Auto Sales Firmed in September, Brightening Picture

Auto Sales Firmed in September, Brightening Picture

By Bill Visnic October 1, 2010

U.S. auto sales steadied last month, rising slightly from the seasonal pace of August and reassuring carmakers that they'll still finish the year ahead about 10 percent in sales volume compared with a dismal 2009.

Industry-wide sales were about 958,835 units in September, up a healthy 30.8 percent from year-earlier sales of 733,069 units. The percentage increase this year was discounted because it was such an easy comparison with September, 2009, when sales dropped off atypically after the federal government's "cash for clunkers" program touched off a buying frenzy in August.

But the seasonally adjusted annual sales rate for the just-concluded month and for the third quarter rose to 11.7 million units, including both light vehicles and medium-duty trucks. That number is right in the wheelhouse of the 11.5-million-plus units that still represents the industry's consensus forecast for all of 2010.

Perhaps more important at the moment, the pace of transactions represented another step up in the industry's momentum after some insiders had questioned the direction of sales during the last couple of months.

"The sequential sales rate over the last four quarters has been 10.9 million units (in last year's fourth quarter), then 11.2 million units, then 11.4 million, and then 11.7 million" units for the just-completed quarter, noted George Pipas, Ford's head of U.S. sales analysis.

Positive Interpretation

Industry executives highlighted some overarching trends that helped sales in September for most OEMs.

They included a steady recovery in the pickup truck market; the rapid development of consumer demand for several newly launched vehicles, including the Ford Fiesta, Chevrolet Cruze and Jeep Grand Cherokee; and Labor Day-weekend sales that drew crowds.
"Our September sales gave us encouragement that consumers are returning to the market," said Shin Kurihara, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors North America, whose September sales rose by 5 percent compared with a year ago.

Bob Carter, general manager of the Toyota division of Toyota Motor Sales USA, said "it felt like 2006 again. It was a very good month for the industry." He noted that the seasonally adjusted rate for retail sales - where Toyota does almost all of its business, in contrast to fleet sales -- was about 9.8 million units, the best month in two years except during last summer's cash-for-clunkers extravaganza.

In putting an upbeat spin on September's relatively modest improvements, automakers were switching en masse to a rather positive interpretation of U.S. economic data that remains at best inconclusive.

"In general, economic indicators have taken on a somewhat more encouraging tone in recent weeks," asserted Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, Ford's chief economist.

Conflicting Economic Signals

Among the signs of betterment that she and others cited were recent reductions in weekly jobless claims, the fact that manufacturing activity remains barely in expansive territory, the continued rise in stock-market values, a perceived continued rise in pent-up demand for autos, modestly rising corporate earnings, and what Hughes- Cromwick called "no significant [further] deterioration" in consumer-confidence measures.

"Consumers are willing to spend - albeit cautiously," added Don Johnson, vice president of U.S. sales operations for General Motors Co.

Those factors hardly make a robust elixir for the economy, which is coping with an unemployment rate that sticks stubbornly close to 10 percent, extremely negative psychology among business decision-makers at companies large and small, and the stultifying prospect of an expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts at the end of the year.

So Hughes-Cromwick also conceded that it's "not (time) to suggest yet that momentum is accelerating." And GM's Johnson seemed to agree, saying, "We still believe the recovery in the second half of the year will be slower than in the first half."

Toyota's Carter put things in perspective when he mentioned that this year's auto-sales recovery has been "very slow to moderate. We're very pleased with September," he said, "but it's still only an 11.8 (SAAR) market."

And that's still far from the days of 16 million annual sales of a few years ago.

For GM, Little Looking Back

With September sales up a hopeful 11.5 percent - 22 percent factoring only its four remaining brands - General Motors Co. officials seem done with the past and instead are looking to ways to address demand for certain new models while figuring out just what customers are going to want in the near term.

And while.Don Johnson, vice president of U.S. sales operations, told reporters and analysts today that while sales aren't exactly booming just yet, GM is happy with its inventory situation, 2010-model-year vehicles are being cleared out with uncharacteristic efficiency, incentive figures are coming down and retail purchases, in particular, are looking up.

Inventory at the end of September was 478,000 for GM's four brands, Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick, while vehicles in stock last September, numbered about 393,000. The higher inventory is of higher quality, though: Johnson said 53 percent of sales in September was comprised of new 2011 models; last September, new-model-year vehicles were just 27 percent of the company's monthly sales.

