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Auto sales in the United States grew nearly 11% in December 2014, a fitting ending to a year of impressive growth for the overall auto industry. The biggest leaps forward in December were achieved by three volume brands: Chrysler, Kia, and Ram. Scion and Cadillac continued to spiral. Volkswagen reported a modest increase for the third consecutive year in comparison with what was a disappointing fourth-quarter in 2013.
• Ford led all brands in U.S. sales in 2014
• GM is the top-selling manufacturer with its four brands
• Maserati’s 171% year-over-year improvement led all automakers in 2014
• Jeep and Ram combined for 303,190 more sales in 2014 than in 2013
The market supported more than 16 million sales for the first time 2007 with strength rising most particularly in the SUV/crossover sector, but also from top-selling cars. Toyota’s Camry, the best-selling car in America, climbed to 428,606 sales. The Nissan Altima set an annual sales record. The Honda Accord reached a seven-year high.
As usual, premium makes fared well in the month of December most especially. BMW ended the year 9347 sales ahead of Mercedes-Benz. Lexus, with its smaller but expanding lineup, was was 19,002 sales back of Mercedes-Benz.
| Automaker | Dec. 2014 | Dec. 2013 | % Change | 2014 | 2013 | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Acura
|
17,809 | 15,751 | 13.1% | 167,843 | 165,436 | 1.5% |
|
Alfa Romeo
|
67 | — | — | 91 | — | — |
|
Audi
|
19,238 | 17,013 | 13.1% | 182,011 | 158,061 | 15.2% |
|
BMW
|
41,526 | 37,389 | 11.1% | 339,738 | 309,280 | 9.8% |
|
Buick
|
20,357 | 15,379 | 32.4% | 228,963 | 205,509 | 11.4% |
|
Cadillac
|
16,150 | 18,165 | -11.1% | 170,750 | 182,543 | -6.5% |
|
Chevrolet
|
184,938 | 153,493 | 20.5% | 2,033,442 | 1,947,125 | 4.4% |
|
Chrysler
|
30,930 | 20,270 | 52.6% | 308,785 | 302,492 | 2.1% |
|
Dodge
|
46,578 | 47,689 | -2.3% | 574,155 | 596,343 | -3.7% |
|
Fiat
|
3,784 | 3,745 | 1.0% | 46,121 | 43,236 | 6.7% |
| Ford | 209,679 | 208,608 | 0.5% | 2,376,841 | 2,403,542 | -1.1% |
|
GMC
|
53,038 | 43,120 | 23.0% | 501,853 | 450,901 | 11.3% |
|
Honda
|
119,472 | 119,504 | -0.01% | 1,373,029 | 1,359,876 | 1.0% |
|
Hyundai
|
64,507 | 63,005 | 2.4% | 725,718 | 720,783 | 0.7% |
|
Infiniti
|
12,007 | 13,232 | -9.3% | 117,330 | 116,455 | 0.8% |
|
Jaguar
|
1,683 | 1,544 | 9.0% | 15,773 | 16,952 | -7.0% |
|
Jeep
|
63,274 | 53,275 | 18.8% | 692,348 | 490,454 | 41.2% |
|
Kia
|
45,587 | 33,631 | 35.6% | 580,234 | 535,179 | 8.4% |
|
Land Rover
|
5,754 | 5,764 | -0.2% | 51,465 | 50,010 | 2.9% |
|
Lexus
|
39,879 | 34,757 | 14.7% | 311,389 | 273,847 | 13.7% |
|
Lincoln
|
9,690 | 7,984 | 21.4% | 94,474 | 81,694 | 15.6% |
|
Maserati
|
1,412 | 1,053 | 34.1% | 12,943 | 4,768 | 171% |
|
Mazda
|
24,808 | 22,964 | 8.0% | 305,801 | 283,946 | 7.7% |
|
Mercedes-Benz
|
34,009 | 33,007 | 3.0% | 330,391 | 312,534 | 5.7% |
|
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
|
3,288 | 2,828 | 16.3% | 25,745 | 21,816 | 18.0% |
|
Total Mercedes-Benz
|
37,297 | 35,835 | 4.1% | 356,136 | 334,350 | 6.5% |
|
Mini
|
6,615 | 6,592 | 0.3% | 56,112 | 66,502 | -15.6% |
|
Mitsubishi
|
6,545 | 6,423 | 1.9% | 77,643 | 62,227 | 24.8% |
|
Nissan
|
105,311 | 96,526 | 9.1% | 1,269,565 | 1,131,965 | 12.2% |
|
Porsche
|
3,275 | 3,246 | 0.9% | 47,007 | 42,323 | 11.1% |
|
Ram
|
48,628 | 36,028 | 35.0% | 469,139 | 367,843 | 27.5% |
|
Scion
|
3,817 | 4,323 | -11.7% | 58,009 | 68,321 | -15.1% |
|
Smart
|
973 | 855 | 13.8% | 10,453 | 9,264 | 12.8% |
|
Subaru
|
49,923 | 40,172 | 24.3% | 513,693 | 424,683 | 21.0% |
|
Suzuki
|
— | — | — | — | 5,946 | -100% |
|
Toyota
|
171,361 | 151,763 | 12.9% | 2,004,373 | 1,893,874 | 5.8% |
|
Volkswagen
|
34,058 | 34,015 | 0.1% | 366,970 | 407,704 | -10.0% |
|
Volvo
|
4,920 | 4,888 | 0.7% | 56,366 | 61,233 | -7.9% |
|
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—
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—
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—
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—
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—
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|
BMW-Mini
|
48,141 | 43,981 | 9.5% | 395,850 | 375,782 | 5.3% |
|
Chrysler Group/FCA US
|
193,261 | 161,007 | 20.0% | 2,090,639 | 1,800,368 | 16.1% |
|
Daimler
|
38,270 | 36,690 | 4.3% | 366,589 | 343,614 | 6.7% |
|
Ford Motor Company
|
219,369 | 216,592 | 1.3% | 2,471,315 | 2,485,236 | -0.6% |
|
General Motors
|
274,483 | 230,157 | 19.3% | 2,935,008 | 2,786,078 | 5.3% |
|
Honda Motor Company
|
137,281 | 135,255 | 1.5% | 1,540,872 | 1,525,312 | 1.0% |
|
Hyundai-Kia
|
110,094 | 96,636 | 13.9% | 1,305,952 | 1,255,962 | 4.0% |
|
Jaguar-Land Rover
|
7,437 | 7,308 | 1.8% | 67,238 | 66,962 | 0.4% |
|
Nissan Motor Company
|
117,318 | 109,758 | 6.9% | 1,386,895 | 1,248,420 | 11.1% |
|
Toyota Motor Corporation
|
215,057 | 190,843 | 12.7% | 2,373,771 | 2,236,042 | 6.2% |
|
Volkswagen Group *
|
56,983 | 54,716 | 4.1% | 598,991 | 615,736 | -2.7% |
|
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Industry Total
|
1,507,928
|
1,359,621
|
10.9%
|
16,531,070
|
15,603,678
|
5.9% |
* Volkswagen Group includes sales figures for Audi, Bentley, Porsche, and Volkswagen brands
** Industry total includes Automotive News sales estimates for ultra-low-volume automakers and their 2200-unit (December) Tesla sales estimate.
Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures.
