Product Shortages Slow Sales in June

International brand sales were unchanged from June 2010, but up 10 percent year to date. Stagnant sales by international brands are attributed to product shortages caused by the March earthquake in Japan. Honda and Toyota sales were both down 21 percent and Subaru was down 8.4 percent. Incentive spending was slightly better than last month, averaging $2,165 per vehicle, but still below average. Some of the biggest gains last month were seen by Kia (up 41 percent) and Volkswagen (up 35 percent). Domestic automakers also saw improvements, and accounted for more than half of the United States market share for the first time since February 2008.

“International nameplate dealers expect production and sales to return to normal levels very soon,” said AIADA President Cody Lusk. “Many consumers are postponing purchases, waiting for the specific vehicle they want to become available.”

Supply Issues Impact Market Share
International brands finished May with 49.9 percent of the market, down from 50.4 percent in May and 53.5 percent in April. Asian brands held 39.9 percent, down from 40.5 percent last month, while European brands captured 10 percent of the market, up from 9.9 percent in May. Overall, Asian nameplate brands sold 420,701 vehicles in June and were down 4.6 percent from May 2010. European brands sold 105,206 vehicles to finish the month up 24 percent. Domestic brands sold 527,341 units, finishing June up 15.2 percent over June 2010 and holding 50.1 percent of the market.

Top-Selling Vehicles
The residual effects of supply shortages continued to impact the availability of many popular international vehicle models. Internationals held two of the top ten selling vehicle spots during the month. The Toyota Camry rebounded from number 12 last month to number seven this month, although sales were down 24.8 percent since June 2010. The Hyundai Elantra joined the list at number 10, with sales up 40.3 percent over last June. Both the Ford F-Series and the Chevrolet Silverado maintained their hold on the top two spots. Eight of the top ten vehicles averaged 24.9 percent year-over-year sales improvements.

Vehicle Segments
The small vehicle segment experienced the greatest growth during June, with sales up 15.3 percent over June 2010. However, as usual, Americans purchased SUVs and crossovers, with sales of 313,254 units, a 10.4 percent improvement over last June. Asian nameplates sold 253,243 cars and 167,458 trucks. European brands sold 75,713 cars and 29,493 trucks. Domestic brands sold 198,388 cars and 328,953 trucks.

Outlook
Overall sales, including domestic brands and unadjusted for business days, were up 7.1 percent from June 2010 and 12.8 percent year to date. Sales were down 0.8 percent from May. The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for light vehicle sales in June was estimated by AutoData Corp. at 11.45 million units, up from11.17 million units in June 2010.

See below for a complete breakdown of June 2011 monthly and year-to-date sales by international nameplate.