Consequently, incentives are down by an average of $600 per vehicle compared with last year, Johnson said (Edmunds.com's proprietary True Cost of Incentives metric places the figure at an even more attractive $720). Although GM (and the rest of the domestic automakers) still is spending more on incentives than its Japanese rivals, "we have significantly closed the gap," Johnson said.

He also crowed that retail sales for the four brands were up 39 percent compared with last year, while the company continues to whittle down fleet sales, which accounted for slightly more than 25 percent of GM's September total of 173,155 sales.

The GMC division led GM's four brands with a 41.6-percent gain in September compared with last year. All of GM's more recent models had a whoopin' good month, led by a 258-percent jump for the Terrain compact crossover, whose sales had just started around this time last year, accounting for the outsized gain. But the Acadia fullsize crossover jumped a solid 62 percent and even the Canyon midsize pickup - which has been on a long, long, slide - improved by 56.7 percent, though volume was just 782 units.

GMC's Yukon truck-based SUVs dropped, though, by around 26 percent, flying in the face of a news report claiming GM now is hurrying development of their next-generation replacements. For the year, Yukon sales are off 7 percent, although the even-larger Yukon XL is up 37 percent year-to-date.

Buick was up 36.2 percent, led by a heady 99-percent climb for the LaCrosse, sales of which remain compared to the previous-generation model. The Enclave was up 60.4 percent, too, while the all-new 2011 Regal contributed another 1,776 sales.

The Cadillac unit managed an 11.6-percent gain, mostly on sales of the SRX crossover, whose 4,027 sales in September represented a 40.5-percent gain over last year, while year-to-date SRX sales are up a thunderous 318.8 percent. The CTS line, now with a flashy coupe to offer, was up 7.9 percent and the aging STS sedan was up 71.7 percent. Decliners at Cadillac included the Escalade and Escalade EXT, although the ESV variant was up 31.2 percent.

As Chevrolet gets rolling with the launch of its critical Cruze compact car - which saw 516 deliveries for the month - the brand seems to be keeping traction but little else, gaining 18.5 percent compared with last September. Until Cruze gets rolling, things might look worse were it not for the still-booming Equinox compact crossover (+70.4 percent and up 76.9 percent for the year to almost 100,000 sales) and the still-solid performance of the soon-to-be-updated Malibu midsizer, which gained 55.4 percent in September and has moved 166,246 units so far this year.

And although GM executives openly admit they expect a slowdown for the rest of the year, they mentioned the positive expectations for the newly acquired Americorp finance unit, which will be named GM Financial, an arm that will specialize in reaching out to customers with sub-prime credit, but also will offer a number of specialty options, including a new regional leasing strategy to be rolled out next year.

Ford: On Top of the Ripple

Ford Motor Co. posted September sales of 160,873, up 46 percent from a weak year-earlier comparison. Year-to-date sales were 1.44 million, up a more-representative 21 percent over the same period of 2009 - and more than double the average rate of growth for the U.S. industry this year.

So while the U.S. car-market recovery remains a wave that is building only modestly, Ford is definitely on top of it.

"Ford actually went against the grain with a slight sales increase even from August to September," a variation against the typical seasonal pattern, noted Ivan Drury, a senior U.S. sales analyst for Edmunds.com.

"They have so many new products coming out now - they consistently have something new for everyone," Drury added. He said Ford's grip on the No. 2 sales volume in the U.S. market for 2010 now is "solid," behind GM and ahead of Toyota. "It would be difficult for them to fall to the No. 3 spot at this point."

Ford executives noted that September represented the 23rd time in the last 24 months that the company had increased its share of the U.S. retail market over the prior year's comparable month, a sure sign of solid growth.

"We're well on our way (as a company) to increasing our share of the U.S. retail market, and the overall market (including fleet sales), for the second year in a row - something we haven't accomplished since 1993," Pipas said.

A new version of the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX family of crossover-utility vehicles highlighted Ford's new offerings in September, and consumers responded by purchasing Edge at record levels for the month. Edge sales were almost triple a year earlier, and MKX sales were up 76 percent.

The two vehicles are the first to offer Ford's new available MyFordTouch and MyLincolnTouch digital infotainment systems, and about 75 percent of customers for Edge and MKX in September ordered them.

Demand for the new Fiesta was strong "throughout the country," reported Ken Czubay, Ford's U.S. vice president of sales and marketing. He was particularly encouraged because Fiesta sales were robust in California and Florida, two states where Ford small cars haven't enjoyed much popularity of late.

