June 2016 Auto Sales: Winners and Losers
And just like that, we’re halfway through the year. It’s hard to believe, but June 2016 is now history. Fortunately, it was a decent month for the automotive business. Jaguar and Scion were off to the races, but the folks in Stuttgart, Germany probably aren’t as happy.
Overall for the month, dealerships pushed out more than 1.5 million units. This performance represents a 2.4 percent improvement compared to the same time period in 2015. Things are moving in the right direction, if only just.
SEE ALSO: How Much Has the Diesel Scandal Affected VW Sales?
Through the first six months of the year, automakers delivered more than 8.6 million cars and trucks in the United States, which represents a scant 1.4 percent increase compared to the first half of 2015.
As always, some brands did better, much better than others. Accordingly, here are the winners and losers.
Winner: Land Rover +23.0 Percent
One of the biggest victors in June was Land Rover. This purveyor of luxurious off-road vehicles delivered more than 5,700 units, a figure that represents a 23 percent year-over-year improvement. Clearly, moneyed motorists enjoy what this company has to offer.
Winner: Volvo +41.3 Percent
Beating Land Rover’s impressive June performance, Volvo’s sales grew by more than 41 percent. This Swedish-Chinese brand’s dealerships pushed out nearly 8,500 cars and crossovers in June. How can you argue with that?
Winner: Alfa Romeo +44.0 Percent
Alfa Romeo’s sales grew by an impressive 44 percent last month. Sales of its only model available in America, the 4C, totaled just 36 units. But still, that’s an impressive increase compared to the 25 they delivered during the same month last year.
Winner: Scion +61.0 Percent
It may be dead, but it ain’t gone, not yet at least. Toyota’s youthful Scion division posted a 61 percent sales increase last month, with deliveries totaling 6,179. Are they giving these things away or what? The best they could muster in June of 2015 was 3,838 units.
Winner: Jaguar +125 Percent
But the automaker that beat all comers, on a percentage basis at least, was Jaguar. The leaping-cat brand’s sales shot up 125 percent with more than 2,700 units sold. Their all-new F-Pace crossover is leading this charge; their new XE small sedan did extremely well, too.
Loser: MINI -20.4 Percent
And now for the automotive brands that didn’t do so well in June, and we kick things off with MINI. This supplier of cutesy compact cars saw its year-over-year deliveries fall by more than 20 percent. Total sales in June measured a scant 4,914, down from 6,174 during the same month last year.
Loser: Volkswagen -21.8 Percent
Still battling fallout from its diesel-emissions scandal, Volkswagen’s sales declined by nearly 22 percent. June deliveries barely topped 23,800 units. It seems that things will continue getting worse for this brand before they get better.
Loser: Acura -26.9 Percent
Acura is a confused brand. With the exception of the NSX, its products are rather lackluster, feeling like shiny mainstream products rather than actual luxury goods. In any event, its June sales declined by nearly 27 percent to just 11,352.
Loser: Bentley -35 Percent
Bentley has been in the sales doldrums for months, and its June performance did nothing to change this. The ultra-luxury division’s deliveries declined by 35 percent, with sales totaling around 144 units. However, rumor has it the company is selling down its existing inventory to make room for the upcoming Bentayga SUV, which is expected to launch in August… that’s next month! Given how today’s drivers are infatuated with crossovers and utility vehicles, this all-new nameplate will likely do the brand lots of good.
Loser: smart -47.4 Percent
Finally, we come to the biggest loser, smart. This perpetually troubled Daimler division pushed out a scant 407 cars in June, a year-over-year decline of 47.4 percent! Yikes, how is this brand still in business?
[Source The Truth About Cars, Manufacturers]
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Born and raised in metro Detroit, Craig was steeped in mechanics from childhood. He feels as much at home with a wrench or welding gun in his hand as he does behind the wheel or in front of a camera. Putting his Bachelor's Degree in Journalism to good use, he's always pumping out videos, reviews, and features for AutoGuide.com. When the workday is over, he can be found out driving his fully restored 1936 Ford V8 sedan. Craig has covered the automotive industry full time for more than 10 years and is a member of the Automotive Press Association (APA) and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA).
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MINI, VW, and Acura are never gonna recover. Their customer base has grown up or grown old.
OK, it must be said: The new smart 453 is an UNMITIGATED DISASTER! Dr Annette Winkler is truly (and deliberately) putting a monumental effort into destroying Nicholas Hayek's brainchild into oblivion!!!