Hi Member's, I find it sad , that American Auto Companies are not doing as well as other countries....It should not `be 4-Sure....I'm happy that GM had a increase, but it is small compared to others ...Your thoughts ?

I think GMshould bring back a personal/peformance/touring Monte Carlo to increase sales
September Auto Sales Crush Expectations

Consumer confidence is filling showrooms with open-wallets and shoppers

Posted: Oct 02, 2012| By: AOL Autos Staff


Sales of the Toyota Prius more than doubled from August 2011 to August 2012, the company said Tuesday. (Courtesy Toyota).

Consumers are responding better than expected to a new season of improved cars and trucks as auto sales in September beat just about every prediction.

New car shoppers snapped up the new models at a rate of 14.9 million per year, beating an already-rosy projection of 14.5. million by Wall Street and other prognosticators who survey car dealers throughout the month.

The biggest winners in September were Toyota (up 41.5 percent) and Honda (up 31 percent), which continue to bounce back from depressed sales last year owing to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami that disabled some of the companies' factories for months. Hyundai (up 15 percent) and Volkswagen (up 34 percent) continue to post gains from popular new models. General Motors (up 1.5 percent ) and Ford (up 2.3 percent) are posting sales gains, but below the industry as a whole. And Chrysler continues to surprise analysts, posting a 12 percent gain from September last year.

Sales were up a frothy 29 percent in September, compared with August.

Why the surge?

There is still a hangover from 2008 and 2009 when industry sales fell to around 10 million. The average age vehicle in the U.S. is above 10 years today because people have put off their new-car purchases the last few years. Banks and finance companies are now offering easier credit than was the case a year ago, as well. Beneath that, economists point to a more confident consumer.

"We hear a lot about unemployment higher than we'd like it to be, but for those with jobs and good credit, it is a great time to buy a new car or truck," says AOL Autos Editor-in-Chief David Kiley.

Some banks and credit unions are offering two-percent financing to people with good credit. That's almost as good as subsidized loans from the automakers' finance companies. "Not only is it cheap, it's relatively available," says Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting at LMC Automotive, an industry consulting firm.

"The money is so cheap now," said Jesse Toprak, TrueCar.com analyst. "Higher resale values and cheap money has been enabling automakers to offer some of the most attractive leasing programs we've seen in years." The interest rate on a 48-month new car loan was about 3.19 percent last month, down from 4.39 percent in September 2011 and 7.45 percent in May 2009, according to Bankrate.com.

If you are shopping for a new car, crossover, SUV or truck, try AOL Autos new search tool--Choose Control, which allows you to customize your search like never before to your family and lifestyle.

More good news for buyers: Used-car values have remained high due to tight supplies and strong demand, and that means dealers are paying more for trade-ins.

More good news for sellers: September was a strong month without auto companies resorting to jacking up the discounts. The average incentive for the month was $2,468, down almost 7 percent from September of last year, according to the TrueCar.com auto pricing site. Automakers are able to book more profit when they discount less.

What models are hot? GM said sales of its mini, small and compact cars nearly doubled last month. Ford's small car sales-Fiesta, Focus and the new C-Max – rose about 73 percent, while fuel prices rose. But both automakers said pickup truck sales in September, when those sales typically strengthen, were softer than in years past. Both GM and Ford said trucks made up about 12-percent of sales last month, down from 13-percent in September 2011.

"There has been a fundamental shift of truck to car that we've been seeing for the past few years," said Chevrolet's sales chief, Don Johnson, adding that September's results represented a continuation of that trend.

Some luxury brands were strong as well. Audi sales were up 26.5 percent, while Mercedes-Benz sales were up 7.5 percent – a record September for the company in the U.S.

AP and Reuters contributing

Gallery: Is There A New Sales King In Town?

 

America Sets a New Record for Old Cars

<CITE style="FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline-block !important; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; COLOR: rgb(119,119,119); FONT-SIZE: 12px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle; FONT-WEIGHT: normal" class="byline vcard">By Phil LeBeau | CNBC – <ABBR style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; FONT-VARIANT: normal; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" title=2012-06-27T14:07:54Z>Wed, Jun 27, 2012 10:07 AM EDT</ABBR></CITE>


Kirby and Pat Lawrence of Cottage Grove, Minn., outside of St. Paul, with their restored 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air. …Feel like you're driving an old car? You're not alone. In fact, the average age of vehicles in the U.S. has hit a new all-time high. Experian Automotive says the average age of the 245 million vehicles registered in the U.S. in the first quarter of this year was 11 years old.
That's an increase of just over 2 months compared the first quarter of last year.