Demographics of Fiesta customers are younger and more affluent than Ford is used to seeing in that segment, per plan. "Many of them have never shopped at a Ford dealership before," Czubay said.

Moreover, Fiesta customers are expressing "strong" demand for features and options such as the Sync hands-free connectivity system. "The car has a small footprint, but (buyers) are demanding all of the creature comforts that heretofore were provided only on bigger vehicles," Czubay said.

Toyota: Back to the Future

Toyota sold 147,162 units in September, up nearly 17 percent from year-earlier sales. But for Toyota, the month really was a study in trying to get back to normal - which, in Toyota's case, means the years before its safety recalls in early 2010.

September provided a bit of that good ol' days atmosphere for Toyota.

For one thing, Camry sales topped 250,000 units for the year, and the venerable compact nameplate remains the best-selling car in America, said the company's Carter. Almost every Toyota brand model posted year-to-year sales gains. Sales of the new Avalon, for instance, were 29 percent higher than a year earlier.

Toyota also was able to continue to back down from the record-high levels of incentives it began offering last spring in the wake of consumer disappointment and concern over its recalls. Historically, Carter said, Toyota's incentives averaged about one-third the overall levels for the industry. But earlier this year, the company was forced to boost its own incentive spending to levels above 50 percent of the industry average.

With the slow overall recovery a resurgent consumer confidence in Toyota and its products, the company has been able to cut its incentive spending now to about half the industry average, Carter said. "That's down from our summer peak, but it still remains aggressive in terms of historical spending patterns for Toyota," he admitted.

Another indicator that Toyota's standing among consumers may be returning to pre-2010 levels is that, for the third consecutive month, 57 percent of vehicles traded in for new Toyotas were competing makes. "That shows our loyalty is continuing at pre-January levels," Carter said.

Toyota continues to enjoy big results from sales of its Tacoma mid-size pickup truck, especially now that supply constraints have been resolved. Tacoma sales were up 18 percent in September over a year ago. In fact, the model now has 45 percent of the compact-pickup market. And as competitors such as the Ford Ranger wane, Carter said, "there is even more opportunity for Tacoma as we go into 2011."

Tundra, Toyota's fullsize pickup, remains a different story, however. Tundra sales rose only by 10 percent during September; meanwhile, Big Three competitors did much better. Ford's F-Series sales rose by 40 percent during the month, for instance.

"The biggest thing Toyota is missing in the sales picture is with large trucks, compared with what we're seeing from other automakers," Drury said. "Toyota has never achieved the goal they had in mind for Tundra. It's playing out very poorly for them."

Toyota's Lexus luxury division posted a 6-percent sales decline compared with a year ago, though year-to-date sales are up by 9 percent.

Notably, however, the brand's best sellers were its LX, GX and RX SUVs. "People are getting more comfortable again with the stability of gas prices and willing to spend money on larger vehicles again," said Brian Smith, a Lexus executive.

Chrysler: Too Little of a Good Thing

Chrysler reported U.S. sales of 100,077 in September, a whopping 61-percent increase over a year earlier, when many consumers still lacked confidence the Fiat S.p.A.-managed company would remain a going concern.

September represented the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases for Chrysler and the second month that it topped 100,000 unit sales. Nearly all Chrysler Group vehicle lines currently in production exceeded last year's sales in September.

"We will continue to build sales momentum this fall as a slate of new product begins arriving in our dealerships," said Fred Diaz, president and chief executive officer of the Ram brand and lead executive for U.S. sales.

Certainly that argument can be effectively made looking at the Jeep Grand Cherokee alone. Sales of the completely-new version jumped 95 percent over a year earlier and even 98 percent over August sales, as more of the Detroit-made SUV fill dealer lots.

"Consumers are reacting very well to the Grand Cherokee," said Drury of Edmunds.com. "It's been a good launch," he added, noting that Chrysler does not have many other pending "major" product launches.

Chrysler Town & Country minivans also performed especially well in September, as did Jeep Liberty. Drury noted that, overall , Chrysler is more heavily weighted toward large vehicles than any other brand. So the company naturally benefits from relative quiescence on the fuel-price front and from the general industry recovery.

Honda Hits Back

It's been a sometimes-bumpy year for American Honda Motor Co., but it bounded through September with a 27-percent overall gain compared with the post-Cash for Clunkers September of last year, aided in part by a substantial 47.7-percent improvement for its Acura premium division.

