General Motors reported a decline in August sales, after two months of strong sales driven by its employee discount plan, while Ford and Chrysler saw small gains. Some Japanese automakers enjoyed their best August sales on record, with Nissan and Toyota reporting double-digit gains.

Among automakers reporting August sales:

• Ford, including its Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo brands, sold 288,429 new vehicles in August, up 6 percent compared with a year ago. Car sales surged

•22 percent on strong sales of the new Ford Mustang, Ford Five Hundred, and Mercury Montego as well as the Ford Focus. Strong sales of the F-Series truck (90,388) and higher sales of crossover utilities (up 52 percent) were neutralized by lower sales of traditional sport utility models. On a year-to-date basis, Ford sales are up 1 percent with cars up 5 percent and trucks down 1 percent.

• DaimlerChrysler reported total group sales of 206,352 passenger vehicles in the U.S. for August 2005, a 5 percent increase compared to August 2004. Chrysler Group, which consists of the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands, posted sales of 187,085 vehicles in the U.S., an increase of 5 percent. Mercedes-Benz posted sales of 19,267, a 7 percent increase compared to the same month last year and the best August sales in its history.

• Porsche announced August sales of 2,735 vehicles, an increase of 7 percent compared to August of last year. It was the second-best August on record for the company.

• Nissan sales hit 92,365 in August, a 10.6 percent increase over last year. Sales for Nissan-brand vehicles of 80,026 units were up 11.5 percent when compared to last year with 69,029 units sold, and sales for Infiniti, the luxury division of Nissan, were up 5.1 percent from last August with 12,339 units sold

• Audi reported August sales of 6,911, representing a 6.8 percent increase when compared to August 2004 sales of 6,473. Year-to-date, Audi has sold 51,802 cars, up 0.7 percent over the same period in 2004.

• Toyota reported its best-ever August sales of 205,362 vehicles, an increase of 9.5 percent. Calendar-year-to-date (CYTD) sales total 1,535,849, up 11.4 percent over the
same period last year. The Toyota Division posted best-ever August sales of 177,237, up 10.0 percent. The Lexus Division reported best-ever August sales with 28,125 units sold, an increase of 6.5 percent.

• Mitsubishi reported August sales of 10,945 units — a two percent increase from August 2004's sales volume and a five percent increase from July 2005, the best year-over-year performance in two years.

• Kia announced monthly sales of 23,820 units for August 2005. Kia's year-to-date sales of 192,958 were 6.8-percent ahead of the record number achieved in 2004.

• BMW Group (BMW and MINI brands combined) reported August sales of 28,879, an increase of 18 percent over the 24,501 vehicles sold the same month last year. Year-to-date sales of 200,562 vehicles were up 4 percent over the 192,233 vehicles sold in the first eight months of 2004. BMW brand reported its best sales month ever, with 25,537 vehicles sold, an increase of 15 percent over the 22,167 sold in August 2004. Mini's August sales were up 43 percent, to 3,342 cars versus the 2,334 sold in that month in 2004.





>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----

And a GM official press release

H3 Drives Record HUMMER Sales
Strong Start for Chevy HHR and Impala
Pontiac Sales Up 7 Percent, Paced by Brisk G6 Deliveries

DETROIT - General Motors dealers in the United States sold 355,180 new cars and trucks in August, down 16 percent from the same month a year ago. Car sales in August declined 15 percent and truck sales were off 17 percent.
GM's August sales performance was in line with expectations following exceptionally strong sales in June and July, spurred by the highly successful GM Employee Discount for Everyone program.

"We knew August was going to be a tough month given extremely tight inventories," said Mark LaNeve, GM North America vice president, Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "However, even with August sales, it's been a great summer for us, our dealers and, most importantly, our customers, who got a great deal with the GM Employee Discount Program, which hit home because of its simplicity and clarity."
GM's new models continued to deliver solid sales results in August, accompanied by favorable reviews in the press and positive reactions from consumers. For example, as Chevrolet concludes its introduction of 10 new vehicles in just 20 months, HHR and Impala are experiencing some of the fastest turn rates among GM's product portfolio, each at over 40 percent, despite low inventories (turn rates are the percentage of vehicles sold of those that are available). Chevrolet HHR deliveries surpassed the 5,000-unit mark in just its second month of sales and with the vehicle in short supply. Chevrolet's high volume car, the new Impala, is off to a strong start with more than 14,500 sales of the 2006 model in August.

