June 2015 Auto Sales: Winners and Losers
Acura and Mitsubishi both had a fantastic June, but last month wasn’t nearly as kind to Scion, whose sales plummeted. However, Scion’s drop was far from the worst posted.
And just like that we’re halfway through 2015. Where does the time go? Light-vehicle deliveries in June grew by nearly 4 percent compared to the same month last year. Overall, sales were just shy of 1.5 million, which is nothing to scoff at.
SEE ALSO: 2014 Auto Sales, Winners and Losers
For the first half of the year, automakers have delivered more than 8.5-million units. That performance represents a 4.4-percent gain compared to the same time period in 2014. Helping deliver that strong performance, here are the June sales winners followed by the brands that didn’t do so hot.
Winner: Infiniti +16.5 Percent
Infiniti did extremely well last month. The Japanese luxury brand’s sales increased by 16.5 percent to just a few units shy of 10,000. For the year, Nissan’s premium division is up 8.3 percent with more than 64,000 vehicles sold.
Winner: Jeep +25.5 Percent
Jeep is a brand that just can’t lose. Month after month, quarter after quarter, this rough-and-ready FCA division posts sales increases and June 2015 was NO exception. In fact, deliveries blossomed by nearly 26 percent. How long is this growth sustainable? Apparently indefinitely. Dealers moved more than 71,500 units last month and are just shy of 402,000 for the year.
Winner: Chrysler +28.2 Percent
Chrysler stores delivered more than 30,800 cars and minivans in June, their best since 2007 and a 28.2 percent increase compared to the same month in 2014. The American automaker’s new 200 sedan is selling well, growing by 153 percent. The larger 300 was also up by 11 percent last month.
Winner: Mitsubishi +32.3 Percent
When you’re at rock bottom there’s nowhere else to go but up, right? Much like Jeep, Mitsubishi’s sales keep growing. The troubled Japanese automaker sold just shy of 8,000 units last month, a performance that’s good enough for a whopping 32.3 percent year-over-year increase. For 2015, the triple-diamond brand is up nearly 25 percent with almost 50,000 units sold.
Winner: Acura +38.6 Percent
But as well as Mitsubishi did, Acura takes the June crown. Honda’s gold-plated division saw its sales grow by nearly 39 percent. Total deliveries topped 15,500 for the month. For the first half of 2015, the company has sold more than 87,000 vehicles.
Chevrolet -3.9 Percent
And now for the losers, brands that had a tough time in June. Chevrolet may be on the wrong side of breaking even but fortunately for GM’s largest-volume division, its sales only dropped by 3.9 percent. And showing just how massive the bow-tie brand is, dealers still sold more than 181,000 cars and trucks last month and are in excess of one million for the year. That means the Chevy division trails FCAs combined sales (Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Ram, Ferrari and Maserati) by fewer than 35,000 units through the first six months of 2015. #MASSIVE
Dodge -13.6 Percent
The Dodge division’s deliveries dropped dramatically, decreasing disastrously. Drawn-out alliterations aside, 13.6 percent stumble wasn’t *that* bad but it’s certainly nothing to be proud of, either. Dealers sold just shy of 43,500 vehicles in June. Damnation!
Scion -16.8 Percent
Scion is like the inverse of Jeep. Where the FCA off-road brand only seems to grow, Toyota’s youth-focused sub-division seems to be in a permanent decline. In fact, year-over-year sales dropped by nearly 17 percent last month. Overall deliveries clocked in at a handful more than 3,800, which means Volvo, Land Rover and even Porsche sold more vehicles. Wowzers!
Buick -18.1 Percent
Well, it appears as though the bottom fell out of Buick sales. Year-over-year for June, the tri-shield contracted by more than 18 percent. Sales clocked in at 17,531 cars and crossovers. For all of 2015, sales are off by 6.3 percent at a little more than 106,000 deliveries.
Fiat -29.9 Percent
But the automotive brand that experienced the biggest year-over-year sales drop last month was Fiat. The funky Italian brand’s deliveries fell by nearly 30 percent last month. Overall sales totaled just 3,137. For the year, things aren’t quite as bad, although they’re not good, either. For the first six months of 2015, deliveries are off 12.7 percent at a little less than 22,000 units.
[Source: Automotive News]
Born and raised in metro Detroit, Craig was steeped in mechanics from childhood. He feels as much at home with a wrench or welding gun in his hand as he does behind the wheel or in front of a camera. Putting his Bachelor's Degree in Journalism to good use, he's always pumping out videos, reviews, and features for AutoGuide.com. When the workday is over, he can be found out driving his fully restored 1936 Ford V8 sedan. Craig has covered the automotive industry full time for more than 10 years and is a member of the Automotive Press Association (APA) and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA).
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Good news all around :) it must be said though; the writing is on the wall for Scion, Buick, and both Dodge and FIAT from FCA