Winners And Losers Of November Auto Sales

One month down and one left for the year 2015. With December upon us, sales numbers for November are now available and the SAAR keeps surging forward. 2015 has thus far been a year of great promise for retail automotive. Low gas prices and a relatively stable economy have led to surging auto sales with a SAAR hanging above 17 million. The great question is, how did November help shape 2015? For starters the SAAR for November was 18.1 million vehicles.

Here are the stats from top automakers for U.S. auto sales compared with November 2014:

• FCA US +3%
• Ford +0.3%
• GM +1.5%
• Honda -5.25
• Hyundai Kia +7.1%
• Nissan +3.8%
• Subaru +1.8%
• Tesla +14.1%
• Toyota +3.4%

With all the other numbers in mind, there is one automaker many have their eyes on, Volkswagen. Amidst the diesel emissions scandal how did VW do in November? Volkswagen was down 15.3 percent year over year compared with November 2014. Certain models saw rises while others; undoubtedly influenced by the emissions crisis, fell. Here are the sales figures for select VW vehicles compared with November 2014.

• VW Golf -64.0%
• e-Golf +296.6%
• Jetta -29.5%
• Beetle -39.3%
• Passat -60.4%

Volkswagen is thankful for those customers who have shown support to the automaker despite the diesel emissions scandal. In a statement, Mark McNabb, COO of VW North America said, “Volkswagen is working tirelessly on an approved remedy for the affected TDI vehicles.  During this time we would like to thank our dealers and customers for their continued patience and loyalty.”

While VW did see lower-than-ideal numbers, all was good for Hyundai. The automaker posted its best November ever selling 60,007 vehicles, a 12 percent increase year over year. Derick Hatami, VP of national sales for Hyundai North America said in a statement, “With the combination of a strong economy, lower gas prices and improving crossover inventory, Hyundai experienced a record November.”

Will December prove to be a month to remember for retail auto? With one month left in 2015, do you see auto sales surging at the end of the year as automaker incentives sweeten prices for consumers? Finally, will Volkswagen see an upward trend and end to their crisis before the new year?