(Click on the chart for a larger version)
I created this chart to graphically illustrate the current auto sales percentages in September 2009 as opposed to last year at this time. It paints a picture that should come as a surprise to absolutely no one still remotely connected to reality.
The Korean upstarts continue to gain market share at the expense of the entrenched, mainstream old-guard, of which Toyota and Honda are firm members.
What do the numbers tell us?
1. That automobile buyers have dwindling loyalties and will easily switch makes or manufacturers to get a better product.
2. That in the diminished economy we live in, and may well for the next several years, "value" for the buck reigns supreme.
3. That Hyundai and Kia have mastered the art of delivering so much for so little. They are to Toyota and Honda today, what Toyota and Honda were to GM, Ford and Chrysler 30 years ago.
4. That bailouts and bankruptcy for GM and Chrysler did nothing to stem their downward slide into irrelevancy. Again, I must ask, "How much longer can GM and Chrysler go without another transfusion of cash from Uncle Sam?"
5. That Cash for Clunkers cannibalized September sales, and for what purpose? C4C might have simulated car retailers while it ran, but it did nothing more than rob from future sales.
7. The Great Recession hasn't begun to turn around in spite of the happy-face bullshit the politico's and media would have us believe.
Everything you say is as it is. For September. I want to see what happens in October and beyond. I'm just not sure your extrapolations will prove the definitive comments you made. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteYou have done a brilliant job of showing the unintended consequence of government meddling.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
To Braxton Hicks-
ReplyDeleteYour comment speaks volumes. Saddle American companies with a skizoid energy policy, unatainable performance and pollution requirements and an anti-capitalistic administration and you have nothing but diminishing results. Can't wait until Obama dictates another round of impossible demands on an industry headed for collapse. Next up, the coal industry, Sell your stocks now, Ben.
Where's Audi?
ReplyDeleteBill,
ReplyDeleteYou drive a Volvo and you snubbed them? FYI: Volvo sales are up for the last 4 months.
To answer your questions about Audi and Volvo, I admit that there are some glaring omissions. In defence, I got the figures from Ed Niedermeyer at The Truth About Cars (TTAC) and responded to his request for a graph. I have been searching for a website that has a more detailed accounting of make and model sales, but have yet to find one that has a complete list. If you know of one, I would appreciate that knowledge. Let me add that I don't have a grudge against any manufacturer and was not attempting to imply anything other than the facts and figures for September. I do appreciate your comments as it may well keep me on the straight and narrow. Bill.
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ReplyDelete