Auto sales fall in March

[Bimmer325]

Auto sales fall in March

Only BMW posts gain; figures for rental cars, fleets should boost the domestics.

Josee Valcourt / The Detroit News

U.S. consumers bought 13 percent fewer new cars and trucks during the first 12 days of March, a disappointing sign for automakers as they enter the important spring selling season, according to a survey released Monday.

J.D. Power and Associates' Power Information Network said every major automaker, aside from BMW AG, posted a decline in retail sales during the period. The survey tracks sales at more than 10,000 dealers nationwide and doesn't include sales to fleet customers.

Detroit's automakers fared worse than their top competitors. The Chrysler Group's sales fell 14 percent, and General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. fell 20 percent and 19 percent, respectively, according to the Power Information Network.

GM's retail market share fell to 21.3 percent from 23 percent before its new "March Madness" incentive program began.

Ford's market share dipped to 16.3 percent from about 17.6 percent, and Chrysler slid to 12.7 percent from 12.8 percent.

Luxury carmaker BMW was the only manufacturer to see a gain, with retail sales up 8 percent.

Toyota Motor Corp. fell into an unusual position. Its sales dropped by 9 percent but its market share jumped to 16.8 percent from 16 percent. Honda Motor Co.'s sales were flat. Hyundai Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. saw double-digit declines.

"It does not mean that the total month will end that way," said Tom Libby, senior director of industry analysis at Power. "By the end of the month, the manufacturers generally add in their fleet sales. The domestic automakers have a disproportionately higher fleet mix, so that will bring up their share."

Paul Taylor, economist for the National Automobile Dealers Association, said fickle weather, particularly in the Midwest and on the Eastern seaboard, has kept people out of showrooms.

"The weather hasn't been conducive for most of the month," Taylor said.

"As a consequence, you'll see a stronger outpouring of customers when spring (temperatures) arrives."

Auto sales are up 3.8 percent this year, but analysts expect full-year demand to be flat or slightly weaker than 2005, which was the third-best year ever.

Although customers have trickled into Detroit-based Jefferson Chevrolet to check out GM's "March Madness" incentive program, the shift from mild to cold weather has dampened sales.

Showroom traffic this month has been "very sporadic," said Brian Tellier, general manager at the dealership.

He's counting on spring's warmer breeze for a boost. "Consumers will be a little more apt to kick some tires," he said.

----------

Early look at sales

How retail sales in the first 12 days of March compare to the same period a year ago:

GM -20%

Ford -19%

DCX -14%

Toyota/Lexus -9%

Honda/Acura Even

BMW/Mini +8%

Hyundai -17%

VW -2%

Nissan/Infiniti -12%

Total Industry -13%

Link: http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a.../603210387/1148

Edited March 21, 2006 by Bimmer325

[Newbiewar]

well all i can say is sales are starting to pick up for us...

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Well... Looks like all that NEGATIVE media worked.

(Remember, I told you the media would strike harder after 2 months of positive momentum... Hence, GM is down the most)

GM and Ford = Screwed, because they're the only ones on that list CONSTANTLY destroyed by the media.

Of course, Toyota STILL gained share despite being down (By design, of course) Honda is even after being sit up on a GOLDEN thone by the media for the past several weeks.

You know... The BIG media blitz against Ford a few years ago REALLY worked. They've lost 6-7 points of share while the ever intensifying blitz against GM has so far only cost 2-4 points... But it shows the overall pattern, they attacked Ford and it worked, now the focus is on GM and it is working... Carving out those points for Japan Inc to suck right up, easy as cake.

Did anyone else notice that Toyota passed Ford to take second place in share numbers... IT was EASY!!!!! That's what happens when you have the press working for you out of the goodwill of their hearts and the ATMs of your bank account.

[VenSeattle]

It's weird how we're now getting multiple sales reports each month. One with visible manufacturer-backed numbers (press release), and the rest are third party with percentages and speculation. We had a few in the past that commented on press-released info but everyone seems to be looking for their own self-fulfilling prophecy to come true. It feels like they have to report weekly that sales are declining.

U.S. consumers bought 13 percent fewer new cars and trucks during the first 12 days of March, a disappointing sign for automakers as they enter the important spring selling season, according to a survey released Monday.

GM's retail market share fell to 21.3 percent from 23 percent before its new "March Madness" incentive program began.

Ok... remember here... they're discussing the first 12 days of March... and GM's March Madness sale started on March 16th. So, regardless if GM reports promising numbers as a result of March Madness in less than two weeks, most readers will just attribute the positive news to this:

"It does not mean that the total month will end that way," said Tom Libby, senior director of industry analysis at Power. "By the end of the month, the manufacturers generally add in their fleet sales. The domestic automakers have a disproportionately higher fleet mix, so that will bring up their share."

