Honda / Acura US Model Sales : 2023/24 (Q2)

Both Honda and Acura have a good reputation in the USA. Honda in particular sells very strongly. Acura has its work cut out against several bigger selling premium marques, including fellow countryman Lexus.

Honda: The brand is up 12% YTD, with the CR-V up 20%and the Civic 38%. The Accord is down 19% and the HR-V up 41%. 

The CR-V is clearly the best selling car but for many years before it was the Accord, until 2014. In 2015, the Civic took over for just one year and then the CR-V has been top since. Those three are still on top but the HR-V looks destined to change that. 

Acura: A North American brand which doesn't even feature in Japan. It has occasionally been used elsewhere but without much success but it works well in the US.  

That said, sales are currently down 13%YTD but 64,000 units isn't to be sniffed at. It's currently based around three main models, the RDX crossover the only one up at the present (+28%).

The new electric ZDX (picture to the left) is an interesting one. Honda has a cousin in the form of the Prologue and it has relatives in Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac. That's quite a family! It's built at a GM factory in Tenessee. 

Obviously, there are cost savings in sharing costs (which I think the industry doesn't do enough of) but the brands all have their own level of trim and sophistication so it's the way forward for the industry. 

Data & photo source Honda.  

Slovakia Passenger Car Sales : 2024 (Jan-Jun)

The country that produces more cars per capita than any other. It had a 4% increase in registrations YTD with Škoda delivering one in five of them. Škoda is based in neighbouring Chechia but the local populous to the east clearly still relate to the brand.

Toyota and Hyundai lost ground to the leader although VW made up a little ground in passing Kia. Nissan, MG, Lexus, Subaru and Land Rover had notable gains. Peugeot, Opel and Audi not so.

Some of the best selling models were the Škoda Octavia with 2,611, Hyundai i30 (2,045), Škoda Fabia (1,918), Kia Sportage (1,270), Dacia Duster (1,269) and the Škoda Kamiq (1,212).

Data source: ZAP. 

Toyota / Lexus US Model Sales : 2023/24 (Q2)

Toyota and Lexus are very popular in the US and it's getting better in 2024. Combined they are close to 1.2 million in H1. So what's selling?

Toyota: Sales are up 16.5% or close to 150,000 units. That's substantial and shows just how well the brand is viewed in the US. It's the biggest selling nameplate.

The RAV4 is the most popular with nearly 25% of the total for the brand. It's also up 33% YTD. The Camry is in a segment that many other brands have abandoned and it's enjoying success with less competition in a shrinking area of the market. 

The Tacoma pick up is down 46% while its bigger brother the Tundra is up 31% but when combined sales are down. The Grand Highlander is a slightly larger Highlander and seems to have canabalised sales from its smaller sibling. 

Data & picture source: Toyota & Lexus. Photo above the Toyota Venza and below the Lexus TX.

Lexus: Sales are up here too, but only by 12%. That's 18,000 more than for the equivalent period in 2023. Of course, a new model expanding the range is always likely to do that. 

The most popular model, the RX is down 4% so far, but the new TX barge..I mean SUV...is already proving popular. Some of these modern vehicles are ridiculously oversized but people want them. The GX is down 31% but may have been affected by the arrival of the slightly smaller but not too dissimilar sized TX. Those ladies below look shifty.

Indonesia Vehicle Sales : 2024 (Jan-Jun)

Registrations were -12% in June and -14% YTD. Not all the brands are here but the bigger ones are. Some minor ones are not given by Gaikindo but have no real impact on the list. Import duty really only allows locally manufactured cars to sell in reasonable numbers. 

Toyota and Daihatsu command over half the sales between them. Indeed, Japanese brands are prominent here. Chinese makes are arriving and do well but for now don't go on to get into the top five where the numbers really add up.  

Data source: Gaikindo. 

Ford / Lincoln US Model Sales : 2023/24 (Q2)

Ford: Sales were up 3% YTD, just short of a million units finding new private homes or corporate parking lots. All of this done without virtually any sedan passenger cars. The Mustang would be the only one and that represents less than 3% of total sales. 

The F-Series pick up commands 35.4% of the total, down from 39.5% a year ago. The Maverick pick up (pic above) was up 81% so it more than compensated for the F-Series. The Ranger is a slightly larger size to the Maverick but dearer and not selling anywhere near as well. 

The Transit van was up 28% to 82,000 sales but the Transit Connect was down 15% to 7,400. The E-Series light truck was up slightly. 

Lincoln: One of the success stories of 2024, perhaps the success story. All the models increased (bar the big Navigator SUV) which gave the marque a 25% overall gain. They achieved 42, 33 and 45% growth for the top three models of the range repectively.  

The range is without a sedan but that is not a surprise these days. The Nautilus is pictured above. The sales increase by Lincoln certainly has the mercury rising. 

Perú Car Sales : 2024 (Jan-Jun)

The source for Perú gives the top 25 brands and then the premium/luxury marques too. Registrations are down 13% YTD so as the +/- column below is based on market share, a loss of volume would be the case if a brand had an increase of less than 13%.  

Toyota remains top and comfortably so. Hyundai and Kia combined cannot make up the ground between them. Chinese brands are well established here with three in the top 10 and quite a few more just below that.  

Data source: AAP. Pictures Toyota Perú. 

Volvo / Genesis US Model Sales : 2023/24 (Q2)

An unusual mix of premium marques here with a long established Swede and a new brand enjoying success at home in a super protected environment and using the volume benefits that brings to reach offshore. 

Premium buyers are conservative and brand conscious so not always easily wooed. Volvo has a solid customer base and has recently attracted new customers as it returns to the former success it once enjoyed. Genesis has to work to establish a reputation Are they going to crack the US? At least in the USA they are more inclined to look at something different. 

Volvo: Sales were up 2% with the 60 Series up 146%. That counted the C40's downward slump by 86%. Wow. Apparently, hybrids are doing well for Volvo but electric less so. This rush into electric may be premature for Volvo and others too.

SUVs lead the way with for Volvo with the three at the top of the sales chart to the right of that persuasion. The usual USA's bigger is better philosophy is manifest as well. 61,000 sale is a good result I'd have thought.

Genesis: Arriving in the USA in 2016, sales were at first up and down but for the last two years there has been a strong increase. That has slowed in 2024 with no new models added. 

So far the total increase is 3% with the GV80 up 22% and the G80 down 23% (G is for sedan and GV SUV). 

Genesis is still a small player in the premium arena but it's early days. As already noted, conquest sales are a challenge in the premium segment. 

Data & pictures: Volvo & Genesis. V60 above & the GV70 below.

GM US Model Sales : 2023/24 (Q2)

GM has a four brand portfolio it uses to satisfy its US customers. How are they faring in these challenging times? Let's find out. 

Chevrolet: This is the volume brand for General Motors with about 842,000 sales for half the 2024 calendar year. That's down 1% on H1 2023 so a solid result. It contributed 65% of GM's US sales for the H1 period.

The big Silverado pick up gained 5% so that will be good for the bottom line. The Equinox (picture above / +2%) and Trax (+230%) complete the top three list. 

The electric Bolt EUV was a crossover version of the Bolt hatchback. They have both been discontinued with a new model planned but not as yet. The Camaro muscle car has also finished its run for the time being. An SUV version will come out soon but whether that would fit the muscle car tag remains to be seen.

GMC: The truck making brand; SUVs and pick ups to be precise. The Sierra, Canyon and Hummer make up the pick up side of the business while the Terrain, Yukon, Acadia and Hummer belong to the SUV range. Hummer seems to straddle the two categories with both pick up and SUV variants.

The marque makes up 22% of GM's sales for the year so far. Terrain sales were up 31% while the Acadia was down 56%. A third generation Acadia has recently been released.

Buick: A modest range of vehicles, all under the crossover / SUV classification. Considering that, I expected more sales than 90,000 or 7% of GM sales. That can be attributed to the fact that it is semi-premium, neatly nestled between Chevrolet and Cadillac. 

Total Buick sales were up 11%, the only brand within GM that grew in H1 of 2024. The Envista crossover (pictured below) was the reason for that. 

Cadillac: The smallest GM division with 74,000 sales YTD and just under 6% of the GM total. The range is quite broad, with seven models listed by the company. 

The Lyric electric crossover is the sole model that increased but overall the marque was down just 2%. 

Data & picture source: GM. 

Mercedes US Model Sales : 2023/24 (Q2)

If there is one thing German marques do well in and that's complexity. It is at least partly fueled by intense competition and entering every niche they can think of. 

Looking at the list to the right bears this out and not all models available are here. Merecedes-Benz can point to the success they enjoy as justification and I can't deny that. It's a complex world and I believe at some point that becomes inefficient. 

Moving on, the GLE and GLC are the best selling passenger vehicles. Vans are combined and collectively they up there with them. The A-Class is being phased out by the company and it looks all but finished in the US already.

