Automakers’ March sales fall

Chrysler sales were down 39.3% in March, compared to a 40.8% deficit at Ford and a 44.7% plunge at GM. In year-to-date (YTD) sales, Chrysler’s shortfall is 45.5%, trailing Ford’s 43.3% but ahead of GM’s 48.8% dive. Chrysler’s estimated average incentive was just $91 more than GM’s new record.

Chrysler’s shortfall was the smallest since last October, giving it an overall market share of 11.8% and keeping it ahead of Honda. While GM lost more sales than Toyota, it managed to stay America’s best-selling automaker with an 18.1% market share against Toyota’s 15.5% and Ford’s 15.3%.

Year to date, GM checked in with an 18.6% market share, Toyota with 16.3%, Ford with 14.7%, and Chrysler with 11.2%.

Toyota sales dropped by 39%, Honda by 36%, and Nissan by 38%. Hyundai, which coupled a low-cost reputation with a “unemployment insurance” scheme, only fell by 5%, with Kia staying roughly stable.

Among the smaller importers, Volkswagen dropped by 20%, Mazda by 33%, BMW by 23%, and Mercedes by 25%. Mitsubishi, which had already been reconsidering its North American strategy, saw sales plummet by 57% to under 5,000 units; year to date, Mitsubishi is down by 49%, more than any mass producer selling in the U.S.

The Caravan and Town & Country were numbers 1 and 2 in the minivan segment, and now lead the Odyssey and Sienna in both monthly and year to date sales.

The Jeep Wrangler, with 10,000 sales, not only outsold every traditional body-on-frame SUV, it outsold every light GM truck except the Chevy Silverado.

Chrysler LLC (Chrysler, Dodge & Jeep) sold more light trucks than Ford Motor Company (Ford, Mercury, Lincoln and Volvo).