Wow... discrediting and dismissing GM's March Madness sale before it ever had a chance.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

It all boils down to this: The media WANTS GM and Ford to fail and they will tell THAT story irregardless of fact UNTIL they convince enough people and UNTIL it comes true...

They're pulling for Toyota and Honda... Happy 100th birthday GM!!! (2008) Much like Ford on their centennial, you can be assured that NO ONE LIKES YOU, YOUR PRODUCTS SUCK and BANKRUPTCY IS CERTAIN! All courtesy of the FEW in the media who DECIDE for the masses.

DETROIT, you are the PREDETERMINED weakest link.

[ChrisPauwels]

It all boils down to this: The media WANTS GM and Ford to fail and they will tell THAT story irregardless of fact UNTIL they convince enough people and UNTIL it comes true...

They're pulling for Toyota and Honda... Happy 100th birthday GM!!! (2008) Much like Ford on their centennial, you can be assured that NO ONE LIKES YOU, YOUR PRODUCTS SUCK and BANKRUPTCY IS CERTAIN! All courtesy of the FEW in the media who DECIDE for the masses.

DETROIT, you are the PREDETERMINED weakest link.

Irregardless is not a word. You're right though.

Edited March 22, 2006 by ChrisPauwels

[thegriffon]

It all boils down to this: The media WANTS GM and Ford to fail and they will tell THAT story irregardless of fact UNTIL they convince enough people and UNTIL it comes true...

They're pulling for Toyota and Honda... Happy 100th birthday GM!!! (2008) Much like Ford on their centennial, you can be assured that NO ONE LIKES YOU, YOUR PRODUCTS SUCK and BANKRUPTCY IS CERTAIN! All courtesy of the FEW in the media who DECIDE for the masses.

DETROIT, you are the PREDETERMINED weakest link.

Don't mistake effect for motive. Sure there are plenty of people in the media who hate domestic cars, just as there are plenty of consumers who do so as well. This story, however, reflects the old adage "No news is good news" — all "news" is bad news because good news isn't a "story" like bad news is. People are naturally gripped by the possibility that GM or Ford will collapse — you all are certainly, and show the same pessimism the media does. If GM pulls through and recovers, you'll all breath a sigh of relief and will no longer be interested in the company's financial fortunes. Why should the media be any different.

Edited March 22, 2006 by thegriffon

[thegriffon]

Irregardless is not a word. You're right though.

Irregardless is a word, although a usage which is deprecated by snobbish pedants as an illogical construction. In this usage the prefix ir- (in-="not" before an r) takes on the function of dis-. The dis- is often mistaken to mean "not" as a synonym of in-, but in fact implies breakage, or an increase in ill effect — disharmony, disjointed, disruption. Thus irregardless (with the ir- taking the place of dis-) acts an intensified version of regardless, rather than an antonym (i.e. "greatly without regard", rather than "not without regard"). The semantically correct construction would probably be disregardless (not in standard use although an acceptable construction). The semantic confusion (is this "dis-regardless" or "disregard-less"?) is limited by the lack of use for a word meaning "without disregard". Edited March 22, 2006 by thegriffon

[sciguy_0504]

1) These numbers are only for the first 12 days of March.

2) The information is from JD Power, a trusted company, and covers a large pool of dealers (10,000) so it is based on fact.

3) Of course Toyota is going to gain share when GM and Ford post larger drops. That's usually how numbers work out, not every company is going to lose market share just because their sales are down. It depends on how much their sales are down compared to the rest of the field.

4) Domestics do have a disproportionately higher fleet mix, we have all seen the numbers.

5) The bad weather in parts of the country have had an effect on sales.

6) If the numbers are this bad at the end of the month, will the media be criticized for reporting more negativity? Will GM and Ford be branded as negative because they reported their own numbers?

[Newbiewar]

Irregardless is a word, although a usage which is deprecated by snobbish pedants as an illogical construction. In this usage the prefix ir- (in-="not" before an r) takes on the function of dis-. The dis- is often mistaken to mean "not" as a synonym of in-, but in fact implies breakage, or an increase in ill effect — disharmony, disjointed, disruption. Thus irregardless (with the ir- taking the place of dis-) acts an intensified version of regardless, rather than an antonym (i.e. "greatly without regard", rather than "not without regard"). The semantically correct construction would probably be disregardless (not in standard use although an acceptable construction). The semantic confusion (is this "dis-regardless" or "disregard-less"?) is limited by the lack of use for a word meaning "without disregard".

to add to that

Irregardless is a word that many mistakenly believe to be correct usage in formal style, when in fact it is used chiefly in nonstandard speech or casual writing. Coined in the United States in the early 20th century, it has met with a blizzard of condemnation for being an improper yoking of irrespective and regardless and for the logical absurdity of combining the negative ir- prefix and -less suffix in a single term. Although one might reasonably argue that it is no different from words with redundant affixes like debone and unravel, it has been considered a blunder for decades and will probably continue to be so.

