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April Vehicle Sales Paced at 16.5 Million-Unit SAAR

Total new-vehicle sales in April increased 0.6% compared with a year ago to 1.45 million units sold, according to Autodata Corp. April’s SAAR was 16.5 million units.

by Staff
May 12, 2015
6 min to read


WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — Total new-vehicle sales in April increased 0.6% compared with a year ago to 1.45 million units, according to Autodata Corp. April’s seasonally adjusted annual rate was 16.5 million units – down from last month’s SAAR of 17.15 million. The following is a breakdown of sales performance by manufacturer:


BMW: BMW Group sold 32,428 units in the U.S. market in April, the company reported, a 9.6% increase from a year ago. Sales of BMW brand vehicles increased 6.9% from a year ago to 26,952, while MINI brand sales increased 24.7% from a year ago to 5,476.

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BMW’s passenger car segment led the way 19,014 units sold vs. 16,923 units sold in in April 2014. Sales of the BMW 3 and 4 Series, combined, increased 5.9% from a year ago to 10,374 units sold, while sales of the 2 Series increased 38.8% to 1,009 vehicles.

BMW truck sales fell 4.1% from a year ago to 7,938 units sold.

Chrysler: April sales for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles increased 6% from a year ago to 189,027 units sold — the OEM’s best April since 2007. The group also extended its streak of year-over-year sales gains to 61-consecutive months.

Sales for Chrysler brand increased 26% from a year ago to 27,704 units sold. Leading the way was the Chrysler 200 with a 348% sales increase from a year ago. Jeep sales were up 20%, representing the brand’s best monthly sales ever and its 19th consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains.

Ram Truck brand sales were up 4%. Leading the way was the Ram pickup truck with 37,921 units sold. Sales of the ProMaster Van were up 43%, while Cargo van sales decreased by 86% from a year ago. Dodge sales were down 16%, with the Avenger and Caravan posting the largest year-over-year decreases.

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Ford: April sales increased 5% from a year ago to 222,498 units sold — the vehicle OEM’s best April since 2006. Retail sales grew 7%, while fleet sales were up 1%. Sales of Ford’s SUVs were in high demand, with sales reaching an all-time April sales record of 62,730 vehicles sold.

The new Ford Edge was up 78% over last April, while sales of the Escape were up 5% from a year ago. Ford’s F-Series brand posted a gain of 8%. The Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum premium models made up 60% of F-Series sales.

Lincoln Sales increased 25% in April vs. a year ago, the brand’s best April results since 2008. The Navigator SUV posted the largest sales gain with a 36% increase from a year ago.

General Motors: Retail sales at GM increased 5.9% from a year ago to 269,056 units sold. Light trucks made up the bulk of monthly sales, with sales increasing 17.7% to 181,209 units sold. Total car sales decreased by 12.2% to 87,847 units.

GM’s crossover sales were strong, with the Chevrolet Equinox posting a 42% sales increase from a year ago. The Traverse realized a 28% increase from a year ago.
Chevrolet sales increased 7% from a year ago to 128,805 units sold, while GMC sales rose 8.1% from a year ago to 37,657 units. Cadillac sales were up 1.1%, with sales totaling 13,427 units. Only the Buick brand showed a sales decrease in April, with sales falling 10.4% from a year ago to 14,418 units sold.

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Honda: American Honda sales posted a 1.8% sales increase in April, with sales totaling 130,068 units. Honda division sales decreased 2.7% to 115,194 units sold, while Acura sales increased 5.3% from a year ago to 14,874 units sold.

Honda truck sales increased 2% from a year ago to a April record of 52,635 units sold. CR-V sales also set an April record, with sales increasing 3.4% from a year ago to 29,452 units sold. The outgoing 2015 Pilot posted a 28% sales increase, with sales totaling 11,222 vehicles.

Acura’s TLX was a high mark for the brand in April, with 4,093 units sold. The MDX was the sales leader with 4,970 units sold, a 4.1% decrease from a year ago.

Hyundai: Hyundai Motor America posted its best April ever, with sales increasing 3% from a year ago to 68,009 units sold. The Elantra was the monthly sales leader with 21,911.

On a percentage basis, the Genesis sedan had the best month with a 142% increase over last year, followed by the Azera with a 30% sales increase from a year ago.
Mazda: Mazda reported its best April sales in 20 years, with sales increasing 7.5% from a year ago to 24,123 units sold.

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Mazda6 sales were up 30.9% from a year ago, with sales totaling 4,995 units — the model’s best April since 2006. The CX-5 was the sales leader for the month, with sales totaling 8,960 units.

Mercedes-Benz: Sales of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, including Mercedez-Benz, Maybach and SMART, increased 10.6% from a year ago to 32,429 units sold. The Mercedes-Benz brand alone posted a 12.8% year-over-year increase, with sales totaling 29,188 units.

The C-Class was the top seller for the brand with 6,665 vehicles sold, a 30.3% increase from a year ago. The M-Class was the bestselling truck, with sales increasing 29.1% from a year ago to 4,945 units sold. Sprinter van sales increased 15.5% from a year ago to 2,764 vehicles sold for the month.

Mitsubishi: The vehicle OEM posted a 25.6% sales increase from a year ago — the company’s 14th consecutive year-over-year sales increase — with sales totaling 8,216 units. The Outlander Sport crossover SUV was the brand’s bestselling model, with 2,674 units sold. Mirage sales totaled 2,407 units.

Nissan: The Nissan Group set an April sales record with 109,848 units sold in April, a 5.7% increase from a year ago. Both the Nissan and Infiniti divisions posted positive increases for the month.

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Overall sales of trucks, SUVs and crossovers were up 23.7% from a year ago, with the Nissan Rogue setting an April sales record of 21,767 units. Sales of the Murano crossover increased 72.9% to 4,121 units sold. The Altima was the overall sales leader in terms of units, with 22,108 units sold. That total, however, was down 11.6% from a year ago.

The Infiniti QX60 was the luxury division’s sales leader, with 2,829 units sold —a 24% increase over last year.

Toyota: Toyota sales rose 1.8% to 203,329 units sold in April. The Toyota division posted an increase of 0.5%, with sales totaling 177,453 units. Lexus division sales rose 11.7% from a year ago to 25,876 units.

The Camry was the sales leader for Toyota with 34,066 units sold. That April sales total, however, was down 10.4% from a year ago. The RAV4 was up almost 22%, with sales totaling 22,914 units.

Sales of Lexus SUVs were up 23.5% from a year ago, with the RX leading the way despite posting a 16.2% sales decrease from a year ago.

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Volkswagen: Volkswagen group sales increased 1% from a year ago to 27,175 units sold in April, with the Audi and Bently divisions both posting positive gains. The Volkswagen division sales fell 2.7% from a year ago to 30,009 units sold.

Golf sales were up 206%, with sales totaling 5,508 units – the model’s best April since 2000. The new Golf GTI alone posted a 97% increase, with 1,905 units sold, while the Jetta Sedan led all vehicles with 11,440 units sold — 5.4% sales increase from a year ago.

Audi sales were led by the Q5 SUV, which posted a 14.2% sales increase (sales totaled 2,762 units), and the A3 sedan (sales totaled 3,187 units).

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