The nation’s Big Three automakers each reported their best July sales totals in almost a decade on Monday with numbers that far exceeded analysts’ expectations.
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APPHOTO NYBZ192: In this Thursday, July 2, 2015, photo, Robert Schemer, his wife, Kelly, and their son Graham, 9, pose next to their newly purchased pre-owned 2013 Ford Flex Limited, at the Star Ford Lincoln dealership in Glendale, Calif. At right is sales consultant Allan Calix.
GM and Ford are benefiting from a surge in pickup sales that should continue because many contractors and other owners are driving well-worn models that need to be replaced.
Once again, if you’re selling pickup trucks and SUVs in the USA, you’re raking in sales and profits (automakers generate substantially higher margins on these vehicles). The Jeep brand made up 41 percent of Fiat Chrysler’s number of units sold. TrueCar said sales of luxury vehicles are rising at double the pace of mass-market brands.
Below is a running summary of each firm’s sales report.
In its July release, Ford said the strength of its sales were driven by its F-Series truck, which had its best July since 2006 and saw sales rise 13% over the prior year. Retail sales were also up 5 percent. Lincoln with its new small SUV, the MKC was among the brands expected to see a big jump in July sales.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles sales rose 6 percent and Nissan Motor Co. Sales of its Rogue small SUV jumped 51%. Perhaps SUV shoppers are looking elsewhere: Subcompact models are booming, but midsize SUVs and large, three-row crossovers (all excluding luxury models) were all up by double-digit percentages.
Even though the speed of increase in sales is slowing, automakers are hoping to sell more than 17 million new cars and trucks this year, the most since 2001.
July was especially good for the Toledo-built Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Cherokee, both of which set monthly sales records.
FCA said sales were also strong for Chrysler 200, a midsized sedan.
In June, auto sales hit a pace of 17.11 million.
In addition to the F-150’s continued solid performance, the light-truck segment recorded its best July in 15 years with a push from the recently launched Transit commercial van, contributing 8,025 sales following just 496 year-ago. F-Collection pickup gross sales, which had been down as a result of lack of stock as a brand new truck went into manufacturing, have been up 5 %. Jeep gross sales elevated 23 % and Ram gross sales rose 1 %, however Dodge and Fiat gross sales have been down.
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. manufactures motor vehicles and parts throughout the world. (TM), said its July sales grew 0.6% to 217,181 units from 215,802 units a year ago.
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In another high-profile problem, FCA in late July issued a safety recall for 1.4 million US cars and trucks after hackers demonstrated that they could remotely control their systems while they are in operation. Ford said sales of its C-Max hybrid plunged 36% in July and its subcompact Fiesta fell 27%.