The HUMMER H3 is another example of increasing consumer acceptance of GM's new vehicles. H3 sales have improved every month since its May launch, resulting in a 155 percent sales improvement for HUMMER in August and a 76 percent increase for the calendar year-to-date. Automotive reviewers in North America and Europe, where it was introduced in July, have praised H3's fidelity to its HUMMER heritage, with attractive fuel economy, enhanced maneuverability and a base price of only $29,500.
Pontiac sales were up 7 percent, driven by brisk sales of the G6 and the first deliveries of the coupe. Saturn sales rose 11 percent, led by over 6,800 deliveries of the new 2006 Vue. Cadillac delivered 19,262 vehicles in August, with calendar year-to-date sales up 11 percent.

The employee discount program was very effective in reducing GM's inventory levels. Inventory going into September is about 764,000 units, down 407,000 units compared to last year. Only 359,000 units in inventory are 2005 models.
Certified Used Vehicles

August sales for all certified GM brands, including GM Certified Used Vehicles, Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, Used Cars from Saturn and Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, established a new monthly sales record for the certified category with sales of 50,926 units, up 20 percent from last August. This marks the second consecutive month that GM has surpassed the 50,000 mark in monthly certified used sales. Total year-to-date certified GM sales are 360,944 units, up 4 percent from the same period last year.

GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry's top-selling manufacturer-certified used brand, set a new monthly sales record for the certified pre-owned category with August sales of 43,718, units, exceeding its record-setting performance set in July. GM Certified sales were up 24 percent from the previous August. Year-to-date sales for GM Certified Used Vehicles are 306,353 units, up 5 percent.
Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles posted 3,457 sales, up 14 percent over last August. Used Cars from Saturn sold 2,843 units, down 16 percent. Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 908 units, up 19 percent.

"August was another outstanding month of certified sales for GM, surpassing our industry record-setting performance in July," LaNeve said. "The industry's top-selling certified brand, GM Certified Used Vehicles continues to set the pace for the certified segment, with a new all-time monthly sales record for the category."

GM North America in August produced 491,000 vehicles (181,000 cars and 310,000 trucks), compared to 492,000 vehicles (189,000 cars and 303,000 trucks) produced in August 2004. Production totals include joint venture production of 27,000 vehicles in August 2005 and 24,000 vehicles in August 2004.

The region's 2005 third-quarter production forecast is revised to 1.13 million vehicles (418,000 cars and 712,000 trucks) from the previous estimate of 1.10 million vehicles (405,000 cars and 695,000 trucks). This is down 6.5 percent from third quarter 2004 actuals, when the region produced 1.209 million vehicles (463,000 cars and 746,000 trucks). Additionally, the region's initial 2005 fourth-quarter production forecast is 1.3 million vehicles (473,000 cars and 827,000 trucks), up 1.8 percent from fourth quarter 2004 actuals. This is the first time this year that quarterly production is forecast to increase compared to a year-ago, when the region produced 1.277 million vehicles.

GM also announced 2005 revised third-quarter and initial fourth-quarter production forecasts for its international regions:

GM Europe - GM Europe's 2005 third-quarter production forecast remains at 412,000 vehicles. In the third quarter of 2004, GM Europe built 411,000 vehicles. The region's initial 2005 fourth-quarter production forecast is 471,000 vehicles. In the fourth quarter of 2004, GM Europe built 442,000 vehicles.

GM Asia Pacific - GM Asia Pacific's revised 2005 third-quarter production estimate is 419,000 vehicles, down 11,000 units from last month's guidance. In the third quarter of 2004, GM Asia Pacific built 314,000 vehicles. In addition, the region's initial 2005 fourth-quarter production forecast is 447,000 vehicles. In the fourth quarter of 2004, the region built 386,000 vehicles.

GM Latin America, Africa and the Middle East - The region's revised 2005 third-quarter production estimate is 209,000 vehicles, up 2,000 units from last month's guidance. In the third quarter of 2004 the region built 185,000 vehicles. Also, the region's initial 2005 fourth-quarter production estimate is 197,000 vehicles. In the fourth quarter of 2004 the region built 200,000 vehicles.





>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----