Nissan Altima Outsells Camry in March as US Auto Industry Approaches Pre-Recession Levels

The month of March brings with it a new monthly sales leader in the most hotly-contested segment in the US, the mid-sized sedan category, in the form of a the 2013 Nissan Altima, which for the first time in 17 months, has outsold the Toyota Camry. The first managed to sell 37,763, while the second sold just 100 units less.

This is due to Camry sales that are around 12 percent lower than the numbers recorded in 2012, while sales of the Altima are also down, but only by 8 percent. Following the two segment leaders, we have the Honda Accord and the Ford Fusion, the sales of which have increased in March by 36 and 6 percent, respectively.

So far in the year, the Toyota is still well ahead, with 12,000 extra sales over of the Nissan. Toyota also trumped Nissan in the total number of vehicles sold in March, with the former achieving a figure of 205,342 (up 1 percent), while the latter managed to shift 137,726 units (also a 1 percent increase).

When it comes to growth, though, other manufacturers seem to be doing considerably better, despite the fact that they are still not reaching their projected numbers to the full extent. Volkswagen, for instance, had its best ever March numbers since 1973, as it sold 37,704 vehicles in total – a 3 percent increase over 2012. If VW and luxury division Audi are to be considered as one single entity, then the sales increase over 2012 is even greater, at 5.8 percent, but still below the projected figure of 11 percent.

Ford is also doing pretty well, and their total for last month is an impressive 236,160 vehicles (6 percent over 2012), spurred on by cars like the Fusion, Focus and their F-series trucks, which accounted for 67,513 units from their monthly total. On the other hand, Lincoln sales tumbled down a hefty 22.5 percent.

Chrysler sales increased by 5 percent, and with 171,606 vehicles sold, and they are announcing their best monthly total since December 2007.

If you were looking for information on Honda’s March figures, you need to look no further. They recorded 136,038 combined sales of Honda and Acura cars, which means a 7.1 percent increase year on year. They are also keen to point out that they are managing to sell all these cars, especially the new Accord, without having a fleet program to sell their cars in big numbers. Officials argue that when it comes to sales to actual customers, their cars outsell pretty much the entire competition.

GM also did well in March, announcing total sales 6 percent greater than those of 2012, with a total of 245,950 vehicles sold. This increase was helped, in no small part, by the $3,000 per-vehicle incentives they offer on average.

By Andrei Nedelea

Story References: Bloomberg via LA Times

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