[enzl]

Who cares?

All you guys do by dragging this stuff up (repeatedly) is give it more of a platform than it already has!

If the numbers are down, there are multiple reasons for it... The fact is that a majority of GM products are not new, and a series of volume products (Minivans, small pick-ups, medium cars) are either tired, needing update or near retirement...what do you think happens to the numbers when these occurances are simultaneous?

The volume ship sailed years ago. We're just witnessing the wake left afterwards.

I notice noone complianed about the press when Jan & Feb figures were unexpectedly positive & it was reported extensively by mass media outlets.

Its old. It's lame. And its an excuse...lets concentrate on what GM is doing right and suggesting what else must be done.

[Intrepidation]

Who cares?

All you guys do by dragging this stuff up (repeatedly) is give it more of a platform than it already has!

If the numbers are down, there are multiple reasons for it... The fact is that a majority of GM products are not new, and a series of volume products (Minivans, small pick-ups, medium cars) are either tired, needing update or near retirement...what do you think happens to the numbers when these occurances are simultaneous?

The volume ship sailed years ago. We're just witnessing the wake left afterwards.

I notice noone complianed about the press when Jan & Feb figures were unexpectedly positive & it was reported extensively by mass media outlets.

Its old. It's lame. And its an excuse...lets concentrate on what GM is doing right and suggesting what else must be done.

Very good point. GM seriously needs to focus on redesign it's volume cars. The Malibu needs to e redesigns, but at least when the Aura comes out there will be something competetive in the segements besides the G6. GM desperately needs new minivans, but only give them to Chevy and maybe one other band. Still, when the Saturn lineup is revitalized and the new pickups come out, it should help GM so long as they are as good as the Tahoe in terms of quality.

[turbo200]

This is not media bias. Just a simple report, and yes there are some in the media that hate domestic cars, or would never be seen buying one, just like the rest of the American public. Rightfully so, GM has produced crap for decades and many well-meaning people care about brand cachet. A car purchased is a reflection of one's self; let's say you're wealthy, an executive at a small Internet company and want to own a nice car your neighbors can know you spent good money on and your clients can feel comfortable in when you are toting them around, what do you spend your money on, a VW Passat or an Impala? Which will give off the right image you want to portray as a successful, business class person. I will wait until the final sales numbers come out before I get my panties bunched up; this report is no big deal and should be considered as such.

[The O.C.]

Well... Looks like all that NEGATIVE media worked.

(Remember, I told you the media would strike harder after 2 months of positive momentum... Hence, GM is down the most)

GM and Ford = Screwed, because they're the only ones on that list CONSTANTLY destroyed by the media.

Of course, Toyota STILL gained share despite being down (By design, of course) Honda is even after being sit up on a GOLDEN thone by the media for the past several weeks.

You know... The BIG media blitz against Ford a few years ago REALLY worked. They've lost 6-7 points of share while the ever intensifying blitz against GM has so far only cost 2-4 points... But it shows the overall pattern, they attacked Ford and it worked, now the focus is on GM and it is working... Carving out those points for Japan Inc to suck right up, easy as cake.

Did anyone else notice that Toyota passed Ford to take second place in share numbers... IT was EASY!!!!! That's what happens when you have the press working for you out of the goodwill of their hearts and the ATMs of your bank account.

Uh....how did a "negative media" create a 20% drop in business for GM?

If GM had shown an increase in March, that "negative media" would surely have reported that success just like they did when mentioning BMW's increase.

GM only receives negative media because in many cases, they deserve it.

You can argue how buff mags are biased.....but THIS news item is doing nothing but stating facts.....how can you deride them (the media) for that??

[frogger]

A car purchased is a reflection of one's self; let's say you're wealthy, an executive at a small Internet company and want to own a nice car your neighbors can know you spent good money on and your clients can feel comfortable in when you are toting them around, what do you spend your money on, a VW Passat or an Impala? Which will give off the right image you want to portray as a successful, business class person.

Be careful, yuppie is a bad word around here.

[LTB51]

Irregardless is a word, although a usage which is deprecated by snobbish pedants as an illogical construction. In this usage the prefix ir- (in-="not" before an r) takes on the function of dis-. The dis- is often mistaken to mean "not" as a synonym of in-, but in fact implies breakage, or an increase in ill effect — disharmony, disjointed, disruption. Thus irregardless (with the ir- taking the place of dis-) acts an intensified version of regardless, rather than an antonym (i.e. "greatly without regard", rather than "not without regard"). The semantically correct construction would probably be disregardless (not in standard use although an acceptable construction). The semantic confusion (is this "dis-regardless" or "disregard-less"?) is limited by the lack of use for a word meaning "without disregard".

