September Sales Slumping

As we inch our way out of September and into the fall buying season, I thought we’d take a look at how auto sales fared for the month…of only slightly ahead of the actual release date for official results. As usual I look toward Edmunds.com for their opinions and facts since they are the best and most visible in the industry. According to them sales have slowed a bit more than is normal, but they expect September finish with retail sales of around 938,000. This is a drop from 1.063 million units sold in August.

In the area of retail sales, both Honda and Nissan are enjoying a slight uptick, Hyundai and Kia, who have both been on fire sales wise join GM with slight dips. Ford sales dropped in September as did Toyota, but the fall is known for truck sales and both companies have hit the airwaves with commercials and dealer incentives that will likely bring up their yearly numbers for Q4.

Of course in a week or so the actual sales numbers for September will be common knowledge and we’ll certainly pass those numbers along to our readers.

Hybrid EV Sales

As we reported last month, a survey was done polling current owners of hybrids asking whether they were likely to buy another hybrid given their experience with their current vehicle. Unfortunately it seemed that  fewer than 40%  of the owners said they would buy into the technology again. Seemingly this has not stopped automakers from providing hybrids and EV’s to the market. In fact in the next three years we are likely to see a large influx of new vehicles to the pool dominated by the Toyota Prius.

According to Edmunds.com at least 43 new hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery-electric, diesel and fuel-cell electric vehicles will be introduced to the U.S. market by 2015.

“One of the reasons these vehicles haven’t quite taken off yet is that there just aren’t enough choices that appeal to shoppers,” says Edmunds.com Green Car Editor John O’Dell. “But the competitive landscape promises to expand significantly over the next few years, and it’s likely that a vehicle with some type of electric drive or alternative fuel will wind up on your consideration list the next time you shop for a new vehicle.”

On the domestic front, but Ford and Chevrolet are expected to drop new alternative drive vehicles into the market. Chevy’s big introduction will be using the Cruze platform with a  diesel version in 2013 and adding plug-in electric hybrid in 2014. Ford will offer its C-Max Energi and C-Max Hybrid by the end of this year, with an Energi version of their popular Fusion coming  early next year.

One notable to Toyota’s already dominating position in the market will be an EV version of their RAV4.
Toyota has been working with Tesla Motors on a battery system for the vehicle and the RAV4 EV should be on dealership floors before the end of the year. This EV is reported to combine the body and interior of Toyota’s popular RAV4 with the battery and electric motor system found in the new Tesla Model S sedan. Initially, it will be sold only in California in just one trim level and with no options at a price of $50,610 before any tax incentives or government rebates.

Speaking of Tesla, the fledgling company owned by Elon Musk, who is a majority owner of PayPal, will be introducing a midsized vehicle in 2015. Currently it  has not been named, but will be their introduction into a more family orientated EV and is expected to be priced under $45K. This new midsize will join their first vehicle, which is a sporty Roadster built around the Lotus Elise, and their luxury S model.

When asked about the release date for the midsize, Musk said  he’s hoping for an early 2015 launch, but considers this an aspiration, not a promise.