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Falling consumer confidence, at its lowest recorded level since March, and disappointing unemployment numbers are being blamed for the tepid recovery in auto sales during the month of June. International brands last month were led by Hyundai (up 35 percent from June 2009), Mazda (32.8 percent), and Subaru (16 percent). Toyota sold the most vehicles of any international brand - 123,272 - up 7.4 percent from June 2009. Honda came in second with 95,788 units sold. General Motors led all U.S. sales with 194,716 units.
"These numbers are a reminder that the U.S. auto industry's retail recovery will be a gradual process with both ups and downs," said AIADA president Cody Lusk. "Dealers are working every day to provide consumers with the safe, reliable vehicles they want. We are confident that slow and steady year-over-year increases are the hallmark of true and lasting revival."
International Brands Maintain Market Share
According to numbers from Autodata Corp., international brands sold 525,845 vehicles in June, down from 582,658 in May and 540,077 units in April. They also continued to occupy a majority of the U.S. auto market, with a 53.4 percent market share during the month of June, up slightly from 52.9 percent in May, but down from April's 55 percent share. Asian brands accounted for 44.8 percent of the market, a decrease from May's 45.1 percent market share, while European nameplates held an 8.6 percent share, up from 7.8 percent in May. Domestic nameplates rounded out June's market share with 46.5 percent., down from the 47.2 percent they occupied in May.
Top Selling Vehicles
In keeping with the previous three months, six of the top 10 selling vehicles during June were international nameplates. The Toyota Camry remained in the third slot for the month as the top-selling car in the U.S. The Honda Civic and Accord, as well as the Toyota Corolla maintained their fourth, fifth, and sixth spots respectively, while the Hyundai Sonata continued its climb up the charts to the number nine spot -- up from number 10 in May. The Honda CR-V rejoined the top 10 list, sliding into the final spot. All vehicles, with the exception of the Ford Fusion (down 0.8 percent) experienced year-over-year sales improvements by an average of 27.6 percent. Of the international nameplates, the Hyundai Sonata experienced the biggest gains, up 48.7 percent over June 2009. The Chevrolet Malibu clocked an 80.7 percent increase over last June's sales figures.
Vehicle Segments
Crossovers and SUVs led all other vehicle segments, with Americans purchasing 280,122 units during June, down from the 316,698 purchased in May and 281,695 purchased in April. The midsize car segment trailed in the second spot with 247,791 units sold, down from 286,190 in May and 254,214 in April. Overall, Americans purchased 983,738 vehicles. Of those, 503,255 were cars and 480,483 were trucks. Asian nameplates sold 273,571 cars and 167,413 trucks, while European nameplates sold 62,182 cars and 22,679 trucks. Domestics sold 167,502 cars and 290,391 trucks.
Outlook
Overall sales, including domestic brands and unadjusted for business days, were up 14.4 percent from June 2009 and 16.7 percent for the year. However, they dropped 10.8 percent from May 2010. The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for light vehicles now stands at 11.08 million, an improvement from 9.7 million units in June 2009, but still less than many analysts had predicted for the year.
See below for a complete breakdown of June 2010 monthly and year-to-date sales by international nameplate.
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