People seem to use "irregardless" when they mean "regardless". Even if "irregardless" was a word, it means the opposite of what the author usually intends. i.e. "Irregardless" = "Not without regard" = "Regard" <> "Regardless".

If it is snobbish to wish that people not bastardize words so that they have the exact opposite meaning of what is accepted English, then buy me a BMW and call me a snob!

[LTB51]

Who cares?

All you guys do by dragging this stuff up (repeatedly) is give it more of a platform than it already has!

If the numbers are down, there are multiple reasons for it... The fact is that a majority of GM products are not new, and a series of volume products (Minivans, small pick-ups, medium cars) are either tired, needing update or near retirement...what do you think happens to the numbers when these occurances are simultaneous?

The volume ship sailed years ago. We're just witnessing the wake left afterwards.

I notice noone complianed about the press when Jan & Feb figures were unexpectedly positive & it was reported extensively by mass media outlets.

Its old. It's lame. And its an excuse...lets concentrate on what GM is doing right and suggesting what else must be done.

Well said.

It also doesn't help when the GM execs whine about health care, media bias (CR, etc.) and dollar valuation. They should know better, and it shows a lack of understanding of the real problem.

They look extra stupid when GM puts out a vehicle that people want and suddenly the per transaction price goes up by thousands.

What they are really saying is that they want to keep on making mediocre products and make a profit. Thanks to capitalism, it doesn't work that way.

[Polish_Kris]

This is not media bias. Just a simple report, and yes there are some in the media that hate domestic cars, or would never be seen buying one, just like the rest of the American public. Rightfully so, GM has produced crap for decades and many well-meaning people care about brand cachet. A car purchased is a reflection of one's self; let's say you're wealthy, an executive at a small Internet company and want to own a nice car your neighbors can know you spent good money on and your clients can feel comfortable in when you are toting them around, what do you spend your money on, a VW Passat or an Impala? Which will give off the right image you want to portray as a successful, business class person. I will wait until the final sales numbers come out before I get my panties bunched up; this report is no big deal and should be considered as such.

Uh....how did a "negative media" create a 20% drop in business for GM?

If GM had shown an increase in March, that "negative media" would surely have reported that success just like they did when mentioning BMW's increase.

GM only receives negative media because in many cases, they deserve it.

You can argue how buff mags are biased.....but THIS news item is doing nothing but stating facts.....how can you deride them (the media) for that??

Don't bother, FOG has been ranting about this forever now. He believes that media-driven reviews are telling their readers to ignore the domestics because they're bad blah blah blah

[thegriffon]

People seem to use "irregardless" when they mean "regardless".  Even if "irregardless" was a word, it means the opposite of what the author usually intends.  i.e. "Irregardless" = "Not without regard" = "Regard" <> "Regardless".

If it is snobbish to wish that people not bastardize words so that they have the exact opposite meaning of what is accepted English, then buy me a BMW and call me a snob!

But irregardless is accepted English, by most people, if not yourself. For that matter "yourself", "myself" and "ourselves" are incorrect — they should be "meself", "youself" and "usselves"— the noun is the accusative case of the pronoun, reinforced by "self". The object is not "self" but "me" or "you", as correctly constructed in "himself" "herself", "themselves". Yet despite this usage snobs like you deprecate the correct use "me self" as base and incorrect. "hem" instead of "them" is also correct, based on the older h-root pronoun family that included "he" "him", 'her" and the archaic "hit", rather than the "th-" group borrowed from Norse. Although "hem" persists in use as the shortened "em" it is decried as an lazy clipping of "them". English evolves. "Bad" no longer means "gay", "queen" no longer means "wife", "wife" no longer means "woman" (except in occupational compounds such as fishwife, housewife [the mirror of "house"-band], alewife etc.), "slave" no longer means "slav" (displacing "thrall", although "thralldom" and "enthralled" are more common), "thrilled" no longer means "pierced through". The ship has sailed on irregardless, and a new sense added for "ir-". After all this is English, not Latin.

[thegriffon]

Well said. 

It also doesn't help when the GM execs whine about health care, media bias (CR, etc.) and dollar valuation.  They should know better, and it shows a lack of understanding of the real problem.

They look extra stupid when GM puts out a vehicle that people want and suddenly the per transaction price goes up by thousands.

What they are really saying is that they want to keep on making mediocre products and make a profit.  Thanks to capitalism, it doesn't work that way.

You are mis-using "capitalism", where the means of production is controlled by access to "capital", when you clearly mean "the market economy", where supply is driven by market demand (the two are not exclusive). In the ideal market economy there are no barriers to entry other than the market itself — if you can pay you can play, by yourself or as part of a corporation (which allows even low-income earners to control large sums of capital and control the means of production).

[jry]

well, seeing that when this was written there was one full selling week left in the month, i'll wait to see where the dust settles.

this america bashing has to stop, and quick.