August 2017 Auto Sales: SUV, Truck Sales Keep Automakers Afloat

It’s been a tough year for a lot of automakers. Sales have generally been down, and only a few brands have been able to post significant gains. But while July was especially rough, August actually looked pretty good for a few brands. Maybe the sky isn’t falling. For now.

Ford (209,897 units, -2.1 percent)

Winner: F-Series (77,007 units, +15.0 percent)

What can we say? Americans love trucks, and they definitely love the F-Series. Unless gas prices skyrocket sometime soon, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise to see Ford trucks continue to sell well.

Loser: Lincoln MKZ (2,160 units, -21.6 percent)

MKZ sales are only down a little more than 7 percent for the year, but in August, they dropped more than 20 percent. That’s slightly worse than it did last month when sales dropped 19.2 percent. It might still outsell the Continental, but in another year, who knows?

 

GM (275,552 units, +7.5 percent)

Winner: Chevrolet Equinox (28,245 units, +84.9 percent)

The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox impressed us when we first drove it, and it looks like CUV buyers have been similarly impressed because they’re buying the heck out of it. Chevrolet will have to sell a lot more Equinoxes if it wants to take down the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V, but those sales figures are still impressive.

Loser: Cadillac ATS (1,012 units, -59.1 percent)

The ATS is a good car. It really is. But apparently, most of the people who might actually buy an ATS have already bought one. Sales dropped drastically last month, continuing an overall sales slide for the year.

Fiat Chrysler (176,033 units, -11 percent)

Winner: Jeep Grand Cherokee (23,572 units, +28 percent)

Overall, the Jeep brand was down for the month, but the one truly bright spot on the sales sheet was the Grand Cherokee. Its sales jumped significantly, helping offset the losses from the now-canceled Patriot. Without the Grand Cherokee, Jeep’s August would have looked much worse.

Loser: Jeep Cherokee (11,874 units, -50 percent)

While the Grand Cherokee’s sales were up, the less-grand Cherokee’s sales were down. Way down. Not quite all the way down but not far off. Jeep literally sold half as many Cherokees in August 2017 as it did in August 2016. It still managed to outsell the Patriot, though, so that’s something to be proud of.

Toyota (227,625 units, +6.8 percent)

Winner: Toyota RAV4 (43,265 units, +30.4 percent)

Americans love their Ford trucks, but they also love their compact crossovers. And boy, do compact crossover buyers love the new RAV4. It outsold the Camry, for Pete’s sake. All hail the RAV4, the new king of crossover sales.

Loser: Lexus CT (204 units, -75.1 percent)

The Lexus CT200h might not be a particularly sporty hatch, but it’s definitely got some sporty styling. And even if you’re not a fan of the design, you have to admit it’s way better looking than the current Prius. But apparently, the market for hybrid luxury hatchbacks is drying up. CT sales were down more than 75 percent last month.

Honda (146,015 units, -2.4 percent)

Winner: Honda HR-V (9,603 units, +26.7 percent)

Sales of the Honda Fit were down last month, but the lifted Fit that Honda calls the HR-V did wonderfully. It won’t outsell the CR-V (30,960 units) or the Civic (36,482 units) anytime soon, but the subcompact CUV improved its sales by more than 25 percent in August.

Loser: Acura TLX (2,410, -33.0 percent)

The TLX offers a lot of value for your money, but it seems that luxury sedan buyers weren’t all that interested in it last month. Or maybe they weren’t interested in the TLX’s new nose. Sales dropped by a third despite a recent refresh.

Nissan (108,326 units, -13.1 percent)

Winner: Nissan Armada (4,454 units, +766.5 percent)

The old Nissan Armada was fine, but the new Armada is much better. Buyers have apparently reacted accordingly because Armada sales are way, way up. Even if you moved the decimal point, a 76.65-percent increase would be huge. 766.5 percent? That’s ridiculous.

Loser: Nissan Frontier (4,637 units, -51.4 percent)

When we last saw a redesigned Nissan Frontier, George Bush was president, and Ronald Reagan was still alive. So it shouldn’t be much of a surprise to hear that sales are down 18.9 percent for the year. But what is surprising is that August sales managed to fall more than 50 percent.

Volkswagen Brand (32,015 units, +9.0 percent)

Winner: Golf SportWagen (1,991 units, +88.4 percent)

With fewer than 2,000 units sold, the Golf SportWagen won’t be outselling the Toyota RAV4 anytime soon, but when we had our long-term SportWagen, it proved to be a fantastic alternative to compact crossovers. Seeing that its sales nearly doubled compared to last August is great news for wagon fans.

Loser: Beetle Coupe (667 units, -40.3 percent)

Funny enough, despite the fact that the Beetle Coupe’s sales were down significantly this month, Beetle Convertible sales were up nearly as much. It seems that anyone who still wants a Beetle would rather have the convertible than the hardtop. In a way, that actually makes sense.

Source: The Automakers

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