Full-year 2007 light vehicle sales should be about 16.1 million:
- 0.5 million less than 2006,
- 0.85 million less than 2005
- It is the lowest since 1998 and the Market expects 15.5 million in 2008
In 2007, sales of G.M. (3.82m Vehicles) declined 8%, Ford (2.57m Vehicles) declined 12%. Chrysler declined 4%.
Market share of the Big Three is now around 50% in comparison with 54% in 2006. Japonese carmakers have now 37% market share in US, European (VW 328,000) have a stable 7% and Koreans (Hyundai 467,000) 5% .
- Toyota’s sales (2.62 million cars and light trucks) were up 3 percent for the year, pushed by new products like the Toyota Tundra pickup, which saw sales jump 57 percent. Toyota overtook Ford to become the No. 2 automaker by U.S. sales in 2007
° Camry once again was America’s favorite family sedan with sales of 473,000..
° Prius blew the doors off every other hybrid in sales and commands more than 50 percent of the market. Prius sales set a record in 2007 at 181,221, a 53 percent gain over 2006
- Honda’s market share last year grew from 9.1% to 9.7% while Toyota’s climbed from 15.3% to 16.3%.
° Accord the second after Camry with 392,000 –
- Nissan finished on a good note. Combined sales for Nissan and Infiniti topped 1 million units