"Both Honda and Acura Divisions have car and light-truck products with significant momentum in the marketplace," said John Mendel, executive vice president of sales for American Honda, in a statement. "Capped by September's 47.7 percent increase, Acura Division sales have been up for eight straight months."

For the Honda brand, it was the staples leading the way, with Accord up 15.9 percent and Civic up 15.8 percent; somehow, the Civic Hybrid leaped 338 percent to 667 units for the month. A hefty fleet purchase could be the explanation.

Honda's subcompact Fit gained 45.9 percent for the month but remains stubbornly down by 25.9 percent for the year, while the new CR-Z - a potential cannibal for the Fit, some say - chipped in 1,236 units.

On the light-truck side, Honda's Odyssey was up 34.1 percent as bargain hunters likely took advantage of incentives while less cost-conscious intenders undoubtedly were on the sidelines waiting for the revised new '11 model. Meanwhile, the Pilot midsize crossover improved by 48.1 percent and the always-strong CR-V gained by 23 percent, although it is up only 1.4 percent for the year.

At Acura, all of erratically selling passenger cars were up by substantial margins in September: the RL gained 60 percent (to 240 units); the midsize TL was Acura's best-seller with 2,514 units and a 23.6-percent gain and the entry TSX gained 7.3 percent.

Acura's crossovers also were big winners in September: the MDX gained by 83.6 percent and the RDX by 83.8 percent - and both have improved sales substantially on a year-to-date basis, MDX by 58.9 percent and RDX by 57.3 percent. The odd new ZDX added an incremental 251 units and has moved 2,666 for the year.

Nissan: Robust Gains

Nissan North America reported September sales of 74,205 units, up 34 percent form a year earlier. Nissan Division sales rose by 35 percent while the Infiniti luxury division posted a 26-percent gain for the month.

The company's highest-volume vehicles led the gains, with Altima sales up 65 percent, Rogue up 64 percent, Sentra up 56 percent, and Versa up 47 percent.

Like most other automakers, Nissan's sportscars are being roughed up by the recessionary market and September was no exception. The 370Z dropped 1.9 percent to 787 sales and is down 23.9 percent for the year and the luster has left the GT-R supercar: sales in September totaled just 63 units, while GT-R year-to-date sales are a meager 743 - a 38.4-percent slide compared with the same period last year.

Nissan's lineup of trucks, SUVs and crossovers gained 34 percent, led by the midsize Frontier, up 81 percent. Both Nissan and Toyota may be cementing their friendships with midsize-pickup buyers as GM and Ford appear to be in the process of vacating the segment.

Meanwhile, the company's Infiniti upscale division saw "gains across every vehicle in the lineup over last September," said Ben Poore, vice president of the Infiniti business unit.  He predicted that Infiniti's broadening of its G sedan lineup with the G25 and G37 coupe IPL this fall "will continue to add to the momentum we've built with the launches of the freshened G Sedan and the 2011 Infiniti M and QX."

 

Hyundai Firmly In The Driver's Seat

Hyundai Motor America posted a hefty 45.6-percent sales gain compared with last September, edging past Nissan (when including sales for Hyundai's corporate cousin, Kia) for the month and leaving little doubt the Korean company has become a force with which to be reckoned.

Think the midsize Sonata hasn't touched a chord (that pun's always there when needed) with the U.S. buying public? The car lit up the company's sales charts with a 161-percent increase in September, although the figure compares against sales of the previous-generation Sonata, which looked like a brick compared to the slinky new 2010 version. The Sonata's 20,639 sales in September topped Nissan Altima, for instance, but showed how far Hyundai has to go when Toyota gets the incentive machine oiled, trailing Toyota's Camry by almost 10,000 sales in September.

"We are enthused to be actually building momentum as we exit the traditionally strong third quarter selling season and enter the fourth quarter under a full head of steam," Dave Zuchowski, executive vice president of sales, Hyundai Motor America, said in a statement.

The company also said September's 3,230 tally was a record month for the Genesis line of coupes and near-luxury sedans and the new-generation Tucson compact crossover nearly doubled up on last September's sales, moving 2,730 units compared with 1,583 last year.

The brand had few vehicles that lost ground in September. The Santa Fe slid 47 percent and the Azera sedan, which the Genesis has made all but redundant, retreated slightly. Every other vehicle in the Hyundai lineup gained in September on the way to a total of 46,556 sales for the month and 410,047 so far this year.

September Sales Mark For Kia

Kia Motors America had its best September ever in the U.S., selling 30,071 vehicles for the month, a 39-percent jump compared with last September that helped the brand close out its strongest-ever sales quarter, moving 97,955 units in the past three months.

Kia year-to-date sales also are up 12.3 percent over its robust 2009 sales for the same period.

"Our record sales, including Sorento's best performance ever with more than 10,000 units sold, are a result of the brand's complete design and product transformation that continues to drive more style-conscious consumers to Kia retail showrooms," said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of KMA and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, in a statement.

And Ahn promised even more from the burgeoning brand, adding, "The most aggressive new vehicle launch cycle in the auto industry will continue with the arrivals of the functional Forte 5-door later this month and the highly anticipated all-new 2011 Optima midsize sedan in November."

But for now, Kia's certainly more than happy with a giant 10,112 sales in September for the Sorento midsize crossover and an equally outsized tally of 5,346 for the Soul hatchback, a 117-percent hike compared with last September. And the Forte compact car had a healthy 15-percent gain to 5,116 sales.

Volkswagen Up Solidly

Volkswagen of America Inc. posted a 14.9-percent overall sales gain compared with September, 2009, with the Jetta compact sedan the brand's top-seller with 10,769 units, including some sales of the all-new '11 Jetta. The nameplate accounted for more than half of Volkswagen's 19,943 total sales for the month.

Interestingly, the CC sedan, a coupe-like variant of the Passat, was VW's second-best seller in September, with 2,132 sales, although the number was a 6.9-percent drop from last year. The CC is up 37.6 percent for the year, however and handily outsold the Passat sedan's 722 units for the month.

In terms of percentage gain, it was the Golf/GTI lineup that led, however; the Golf and its variants were redesigned for 2010 and sales in September were up 252.9 percent compared with last year, when the old model was being closed out.

And the company said its diesel-engined TDI models continue to bolster their popularity with customers - TDI-powered models represented 27 percent of all sales for the month, or well more than 5,000 units.

The Tiguan compact crossover was up 49.7 percent for the month and its year-to-date sales gained 55.3 percent to 15,282. The Eos, Touareg and Routan are the only VW models that continue with a negative sales performance for the year.

Audi Bustin' Records, Taking Names

Although Audi of America Inc.'s sales gain of 13.4 percent in September wasn't too flashy, the month itself marked several new records for the surging Volkswagen Group luxury brand: the company said it was its best September ever (8,151 total sales), its best-ever third quarter and a month that appears to be positioning Audi for an all-time high for annual U.S. sales.

The Q5 crossover appears to be hitting a productive stride, with September sales up 105.9 percent to 2,277 units and an increase of 78.4 percent year-to-date compared with the same period last year. But the Q5's surge may be partly at the expense of the larger Q7, which was off 9.4 percent in September and is down 5.4 percent for the year.

Audi's A3 entry-level hatchback posted a solid 54.1-percent gain compared with September, 2009, as the A3 seems to have found extra appeal with the diesel-powered TDI variant. And the A6 midsize sedan improved 26.3 percent and is up 29.6 percent for the year.

The TT sportscar model range was off 53.6 percent for the month, though, and sales of the A8 flagship plunged 55.6 for the month and are down 37.8 percent so far this year. Audi's total sales were up 23.6 through September as the brand moves towards its projected record-volume full-year sales.

Mercedes Surges With Solid September

Sales for Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz were up 21.7 percent compared with last September and the company said its volume of 19,862 units was its second-best September on record.

Mercedes is sure to be pleased that the midsize E-Class line returned as its volume seller, jumping 47.1 percent to 5,608 sales. The flagship S-Class was another of the month's big gainers with a 55.2-percent increase. The E-Class is up 67.3 percent for the year, the S-Class 24.6 percent.

The GL-Class large crossover improved 52.6 percent in September to a robust 1,989 units and the smaller M-Class was up 8.9 percent.

Few Mercedes models declined for the month. There was sharp 44.7-percent slide for the SL roadster and the CL-Class was down 52.4 percent.

BMW Keeps Pace With 20.5-Percent Increase

BMW Group in the U.S. matched the typical September increase for most of its rivals by posting a 20.5-percent gain compared with September, 2009; included in the figure was the 18.9-percent increase for the Mini brand.

