Cleveland, Ohio – Car buyers weren’t biting, but vans and pickups were hot in March as auto sales were effectively flat.
Ford was down 3.4% as phenomenal commercial van sales weren’t enough to offset declines in cars, smaller sport utility vehicles, and the F-150 pickup. The company is still struggling to meet demand for its aluminum-bodied pickup, so sales should remain somewhat depressed for another month or so.
Vans were the definite bright spot with 42% increase of combined Transit, E-Series, and Transit Connect vehicles, the automaker’s best commercial van sales March since 1994. Ford launched the European-style Transit line late last year, and it has begun to eclipse the outgoing E-Series.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles was one of the only major automakers to post a gain, a 2% bump, but a gain nonetheless. Every vehicle in its Jeep lineup had a sales increase, and the car-heavy Chrysler brand posted a 15% gain on the strength of the new 200 sedan.
Dodge sales were off, mainly because of its car lineup. The Ram brand had an off month for pickups, but its commercial van line, like Ford’s, boomed. Sales of the Euro-style Promaster van more than doubled, and the company sold a handful (504) of its new Promaster City micro-vans.
General Motors, like Ford, struggled with slack demand for cars, but its trucks did much better. GM’s Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra lines have filled some of the market space created by a scarcity of F-150s. The Silverado was up 7% and the Sierra climbed 3%. That popularity didn’t stretch to GM vans with the Chevy Express and GMC Savana losing ground, a sign that the U.S. commercial market may now prefer the high-roof Euro style. Ford Transit, Ram Promaster, and Mercedes’ Sprinter vans, the first Euro-style van for sale in the U.S., all posted large sales gains.
Strong truck sales also couldn’t overcome falling car sales. Cadillac was hit particularly hard with a 7% decline as the hot-selling Escalade couldn’t make up for lack of demand for cars. Buick’s cars all declined, but booming demand for the new Encore crossover kept the brand in the positive for the month.
Toyota posted a gain thanks to car sales. And only two of the company’s cars increased sales in March – the Yaris subcompact and the Corolla compact. The Prius, Camry, and most of the Scion line were down. Trucks and SUVs did better, especially the Rav4 SUV and the Tacoma small pickup.
The company’s Lexus luxury brand outperformed with a 9% gain compared to Toyota brand’s 4% bump. The new NX crossover was responsible for almost all of the increase.
Honda declined 5.3% as the car-heavy manufacturer has fewer SUVs, crossovers, and trucks to offer when buyers flee from fuel efficiency. The bright spot was the new Fit subcompact, a vehicle that posted a 58% sales gain.
Hyundai and Kia both posted gains. With Hyundai’s smallest cars doing well and overcoming a decline from the former bestseller, the Sonata sedan. At Kia, minivan sales soared, and buyers opted for Sportage and Sorento crossovers.
Source: GM, Ford, FCA US LLC, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia