William Maley

By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com May 1, 2013 Subaru of America, Inc - Up 25.2% Nissan North America, Inc. - Up 23.2% Ford Motor Company - Up 17.9% Porsche Cars North America - Up 17% Audi of America - Up 14.2% General Motors Co. - Up 11.4% Chrysler Group LLC - Up 11% BMW Group U.S. - Up 8.3% American Honda - Up 7.4% Mercedes-Benz USA - Up 4.4% Hyundai Motor America - Up 2% Kia Motors America - Flat This Month Toyota Motor Sales - Down 1.1% Mazda North American Operations - Down 7.5% Volvo Cars of North America - Down 7.9% Volkswagen of America, Inc. - Down 10.3% Mitsubishi Motors North America - Down 15.5% Jaguar Land Rover North America - William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

Mitsubishi Motors Reports 77 Percent Increase For Outlander Sport Sales In April CYPRESS, Calif., May 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) today reported the U.S.-built Outlander Sport achieved a year-over-year sales increase of more than 77 percent in April. The 2,111 units sold is the third-highest-ever total of Outlander Sport sales in a month and marks the eighth consecutive month of sales increases for the fuel-efficient CUV. Outlander Sport sales are up more than 41 percent year to date. "We're particularly pleased with the response to our limited edition Outlander Sport model commemorating 30 years of Mitsubishi sales in the U.S. and 25 years of production in Normal, Illinois," said MMNA President & CEO Yoichi Yokozawa . "With a starting MSRP of just over $19,000, we feel Outlander Sport is appealing to many customers looking for a crossover with high fuel-efficiency and a vast array of standard features for an attractive price." Outlander Sport recently received the "Best All-Around Performance" Award from the Automotive Science Group (ASG) – the organization's top honor – for "best overall performance amongst all model year 2013 crossover SUVs sold in the U.S. market." Lancer sales were also up, almost 8 percent for the month compared to the prior year and more than 50 percent year to date. The well-equipped and affordably-priced sport sedan was recently recognized as the best overall value in the small sedan vehicle segment by USAA. There were 127 sales of Mitsubishi's all-electric i-MiEV in April 2013, compared to 79 sales in April 2012. Sales of Mitsubishi models currently in production were up more than 30 percent compared to April 2012. However due to discontinued models, total overall Mitsubishi sales were down 15 percent

MAZDA REPORTS APRIL SALES RESULTS Consumers Continue to Demand SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY Vehicles IRVINE, Calif., May 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today reported April U.S. sales of 19,894 vehicles, representing a decrease of 7.5 percent versus last year. Year-to-date sales through April are down 5.2 percent versus last year, with 98,177 vehicles sold. Lead by Mazda CX-5 with 6,262 units sold, equating to an increase of 78.0 percent year-over-year, SKYACTIV® TECHNOLOGY vehicles accounted for 74.4 percent of total vehicle sales for Mazda, with 14,795 vehicles sold. Mazda3 with SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY sold 5,586 units during April, achieving a mix of 79.0 percent of SKYACTIV-equipped Mazda3s versus the non-SKYACTIV Mazda3. All 2,933 Mazda6 sales for the month of April were comprised of the all-new 2014 Mazda6, with the full-suite of SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY. The 2014 Mazda6 continues to exceed sales expectations without any official advertising support of the vehicle thus far. On April 29, however, Mazda launched its all-new Game Changers advertising campaign starting with the all-new Mazda6. Inventory remains light as Mazda goes nationwide discussing the vehicle's key attributes, like SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY, all-new available safety features and its all-new KODO-Soul of Motion design, which landed Mazda6 as a finalist for World Car Design of the Year. Another vehicle featuring the new KODO design language is the Mazda CX-9, which saw a YOY increase of 11.2 percent with 1,694 vehicles sold. Recently reimagined, CX-9 gives consumers a seven passenger vehicle that drives like no other on the market, period.

Volvo Announces April Sales ROCKLEIGH, N.J. (May 1, 2013) - Volvo Cars of North America, LLC, (VCNA) reported U.S. sales of 4,464 units, a 7.9 percent decrease from April 2012. Year-to-date sales are down 8 percent over the first four months of 2012. The S60 sports sedan was the top seller for the month with 1,547 units sold. The XC60 crossover, currently the only luxury SUV to earn IIHS' Top Safety Pick+ award, finished the month right behind with 1,455 units sold, up 15.4 percent versus April 2012.

