- The auto industry is still trying to recover from supply chain constraints that are testing dealers’ stock.
- General Motors performed particularly well, with quarterly sales improving 24.3% year-over-year.
- Other automakers, such as Stellantis and Nissan, have seen their sales fall over the past three months.
- There are some really surprising numbers in all this data – including cars you never thought would go up by 8,000%.
We live in a weird, weird, weird world. Even nearly three years into the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, as several industries attempt to return to a version of “normal,” it’s a huge understatement to say things remain unpredictable.
I’ve spent the past three months wondering if auto sales would recover. Will the industry take a turn, or in the wake of high gas prices, record-breaking inflation and perpetually tense supply chains, sales charts will continue to ping pong back and forth through the end of the year? Well, it’s more like the latter as the numbers for the third quarter come out.
Painful prices and rising interest rates continue to plague the everyday car buyer. The shortage of semiconductors also continues, as manufacturers like Ford stay put thousands of unfinished vehicles, with no quick end in sight. Nevertheless, several car companies (or more specifically their dealer franchises) managed to change course between the beginning of July and the end of September.
Now we can take a look quarterly numbers – several companies, including two of the Big Three, no longer report monthly sales – we can dig into trends and some of the more surprising results.
Sales data Q3 2022, by brand
| Brand | Q3 2022 sales | Sales Q3 2021 | Quarter-on-quarter (’22 vs. ’21) Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acura | 21,792 | 38,555 | -43.5% |
| Alfa Romeo | 3.440 | 4.529 | -24% |
| Audi | 49,267 | 41,019 | +20.1% |
| BMW | 78,031 | 75.619 | +3.2% |
| Buick | 28,523 | 39,299 | -27.4% |
| Cadillac | 33,672 | 22,519 | +49.5% |
| Chevrolet* | 372.873 | 287,925 | +29.5% |
| Chrysler | 21,614 | 15,502 | +39% |
| cleverness | 59.756 | 49,059 | +22% |
| Fiat | 208 | 401 | -48% |
| Ford* | 444,647 | 383,085 | +15.9% |
| Genesis | 15,212 | 15.022 | +1.3% |
| GMC* | 120,512 | 97,254 | +23.9% |
| Honda* | 200.258 | 307,359 | -34.8% |
| Hyundai | 184,431 | 178,500 | +3.3% |
| unending | 11.241 | 10.666 | +5.4% |
| Jaguar | Not yet known | Not yet known | Not yet known |
| Jeep | 161.351 | 196,687 | -18% |
| kia | 184,808 | 177.014 | +4.4% |
| land rover | Not yet known | Not yet known | Not yet known |
| Lexus | 67.524 | 81,093 | -16.7% |
| Lincoln | 20.027 | 17,038 | +17.5% |
| Mazda | 72.589 | 84,046 | -13.6% |
| Mercedes-Benz | 87,682* | 71.184 | +23.2% |
| mini | 7,178 | 6.445 | +11.4% |
| Mitsubishi | 16,782 | 23,799 | -29.5 % |
| Nissan* | 142.845 | 188,289 | -24.1% |
| Porsche | Not yet known | Not yet known | Not yet known |
| Rivian | Not yet known | Not yet known | Not yet known |
| Subaru | 137.320 | 141.552 | -3% |
| Tesla | 365.923 | 343.830 | +6.4% |
| Toyota* | 458.493 | 484,912 | -5.4% |
| Volkswagen | 88,820 | 79,321 | +12% |
| Volvo | 21,631 | 31,611 | -31.6% |
Zoom in on the past quarter
As of October 3, some automakers have not yet disclosed their sales figures. We will come back and update as often as possible until the sales figures of the brand are complete. Still, zooming out to brand level shows a positive move. That’s true, even as automakers deal with parts shortages and transportation issues that get just-finished vehicles at dealerships.
Most US auto brands gained significant ground as of the third quarter of 2021. Ford sales improved by 15.9%, mainly driven by the Bronco, Mustang Mach-E and the Maverick pickup. GM brands also gained ground, with the exception of Buick. In the Stellantis stable, both Chrysler and Dodge also gained ground, although the company’s overall sales chart showed a decline due to weaker Jeep, Alfa Romeo and Fiat numbers.
However, other automakers such as Honda and Nissan are still down by double digits.
However, going through the data, there is a peculiar trend, as noted by the following:
- Chevrolet Bolt/Bolt EUV: 17,511 units; up to 225.8%
- Chevrolet Malibu: 21,630 units; an increase of 7.941%
- Dodge Durango: 19,104 units; up to 32%
- Cadillac XT4: 5,838 units; 929.6% up
- Nissan Altima: 27,512 units; up 102.6%
Can you spot it? GM did particularly well, as did some other automakers’ models, even as the brand fell as a whole, due to: fleet sale. GM praised a 66% improvement in that area in the quarter, “driven by significant sales gains to commercial customers.” That’s a fact worth keeping in mind as you run through all the numbers, though the General gained ground across almost the entire lineup, with the exception of Buick (down 27.4% from Q3 2017). 2021).