October 2010 Auto Sales: Big Gains For Many

General Motors October combined sales for Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac was 183,392, an increase of 13 percent compared to October 2009. Year-to-date sales of 1,810,291 for GM’s four brands is an increase of 22 percent through October, while the industry has increased approximately 10 and a half percent.

Ford Motor October sales of 157,935 was a 19 percent gain versus a year ago. Year-to-date, Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sales totaled 1.6 million, up 21 percent. Ford is on track to gain market share for the second year in a row – a result not achieved since 1993.

Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. October sales of 145,474 units was a decrease of 0.9 percent from the same period last year, on a daily selling rate basis and on a raw volume basis, down 4.4 percent compared to the same period last year. Year-to-date Toyota sales are 1,456,790, a gain of 1.4 percent from 2009.

American Honda posted October sales of 98,811 vehicles, an increase of 19.8 percent and year-to-date sales reached 1,011,247, an increase of 5.1 percent versus last year based on the daily selling rate.

Chrysler Group reported U.S. sales of 90,137, a 37 percent increase compared with sales in October 2009. Year-to-date Chrysler sales are 910,357, up 17 percent from 2009.

Nissan North America reported October U.S. sales of 69,773, an increase of 16.1 percent from a year earlier. Nissan Division sales were up 15.2 percent for the month, and sales of Infiniti vehicles rose 22.9 percent over a year before.  For the calendar year to date, NNA sales are up 16.1 percent.

Hyundai Motor America announced all-time record October sales of 42,656, up 38 percent versus 2009. For the year, Hyundai has reported total cumulative sales of 452,703, up 21 percent versus the same ten month period in 2009. Through October, Hyundai has already exceeded total and retail volumes for the entire 2009 calendar year.

Kia Motors America announced sales of 31,199 vehicles in October, a 38.7-percent increase over the same period last year and an all-time sales record for the month of October. Kia's year-to-date sales are up 14.6 percent over 2009.

Volkswagen of America sold 20,084 vehicle in October, a 17.9 percent gain from last year and year-to-date has sold 212,774, a 20.3 percent rise from the first 10 months of 2009. Separately, Audi sold 8,128 vehicles, a 10.5 percent increase over October 2009, surpassing the prior October record set in 2008 by 685 vehicles. Year-to-date Audi sales are 81,718, a 22.2 percent increase over 2009.

The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported October sales of 23,222 vehicles, an increase of 12.6 percent from October 2009. Year-to-date, the BMW Group reported sales volume of 215,274 vehicles, up 7.7 percent through October 2009.

Subaru of America had its best-ever October with sales of 22,720 units, exceeding the previous "best-ever" result set in 2009 by over 25 percent. Subaru year-to-date sales now total 216,334 units – a 23 percent increase compared to last year. The October year-to-date result puts the brand within a few hundred sales of a new annual record.

Daimler reported U.S. sales of 19,443 Mercedes-Benz and smart vehicles, an improvement of 3.1 percent compared to October 2009. Mercedes-Benz USA October sales of 19,076 vehicles was an increase of 4.9 percent for the month with 18,351 passenger cars, light truck vehicles and 725 Sprinter vans are included in this total. On a year-to-date basis, the company sold 184,431 new vehicles, an increase of 20.1 % over last year.

Mazda North American Operations reported sales of 18,013 vehicles in October 2010, an increase of 19.5 percent over the same month last year.  Year-to-date sales through October 2010 stand at 192,783, and are outpacing last year's sales by 10.0 percent.

Mitsubishi Motors North America announced October sales of 5,111, an increase of more than 32 percent compared to October 2009. It was MMNA's fourth highest monthly total in two years. The 32 percent increase represents Mitsubishi's largest year-over-year percentage increase for a single month since July 2002.

Volvo Cars of North America October U.S. sales were 3,996 units, a 9.9 percent decrease from October 2009.  Year-to-date sales are 45,114, down 11.8 percent over the first ten months of 2010.

American Suzuki sold 2,043 vehicles in October a 17 percent gain but year-to-date sales are 19,015, a 46 percent tumble from 2009.

Sales will be updated as manufacturers report.