The best-selling 3-Series was BMW's biggest gainer for the month, improving by 37.1 percent to 8,945 sales. The rest of BMW's car lines didn't fare so well, though: the 1-Series was off 23.5 percent (to 1,155 units); despite the presence of a recently released new generation, the 5-Series was flat; the 6-Series plunged 88.8 percent; the 7-Series held for a 6-percent gain and the Z4 roadster dived 69.2 percent.

BMW's crossovers delivered an odd brew of results in September. Sales for the X3, desperately in need of replacement, plunged 85.4 percent for the month and year-to-date sales are just 5,036 units. But the X5 bolted for a 160.7-percent hike, to 3,632 sales and the X6 recorded a 122.3-percent gain for the month, to 558 units.

"It's still a tough market but the September numbers show that good results are possible," said Jim O'Donnell, president of BMW of North America LLC, in a statement. "We have been building momentum and narrowing the gap with our competitors and the October addition of the all-wheel-drive 5 Series to our model lineup will help us keep that momentum through the end of the year."

At the Mini small-car unit, the sales for the standard Cooper were up 59.9 percent after rocky treatment so far this year, lifting the car to a 1.6-percent year-to-date gain. The convertible variant of the Mini Cooper and Cooper S was up by 9.3 percent in September, but the Clubman body style seems to be losing steam with U.S. customers, dropping 51.7 percent for the month and remaining down 19.9 percent for the year to 6,506 sales. 

Cayenne, Panamera Pop For Porsche

September sales increased 25 percent to 1,971 units for Porsche Cars North America as the brand's newest, non-traditional models have emerged as its volume leaders.

The Cayenne crossover, newly redesigned, forged to a 50-percent gain compared with last September, its 808 sales making it Porsche's best-seller in September.

The sportscar maker also is benefitting from the incremental sales of the Panamera sedan, sales of which have remained comparatively robust during a sketchy economic recovery. In September, Porsche sold 625 Panameras and has moved 5,565 for the year, a healthy figure for Porsche. Panamera year-to-date sales represent nearly a third of Porsche's 17,688 total sales and the sedan is the brand's volume leader so far this year.

Meanwhile, the 911 and Boxster/Cayman both were down markedly in September, the Boxster line dropping 34 percent to just 214 units and the 911 plunging 55 percent as intenders may already be anticipating the next-generation 911 coming around this time next year. Sales for both model ranges remain down for the year, as well.

Best-Ever September For Subaru

Subaru of America Inc., the brand that just won't stop gaining, kept it going with its best-ever September, a month that also marked record sales for the Forester and Outback nameplates.

Subaru was up 47 percent compared with last September, selling 21,432 units. The Forester burst to 6,449 sales and a 33-percent improvement over last year. The Outback was up 91 percent to 8,154 units; the Forester and Outback combined for more than two-thirds of Subaru's total sales for the month.

The compact Impreza was up 55 percent in September but remains down 12 percent for the year, while the Tribeca crossover continues to be a sore spot, with sales down 58 percent for the month to just 152 units and 1,889 year-to-date.

September's tally meant year-to-date sales for Subaru are up 22 percent.

Mitsubishi Posts A Welcome Gain

The recession-era auto market hasn't been kind to Mitsubishi Motors North America, but the company racked up what is sure to be a welcome 5.3-percent gain in September, with 4,961 total sales.

Sales for the rakish Lancer compact car leaped 72 percent in September and helped pull the Lancer lineup to just a 4.8-percent deficit in year-to-date sales compared with 2009. The Lancer Sportback slid 31 percent in September, however, and the Lancer EVO was off almost 26 percent.

The Outlander crossover gained by 104 percent to 1,042 units and the Endeavor was up 324 percent, though volume remained low at 428 sales. Mitsubishi's total sales are down 3.4 percent for the year.
 

Dale Buss is a contributor to and Bill Visnic is senior editor for Edmunds.com's AutoObserver

Edmunds.com graphics by Mark Holthoff, Jeremy Acevedo and Ivan Drury

Photos by manufacturers

1. 2011 Chevrolet Cruze

2. 2011 Buick Regal

3. 2011 Ford Edge

4. 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

5. 2011 Honda CR-Z

6. 2011 Hyundai Sonata

7. 2011 Kia Sorento

8.  Audi Q5

9. BMW X6 

Bill Visnic:  is an AutoObserver Senior Editor. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter