A majority of manufacturers experienced record-breaking sales for the month of July. According to Autodata Corp., sales paced at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 15.8 million units, up from the 14.21 SAAR in July 2012.
General Motors: General Motors Co. delivered 234,071 vehicles in July 2013, an increase of 16 percent from a year ago. Retail sales increased 23 percent while fleet sales declined 6 percent. All four brands, GM, Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac, posted double-digit retail sales increases from July 2012. Buick is now in its 15 consecutive month of increased retail sales. Chevrolet car sales were driven by a record month for the Spark, record July sales for the Cruze and a 38 percent increase for the Impala.
Ford Motor Company: Ford’s sales were up 11 percent to 193,080 compared with a year ago, the manufacturer’s best total July sales since 2006. Retail sales were up 19 percent, marking it best July retail sales month since 2005. All three Ford utility vehicles are on pace to set sales records this year, with Escape up 4 percent in July to 22,343 vehicles sold and Explorer up 13 percent to 12,742 vehicles sold. Edge also posted a record July with 10,541 vehicles sold, a 15 percent increase from last year.
Chrysler: The Chrysler Group reported July sales of 140,102 units, the group’s best July sales since 2006. Compared to the same month last year, sales increased 11 percent. It is the 40th consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains for Chrysler. Six group vehicles set sales records in July including the Dodge Avenger mid-size sedan, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Dart compact sedan, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Compass and Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Toyota: Toyota sold 193,394 units in July, a 12.6 percent increase from last July on a daily selling rate (DSR) basis. On a raw-volume basis, unadjusted for 25 selling days in July 2013 versus 24 selling days in July 2012, sales increased 17.3 percent from the year-ago month. Camry is the best-selling car in America with its best July since 2010. RAV4 sales were up 28 percent for its sixth consecutive record-setting month. Toyota Division posted July 2013 sales of 170,363 units, up 11.5 percent, making it the top retail brand for the fourth consecutive month.
Honda: American Honda reported July U.S. sales of 141,439 units, an increase of 20.9 percent compared with July 2012. The Honda Division posted July 2013 sales of 126,289 units, an increase of 21.3 percent compared with July 2012. Acura Division U.S. July sales increased 18.1 percent from the same month a year ago for 15,150 units sold. Civic broke a 13-year-old July sales record with 32,416 units sold. CR-V broke the record set last year with 27,226 units, up 6,500 from last year. With a 35.4-percent gain in light-truck sales, Acura set an all-time light-truck sales record.
Nissan: The manufacturer set a new July record with U.S. sales of 109,041 units, an increase of 10.9 percent over last year. The Nissan Division also set a new July record with 101,279 sales, up 16.8 percent. July marks Nissan's fifth consecutive monthly sales record. Altima increased 11 percent to 29,534 units for a new July record. Pathfinder SUV sales jumped 235.1 percent to 8,428 units, marking the best July ever for the model.
Volkswagen: Volkswagen of America Inc. sold 35, 779 units in July, a 3.3 percent decrease over prior year sales and a 1.3 percent year-to-date decrease versus the 2012. Despite the decrease, Passat experience its best July with 10,051 units sold, an 11.6 increase. Total Beetle units in July were up 85.1 percent with 5,256 units delivered. Volkswagen’s high-mileage, TDI Clean Diesel models accounted for 29.9 percent of sales for the best July results.
Mazda: Mazda Motor of America Inc. reported its best July in six years with 24,977 units sold, an increase of 29.4 percent compared with last year. It is the largest year-over-year increase for Mazda in 18 months. The manufacturer delivered 7,825 CX-5s in July representing an 86 percent increase from last year. The 2014 Mazda6 saw its best July sales since 2007 with 3,447 vehicles sold an increase of 167.4 percent. Vehicles equipped with Skyactiv technology accounted for 71 percent of total sales in July.
Hyundai: Hyundai Motor America sold 66,005 units in July 2013, up 6.4 percent compared with the same month a year ago. It is an all-time record July for the manufacturer. The new Santa Fe increased its sales by 48 percent from last year. Hyundai sold its one-millionth Santa Fe and two-millionth Sonata during the month. The Elantra was another strong performer for Hyundai with 23,958 vehicles sold in July.
BMW: The BMW Group reported July sales were just shy of 30,000 units by seven units, an increase of 10.5 percent from July last year. Sales of BMW brand vehicles increased 12.9 percent in July for a total of 24,043 units sold. The best performing vehicles in July were the 1 Series with 609 units; the 3 Series at 9,890 units; the Z4 Roadster at 217 units and the X5 SAV with 2,674 units.
Mercedes-Benz: Mercedes-Benz USA July sales were at 26,423 units, an 18.5 percent boost from July 2012. It is the seventh consecutive month of record-breaking sales at MBUSA for 2013. July's top sellers included the C-, E- and M-Class model lines. The C-Class was the volume leader at 7,604 units. The E-Class was up 10.1 percent from 2012 with 5,605 units sold. The M-Class jumped 72.7 percent from the 1,790 units sold in July 2012 to 3,092.
Kia: Kia Motors America Inc. announced record July sales of 49,004 vehicles, a 1.9 percent increase over the same period in 2012. The Optima midsize sedan was the brand's best seller for the 20th consecutive month with 13,752 units sold, and the Sorento CUV saw sales of 9,576 vehicles. The Soul urban passenger vehicle also recorded strong monthly sales of 10,160 units.
