U.S. Vehicle Sales Plummet More Than 30 Percent in November
By Michelle Krebs December 2, 2008With reports still rolling in, U.S. vehicle sales for November look as if they will be down about 35 percent from a year ago. The annual sales rate appears to be a weak 10.6 million vehicles.
General Motors' sales fell a hefty 41 percent. Ford said its U.S. sales fell 31 percent. Toyota reported sales down 34 percent; Honda a 32 percent decline. Chrysler saw sales plummet 47 percent. Nissan sales took nosedive at 44 percent.
Most automakers to report sales so far failed to escape November unscathed -- except for Mini, which had a 43 percent sales hike largely due to new models added to its line.
Aside from Mini, Mercedes-Benz and Subaru had the best performance -- the only automakers so far to report a decrease in the single digits. Subaru sales were down 8 percent; Mercedes' sales, excluding smart sales, were off 9 percent.
Other luxury makes didn't fare as well. Porsche halved of its sales in November compared with last November. BMW AG sales were down 27 percent, buoyed by Mini; the BMW brand was off 36 percent. Audi sales declined 25 percent.
Hyundai sales were down a whopping 40 percent; Kia sales fell 37 percent. Mazda's sales declined 31 percent; Mitsubishi's were down 36 percent.
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