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2009:The New Vehicle Market

Plunges To A 27-Year Low

The Carnage Was Widespread

(But Maybe We've Hit Bottom And

Are Beginning A Slow Recovery Process)

From 2000 through 2009, new vehicle sales averaged 16.4 million units per year. The recession which began in earnest in the last four months of 2008 continued to hammer new car sales throughout 2009. Sales for the year: 10.4 million, 21.2% below the 13.2 million sold in 2008 and the lowest industry total since 1982. (And remember, 2008 sales were down 18% from the 16.1 million units sold in 2007.)

The recession has changed the automotive landscape significantly. Chrysler and GM filed for bankruptcy in May and June and, propped up by U.S. Treasury bailout money and a much smaller dealer count, have emerged as smaller entities which may have a shot at survival. GM has killed its Pontiac, Saturn and Saab brands and is selling money-losing Hummer. Ford has avoided bankruptcy, but is selling money-losing Volvo.

Just three brands registered sales increases last year: Subaru, Kia and Hyundai. Some brands performed better than the market, but down is down, and they were down for the second consecutive year, reflecting both the continuing lack of widely available credit and consumers’ lack of confidence in a significant economic recovery in the foreseeable future.

The outlook for 2010 is for modest improvement. J. D. Power has predicted a 10.6% gain to 11.5 million sales, 9.2 million of which will be retail deliveries (the balance being less profitable fleet sales). That estimate may be optimistic. The recovery still faces the headwinds of high unemployment and a likely continuing decline in the housing market. Several economists feel that the recession has changed the way consumers think about discretionary spending, and that many will decide to get new cars less frequently in the future. Yearly sales levels of 16 million have been the norm, but many industry analysts peg the “new” natural level of demand well below that into the future.

The balance of this page lists each nameplate’s 2009 sales performance. The 2009 data for individual models within each nameplate is covered in detail in the Fighting Chance information package, which provides current sales performance on the specific model(s) you're shopping for, as well as information on actual transaction prices reported by our customers, a current incentive report and step-by-step instructions on how to get the best deal available in your market.

Domestic Nameplates

Buick fell 25.4% last year (102,306 sold vs. 137,197 in 2008).

Cadillac dropped 32.3% (109,092 sold vs. 161,159 in 2008).

Chevrolet fell 25.2% (1,338,612 sold vs. 1,790,519 year-ago).

Chrysler plunged 47.2% (177,015 sold vs. 335,108 in 2008).

Dodge fell 33.3 (522,686 sold vs. 784,113 in 2008).

Ford was down 14.1% (1,425,571 sold vs. 1,660,317 in 2008).

GMC dropped 30.0% (253,053 sold vs. 361,739 in 2008).

Hummer cratered 67.1% (9,046 sold vs. 27,468 year-ago) and is being sold.

Jeep fell 30.6% (231,701 sold vs. 333,901 year-ago).

Lincoln dropped 22.8% (82,847 sold vs. 107,295 in 2008).

Mercury fell 23.1% (92,299 sold vs. 119,948 in 2008).

Pontiac was down 33.3% (178,300 sold vs. 267,348 in 2008) and has been discontinued.

Saturn nosedived 61.4% (72,660 sold vs. 188,004 in 2008) and has been discontinued.

Oriental Nameplates

Acura fell 26.8% (105,723 sold vs. 144,504 in 2008).

Honda was down 18.6% (1,045,062 sold vs. 1,284,261 in 2008).

Hyundai gained 8.3% (435,064 sold vs. 401,742 in 2008).

Infiniti fell 28.2% (81,089 sold vs. 112,989 in 2008).

Kia was up 9.7% (300,053 sold vs. 273,397 year-ago).

Lexus dropped 17.0% (215,975 sold vs. 260,087 in 2008).

Mazda fell 21.3% (207,767 sold vs. 263,949 in 2008).

Mitsubishi crashed 44.5% (53,986 sold vs. 97,257 in 2008).

Nissan fell 17.8% (689,014 sold vs. 838,361 in 2008).

Scion plummeted 49.1% (57,961 sold vs. 113,904 in 2008).

Subaru gained an impressive 15.4% (216,652 sold vs. 187,699 in 2008).

Suzuki nosedived 54.4% (38,695 sold vs. 84,791 year-ago).

Toyota was down 18.8% (1,496,211 sold vs. 1,843,577 in 2008).

European Nameplates

Audi edged down 5.7% (82,716 sold vs. 87,760 in 2008).

BMW dropped 21.1% (196,502 sold vs. 249,113 in 2008).

Jaguar, a tiny factor in the market, was down 8.5% (12,941 sold vs. 14,136 in 2008).

Land Rover fell 12.2% (25,141 sold vs. 28,620 in 2008).

Mercedes-Benz was down 15.3% (190,428 sold vs. 224,903 in 2008).

MINI fell 16.4% (45,225 sold vs. 54,077 in 2008).

Porsche lost 25.0% (19,696 sold vs. 26,246 in 2008).

Saab plunged 59.4% (8,680 sold vs. 21,368 year-ago) and is being discontinued.

Volkswagen slipped 4.3% (213,453 sold vs. 223,128 in 2008).

Volvo fell 16.0% (61,438 sold vs. 73,102 in 2008) and is being sold by Ford, probably to a Chinese company.

These are some of the insights we share with our customers in the Fighting Chance information package.

Ask yourself these two questions:

Isn't it obvious that knowing this kind of information can change the way you feel about a given nameplate and enhance your leverage in negotiating the price of a new vehicle?

If the answer was "yes," then why has no other new-car information service told you about this stuff? Not Consumer Reports, not Edmund's, not AAA, not Kelley Blue Book, not truecar.com, not USAA . . . . . . not anyone, on the Internet or anywhere else. This is public information that's published in many places. In essence, these other guys are clueless about what’s happening in the retail automobile market today. Or maybe they don't want to jeopardize the advertising revenue they get from automakers and car dealers by giving you information that can strengthen your negotiating posture. By contrast, we're providing insight, not just data. Information that can change the way you feel about the power you have in the negotiation process.

JAMES BRAGG

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