US heavyweights locked in sales battle

AMERICA’S new “big three” motor companies – General Motors, Ford and Toyota – almost scored a three-way dead heat in the March sales race.

Little more than 4000 units separated top-placed GM (188,011 vehicles) from third-placed Ford (183,783), with a resurgent Toyota sandwiched in between on 186,863.

All three made impressive gains over March 2009, with the overall market up 37 per cent as the economy took another step to recovery. The US industry is now on track to sell 11.8 million light vehicles this year, up more than 1.5 million units on last year.

But over at Chrysler, it was the same old story: down eight per cent in March, to just 92,623 units – half the volume of its three major rivals.

The convergence of GM, Ford and Toyota at the top of the table after the global financial crisis sets the scene for a knock-’em-down, drag-’em-out battle through 2010.

The GFC served to bring the market leaders together over the past two years, bringing GM back to the pack and putting a steady Ford within striking distance of industry leadership.

Beset by global safety recall problems, Toyota used expensive incentives to woo buyers last month to reverse a sudden sales slump earlier in the year. The company’s faithful customers flooded back, lifting Toyota light vehicle sales 35.3 per cent in March compared with the same month last year.

From top: Toyota Camry, Chevrolet Equinox and Ford F-150.

Spurred along by the Camry Hybrid, Toyota Camry sales were up 35.2 per cent, while Corolla sales jumped 28 per cent.

But it was in the light-truck market that Toyota kicked butt, recording a 54.1 per cent sales increase, with the cut-price RAV4 up 108 per cent.

Highlander (Kluger) also soared, up 112 per cent, with 4Runner jumping 139 per cent and the Tundra full-sized pickup picking up an extra 87 per cent.

Despite these impressive figures, Ford had the biggest growth – up 42.7 per cent, to 183,783 units, counting Volvo’s 5237 vehicles, as the Swedish brand is still technically in the Ford camp.

And while Toyota’s first quarter sales were up just 8.7 per cent over the similar period in 2009 – reflecting the sales hit it took in January in the wake of the recall disaster – Ford’s sales performance increased 36.4 per cent for the three months, the best improvement of the big contenders.

However, GM still leads the pack year to date, on 477,322 units – up 15.6 per cent on the first quarter of 2009. Ford is next best on 442,602 sales, with Toyota back in third place on 385,686 units, courtesy of its slow start to 2010.

Ford’s mainstream models – Fusion, Taurus, Focus, Edge, Escape and Mustang – all continued to make major gains, while its bread-and-butter F-Series pickup eked out a four per cent increase, topping the sales ladder with 103,039 units – the first vehicle to break the six-figure barrier in the US this year.

GM’s March sales increased either 43 per cent or 20.6 per cent, depending on whether or not the company’s discontinued lines – Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer and Saab – are included in the equation.

The ‘New GM’s’ new cores brand – Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC – contributed 185,406 vehicles to GM’s sales tally – up 43 per cent on the collective tally for those four brands last year.

Buick led the way, up 76 per cent on the back of a 144 per cent increase in LaCrosse sales, while Chevrolet, Cadillac and GM were up 41, 42, and 45 per cent respectively.

The Chevrolet Equinox was a star, jumping 225 per cent on the corresponding month of 2009, while the Australian-engineered Camaro recorded its best month of sales – 8267 units – since its launch 12 months ago.

Honda’s 108,262 sales in March reflected a 17.8 per cent rise year on year, while Nissan sales leaped an impressive 43.3 per cent to 95,468 units.

Both of these ‘Japanese transplants’ outsold one-time market contender Chrysler, which slipped to 92,623 units for March.

While Chrysler and Jeep brands managed marginal sales increases, the good work was undone by Dodge and Ram, which slumped 19 per cent and 11 per cent respectively, with only the Challenger (up 36 per cent) holding its head up in an otherwise lousy month.

Hyundai capped its best first quarter on the US market with a 47,002-unit March, up 15.4 per cent on the same month last year. Its three-month tally of 111,509 vehicles is better than its previous record first quarter in 2006.

Sonata, (up 55 per cent), Tucson (up 129 per cent), Santa Fe (up 62.8 per cent) and Genesis (up 31.9 per cent) all made major contributions to the cause.

Hyundai apart, most motor companies still have a long way to go to recover to pre-GFC levels.

GM’s March 2010 result – although up on last year – is still down 45 per cent on March 2007.

Chrysler is even worse off, down 114 per cent and still falling on a monthly basis as new owner Fiat SpA struggles to restore its equilibrium.

Ford, the only original Big Three car-maker to scramble through the financial crisis without resorting to government largesse, is the least impacted on the Detroit trio, down 26 per cent in March compared with March 2006.