What's behind the increase? Part of it is because the recession and sluggish recovery forced many people to put off buying or trading-in for a new or used car. Another factor is the fact cars and trucks are built to run longer. That quality improvement picked up momentum in the early '90s. Now, many of those cars and trucks are 13 to 22 years old, and yes there are millions of them still on the road.
In fact, Experian says more than 52 million cars and trucks in America are 16 years or older. (Related: What models will become collectibles?)
Ford Runs Strong
In its analysis of vehicle registrations, Experian found more Ford Motor (F) models on the road than other model. That shouldn't come as a surprise since the Ford F-Series truck has been the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for 30 straight years. According to Experian Automotive, here the top 4 brands of vehicles in operation in the U.S.:
Ford: 17.2%
Chevrolet: 15.8%
Toyota: 10.4%
Honda: 7.3%
The four most popular models on the road in the U.S., according to Experian Automotive, are:
Ford F-150: 3.4%
Honda Accord: 2.6%
Toyota Camry: 2.6%
Chevy Silverado: 2.0%
One final note: For all the attention that's been given to hybrid and electric vehicles over the last decade, they are just 0.9 percent of the vehicles in operation in the U.S. That works out to a little over 2 million alternatively powered vehicles.
-By CNBC's Phil LeBeau
Follow Phil on Twitter @LeBeauCarNews




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• Highlights From the Detroit Auto Show 2012

 

‘Generation N’ is Steering Clear of Auto Showrooms



A new study by the consulting firm AlixPartners is raising a point that may seem hard for many Americans to accept.



Millennials, and other young people have become so neutral about driving, they are a factor behind auto sales not growing at a faster pace.
In fact, AlixPartners estimates there are 5 million fewer car buyers today than five years ago. Not all of that is because of younger people putting off buying a car, but they do play a role according to the study.
AlixPartners calls this “Generation N” – as in neutral about driving.

This is not the first time we’ve heard reports of “Generation N” showing less interest in owning cars. Heck, it’s the reason car sharing companies like Zipcar expect to see membership and revenue grow at a steady pace for the foreseeable future. The driving force behind this is unclear and begs the question - how much of that is disinterest in driving and how much of that is Generation N saying that it doesn’t make sense to take on a car loan, insurance and the daily costs of driving?
The answer is that both reasons play a role in many younger people saying no to buying a car.

Last year, I attended a panel looking at research into what millennials (Generation N) want in a car. I sat next to Mark Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas, who is trying to figure out how to bring more young buyers into Ford showrooms. The researchers (graduate school students from business schools around the country) repeatedly said that young adults are more interested in staying connected via their smart phones or computers than they are in buying a new car. But when asked if they could buy a car, what would it be, they routinely picked a luxury brand. For Fields and the folks at Ford it is a puzzle they are struggling to solve.

When I shared these results with friends who are not in the auto industry almost everyone said the same thing: “These kids will eventually grow up and realize they need a car”
Maybe.
Until that happens, automakers are wondering how to convince younger people they should buy a new car. (I say to give them a `job ?)

 

One of two Chevrolet concept cars at this year’s event, the 130R, is a four-seat coupe with rear-wheel drive. Both the Code 130R and the company’s other concept, Tru 140S, are aimed at buyers under age 30. Chevrolet designed both cars using feedback from young consumers, integrating preferences for styling and functionality. The idea, says Chevrolet, is to inspire “next-generation buyers to take the wheel and suggest ideas for a car they can co-create.”

The 130R features a turbo-charged engine that's designed to work with eAssist technology, which shuts off the engine at stops, recaptures breaking energy, and smoothes torque during acceleration. Along with interior connectivity and an estimated 40 mpg, young consumers might also like the car for its price tag, expected to be in the low $20,000 range, according to the company.



<CAPTION>One of two Chevrolet concept cars at this year’s event, the 130R, is a four-seat coupe with rear-wheel drive. Both the Code 130R and the company’s other concept, Tru 140S, are aimed at buyers under age 30. Chevrolet designed both cars using feedback from young consumers, integrating preferences for styling and functionality. The idea, says Chevrolet, is to inspire “next-generation buyers to take the wheel and suggest ideas for a car they can co-create.”

The 130R features a turbo-charged engine that's designed to work with eAssist technology, which shuts off the engine at stops, recaptures breaking energy, and smoothes torque during acceleration. Along with interior connectivity and an estimated 40 mpg, young consumers might also like the car for its price tag, expected to be in the low $20,000 range, according to the company.

 

and toyota just had a recall on aug 2nd for 878,000 cars.. smh