KIA MOTORS AMERICA ANNOUNCES STRONG APRIL SALES All-New 2014 Cadenza1 and Forte Sedans Begin Appearing in Showrooms IRVINE, Calif., May 1, 2013 – With the first deliveries of the all-new 2014 Cadenza and Forte sedans taking place throughout the month, Kia Motors America (KMA) today reported best-ever April sales of 47,556 units. The U.S.-built* Optima midsize sedan led Kia’s sales for the 17th consecutive month with 14,678 units sold, and together with Sorento CUV, also built in West Point, Georgia*, accounted for nearly 50 percent total sales for the month. The Soul urban passenger vehicle also recorded robust monthly of sales of 11,311 units. Cadenza and Forte join the 2014 Sorento CUV as three of the seven all-new or significantly redesigned vehicles to launch this calendar year. Each of these new products furthers Kia’s efforts to advance value to new levels of sophistication by combining European-influenced styling with cutting-edge technologies, premium amenities and affordable pricing.

Hyundai Motor America Sets All-Time Record April Elantra up 45 percent Azera up 48 percent All-new Santa Fe up 10 percent Inventory remains tight, especially for fast-turning Sonata Assurance Connected Care launching May 16 COSTA MESA, Calif., May 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor America today announced sales of 63,315 units, up two percent versus the same period in 2012. "April is always a transitional month going into our peak selling season and we were pleased with the strength that both the industry and our award-winning lineup of vehicles exhibited," said Dave Zuchowski , executive vice president of national sales. "Through the first four months of this year, HMA has shattered its all-time volume mark, and with strong economic signals, improving availability and a historically strong selling season directly in front of us, we fully expect to continue this record-setting trend for the first six months of the year." Elantra sales for the month were 24,445 units, up 45 percent over last April and up 29 percent year-to-date. The all-new award-winning Santa Fe, which is offering families a fresh alternative in this highly competitive segment, had sales of 6,940 units for the month, up 10 percent over April 2012 and 27 percent for the year. "While we did a decent job matching production levels with strong demand for Azera, Elantra and Santa Fe, our U.S.-built Sonata inventories remain among the lowest in the segment, and we continue to work to meet demand for all variants of our fast-turning mid-size sedan," said John Krafcik , president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. "Our new Sonata Hybrid has been a focus model for us though, and here we've been able to support a 40 percent year-over-year sales increase with additional production and high consumer interest in our upgraded hybrid powertrain with its industry-leading Lifetime Hybrid Battery Warranty." Genesis and Equus inventories remained extremely tight due to model year ramp up, with the freshened 2014 Equus on its way to Hyundai showrooms later this month. Hyundai recently announced an enhancement to its Assurance suite of consumer-focused programs with its innovative connected-car solution, Assurance Connected Care. Three years of Assurance Connected Care will become standard on all Blue Link-equipped vehicles, representing most Hyundai models, beginning May 16. Fleet mix was 16 percent for both the month and the year, among the lowest in the industry. Certified Pre-Owned vehicle sales were 6,218, an April record, up 33 percent over April 2012. Low fleet mix and high CPO sales are two key ingredients driving Hyundai's strong residual value performance, among the best in the industry according to ALG.

Toyota Motor Sales Reports Steady Sales in April 2013 Avalon Posts Triple Digit Gains and RAV4 Records Best-Ever April Sales; Truck Sales Up 5.7 Percent TORRANCE, Calif. (May 1, 2013) – Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today reported April 2013 sales results of 176,160 units, a decrease of 5 percent on a daily selling rate (DSR) basis compared to the same period last year. Unadjusted for 25 selling days in April 2013 versus 24 in April 2012, TMS sales were down 1.1 percent over the year-ago month. Toyota Division posted April total sales of 158,069 units, down 5.4 percent year-over-year on a DSR basis. Volume-wise, Toyota Division sales decreased 1.5 percent over April 2012. “From an industry standpoint, continued retail sales growth indicates the underlying strength of the market, which is a great sign for the months ahead, especially with new products, low interest rates and plenty of pent up demand,” said Bill Fay, group vice president and general manager of Toyota Division. “Toyota’s two newest models – Avalon and RAV4 – continued to attract customers with double digit gains in April.” Lexus reported April total sales of 18,091 units, down 1.0 percent on a DSR basis and up 3.1 percent by raw volume compared to the same period last year. "With strong sales of our recently introduced LS and ES sedans, Lexus’ April sales were 3 percent higher than last year’s,” said Jeff Bracken, Lexus group vice president and general manager. “We also celebrated Earth Month by selling 3,145 of our five luxury hybrid models, which accounted for 17 percent of our monthly sales. Lexus now sells two out of every three luxury hybrids, making Lexus the clear luxury hybrid leader.” Other Highlights: TMS retail sales up 4.3 percent Toyota Division is No. 1 retail brand for the second consecutive month All-new Avalon up 119.4 percent for best April since 2007 Camry sales top 30,000 units for the fifth consecutive month Toyota Division truck sales of nearly 70,000 units, up 11.6 percent All-new RAV4 posted best-ever April sales of 18,541 units, up 22 percent Tacoma continued to lead its segment with sales of 12,971 units, up 19 percent Tundra sales of 8,276 units, up 14.6 percent Sienna sales of 9,948 units, up 5.3 percent Prius family remains hybrid volume leader with sales of 19,889 units