Sales for the H1 period are down 5%, with a mixture of ups and downs with models. The GLC (picture above) is up 28% and the GLA down 32%. The CLE (picture below) has arrived in 2024. 

Data & pictures: Mercedes-Benz.

Vinfast Deliveries : H1 2023-24

Vinfast is a Vietnamese car company that started out in 2022. Some of its earlier forecasts proved optimistic as is usually the case with newbies. The car industry is complex and starting up is fraught with difficulties, including initial questions raised over assembly quality and software glitches. 

The chart to the right shows 2024 as being down 38% but that compares half of 2024 with a completed 2023. It's actually up 92% comparing H1 periods. 

The full 2024 target is 80,000 units, or an increase of 130% which on the face of it is a sizable jump on first half deliveries of 21,747. How can they reach that? The new VF3 (picture below) is about to be released and has a large domestic order bank to deal with so I assume that's where much of the increase will come from. 

A plant to be built in the US has been scaled back timewise to manage the planned growth in a more measured way. A case of not so fast Vinfast and this is the best policy as reputation is so important. 

Data and picture source: Vinfast.

Stellantis US Model Sales : 2023/24 (Q2)

Stellantis is a huge amalgam of brands from the US and Europe. Here it's the US side of the company that's under the spotlight. There seems to be a policy of reducing unit sales.  

Jeep. An iconic brand that has had many owners but is currently settled in that regard. Sales are down 9% YTD with only the two Wagoneer variants in positive territory. 

The Grand Cherokee is the biggest selling but is -14.6% and at the other end of the list is the Cherokee which has been discontinued. 

RAM: It does mainly pick ups but also vans, the compact City which has been dropped and the larger standard van which experienced a 44% fall in sales. With the pick up also down 20%, Ram was collectively -26%. 

Dodge: Total sales were down 16% with the Charger contributing all of the reduction. The Durango SUV is the main model with just over 35% of al sales for the brand. The new Dodge Hornet will add sting to the range. It's based on the Alfa Tonale so a sensible cost saving.

Chrysler: It has a tiny range of vehicles which could be enhanced by Euro vehicles but hasn't been. It consists of a MPV and a large car. Sales were down just 8% despite a 49% drop by the 300 car. 

Fiat: It is an insignificant part of Stellantis USA but they persist with it. For 2024, sales are up 67% but only up to 470 units just in case you get too excited. The 500X and the 500e are the range available and the former has been axed.  

Alfa Romeo: The three model line up was up 2% thanks to the new Tonale. Alfa is a fringe player in the US premium segment but has found a niche in the market nevertheless.

Data & pictures: Stellantis. 

Cyprus Passenger Car Sales : 2024 (Jan-Jun)

Registrations were up an impressive 16% for the six months so far. That's on top of a 26% growth spurt in 2023 and +9% the year before that. Still some way for an all time record but the best for some time. 

The top spot has been interchangeble in Cyprus but for now, Kia is delivering one of the more consistant number one showings. The gap to second is considerable although in smaller markets, change can be drastic at times. Toyota is on the receiving end of such a shift as it dropped to fourth. Land Rover is enjoying success so far and moved up five placings as a result.

Data source Cystat. Pics Kia & Land Rover Facebook.

VW / Audi US Model Sales : 2023/24 (Q2)

VW and its premium marque Audi come together here to see how they are going in 2024. Mainstrean Euro brands are thin on the ground in the US, Fiat being the only other example and they are rarer than hen's teeth. However, it's a different story in the premium segment where Euro marques are as popular as lederhosen at an Oktoberfest.  

VW: The Atlas large SUV leads the way, up 33% and 30% of the total. The Tiguan also did well, up 10%. The Jetta is up, now the only sedan left as the Arteon appears to be on the way out. 

Overall a 26% increase is impressive with most models contributing to that. The range is more limited than in other markets but in this market all that is needed. 

Audi: In contrast, sales are down 14% so far, with the Q5 leading the way with a 30% drop and 11,000 fewer registrations. The Q3 is up 60% but unable to negative the volume loss of its larger sibling. 

The ID.4 is currently the sole electric model and has slipped back. The headlong rush to get into that arena hasn't proved to be the eldorado it was expected to become by now. 

The range is wider but now half the unit sales of VW but Audi is a more premium product. Audi gives the impression that it's pulling back on chasing volume and if that is the case, not a bad move. 

Data and picture source: VW Group.