February Sets Up 15.38 Million Unit SAAR

Just barely the majority of manufacturers saw an increase in sales in February over last year, with Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai breaking sales records for the month. Sales paced at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 15.38 million units, according to Autodata Corp.

by Staff

March 5, 2013

3 min to read

A slight majority of manufacturers saw an increase in sales in February over last year, with Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai breaking sales records for the month. Sales paced at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 15.38 million units, up from the 14.5 million SAAR the previous year, according to research from Autodata Corp.

BMW: The automaker reported that February sales of BMW and MINI combined was 25,613 vehicles, a decrease of 2.2 percent from the 26,184 vehicles sold in the same month a year ago. Sales of BMW brand vehicles increased 0.5 percent in February for a total of 21,311 compared to 21,204 vehicles sold in February 2012.

Chrysler: Chrysler Group LLC reported its best February sales since 2008, with 139,015 units sold — a 4 percent increase over last February’s 133,521 units. It was the 35th-consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains.

Ford: In February, the Ford Motor Company experienced its biggest jump in sales since 2007 with 195,822 vehicles sold — an impressive 9 percent increase. Cars were up 6 percent, utilities up 21 percent and trucks up 4 percent. The Fusion set an all-time February sales record, surpassing last year’s record by 28 percent.

General Motors: Total GM sales were down 1.9 percent compared to last February. However, when adjusted for selling days, total GM sales were up 2.2 percent, according to the manufacturer. Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealers delivered 13,987 vehicles in February 2013.

Honda: American Honda reported February 2013 U.S. sales of 107,987 units, a decrease of 2 percent compared with the same month last year. The Honda brand posted February 2013 sales of 96,623 units, a decrease of 2.3 percent from last year. Acura U.S. February sales of 11,364 units increased 0.9 percent compared with February 2012.

Hyundai: Hyundai Motor America experienced an all-time February sales record of 52,311 units; up two percent over last year’s all-time record February and up a similar amount for the year. The all-new Santa Fe saw a huge 64 percent increase over the same period last year and is up 42 percent year-to-date. The Elantra posted year-over-year gains for February of 17 percent and is up 15 percent for the year.

Mazda: The automaker reported February 2013 U.S. sales of 24,936 vehicles, representing a decrease of 2.8 percent versus last year. Year-to-date sales through February are down 6.8 percent versus last year, with 46,255 vehicles sold.

Mercedes-Benz: The manufacturer reported that sales hit a record high in February with 24,051 units sold, a 22.2 percent increase over the 19,679 vehicles sold in February last year. The Mercedes-Benz model line alone achieved its highest February numbers with sales of 22,040, up 21.9 percent. On a year-to-date basis, the 48,110 vehicles sold represent a 16.2 percent increase.

Nissan: Nissan North America, Inc. reported sales of 99,636 units, down 6.6 percent from last year's record-setting February total of 106,731. Nissan Division sales in February totaled 90,489, down 7.2 percent from the prior year, which was also down from a February record. Infiniti deliveries totaled 9,147, down 1 percent from last February.

Toyota: The manufacturer reported monthly sales of 166,377 units in February 2013, up 4.3 percent on an unadjusted raw volume basis and 8.7 percent on a daily selling rate (DSR) basis.

Volkswagen: Volkswagen of America Inc. reported 31,456 units delivered in February, a 2.9 percent increase over prior year sales and the best February since 1973. The Jetta sedan delivered 10,398 units and Jetta SportWagen closed the month with 1,570 units, up 37.2 percent versus the prior year.