slow-moving segment found only 639 new owners bringing the year-to-date total to 4,113 units. Compared to 2011, that figure is down a staggering 89.2 percent. Given that the small car and small SUV witnessed a May increase of 29.6 and 38.4 percent respectively compared to last year, the American public seems to be thinking much more compactly.

There may have been 686,378 total cars sold during May, but that still couldn’t stop the Ford F-Series truck from landing on the number one spot once again. Taking the best-selling vehicle title was accomplished with 54,836 units, 15,265 more than the second place finishing Toyota Camry. With 39,571 new buyers, the Japanese sedan seems to have gotten its grove back as compared to last May, the 2012 figure is 110.1 percent better. Another surprise comeback came out of the Honda Civic with a 82.6 percent jump from 2011 to 33,490. As impressive as those success stories are, non out of May are as startling as the increase seen by the Toyota Prius. Perhaps helped by the recently released c variant, the hybrid sold 21,477 new cars; 210.2 percent better then May 2011.

Ford may have earned the best-selling individual vehicle title, but General Motors took away the best-selling manufacture once again. Selling 245,256 total cars and trucks, GM increased its sales by 10.2 percent compared to last May. Ford earned second place with 215,699 total units while Toyota landed third with 202,973. Unlike the Big Three, Toyota earned its spot by selling more cars than trucks. Coming very close to taking away Chrysler LLC’s fourth place finish was Honda with 133,997 units sold; a 47.6 percnt jump from May 2011. Mitsubishi didn’t manage to fair as well as its other Japanese automakers as a 26.3 percent fall from a year ago earned just 5,575 total sales. Saab managed to do the unthinkable and sell some cars; 41 of them. That number may be down by 89.3 percent but, it is certainly better than April’s figure of nothing.

Across all 26 selling days of May 2012, the American public purchased 1,334,600 new vehicles. Compared to last May, the number of new cars and trucks increased by 25.7 percent. Of those vehicles, 138 of them were Ferraris, 226 were Maseratis, 201 were Bentleys and 24 were Rolls Royces. Among every small car, large SUV and full size pickup truck purchased in May 2012 in the U.S., a total of two Maybachs found new owners.

Source: WSJ