Last year’s COVID shut downs and stimulus checks have seen some companies making a lot of money.
The March automaker sales figures have been released, as well as the first quarter 2021. The news is generally positive, with some brands reporting triple-digit jumps in sales. However, it’s not all good news. Some companies report losses. We’ll get to that later.
These big increases only apply to March with Genesis being an exception. It’s possible that other automakers experienced March madness as well. Not all automakers publish monthly sales data. It’s also worth noting that March 2021 was a record-setting month for sales. Last year, COVID-19-related shut downs had crippled the auto industry . While COVID remains an issue, markets are generally open and shoppers have access to stimulus payments making March 2021 a very active month for new car purchases.
These are the top winners and losers from March and the first quarter 2021.
Hyundai: Hyundai Up to 115 Percent
Hyundai reports that March sales and Q1 2021 sales have set new records. The total retail sales increased 38 percent to 157,470 units for the quarter. Sales totalled 167,130 vehicles. March was the leader with 75,403 units. This is why the triple-digit increase was possible in 2020 when that number was only 35,118.
Lexus: Lexus up 113 percent
Lexus isn’t selling as many units as Hyundai, but that’s a fact. Toyota’s luxury segment sold 15,585 vehicles last March, compared to 33,186. It was not SUVs and crossovers that led the surge, but cars such as the IS or LS. This is not to say Lexus SUVs performed poorly. GX sales increased 147 percent in the month, but it’s still not as impressive as the 175 percent jump for the IS.
Genesis: Up 108 Percent (Quarterly)
This is the exception to the monthly rule. Genesis numbers include all three months of the first quarter 2021. This is actually more impressive than a single triple-digit month. As with Lexus we don’t have any breakdowns of sales by model. Also, the volume is significantly lower than that of the mainstream. 8222 Genesis vehicles have been sold so far in 2021, as compared to only 3,955 during the same period lastyear.
Mazda up 104 Percent
Mazda sells more cars than Lexus and Genesis. Strong sales of the CX-5 drove the automaker to an exceptional month. Sales for the CX-30 increased by 155 percent and for the MX-5 Miata sales jumped by 165 percent. Mazda sold 31,991 vehicles in total last year, compared with 15,664 last. Mazda sales have increased 23 percent to 83,258 units, which is a quarter-quarterly level.
Subaru: Subaru is up 102 percent
Subaru claims that March 2021 and the first three quarters of 2021 were its highest ever. In March, 65,726 Subies were sold, compared with 32,611 units last year. With 160,426 units sold, Subaru has seen a 23 percent increase in sales through the first quarter. The SUVs and crossovers here are the stars, led by the Crosstrek which saw a jump of 176 percent in March. This was followed by the Forester with 123.2 percent.
Chevrolet: Chevrolet down 1.7 percent (Quarterly).
The Bow Tie is not part of a large group that has seen a decline in year-over-year sales. The Impala has been officially axed. However, sales of the half-ton Silverado have fallen almost 20% through the first three months. The Chevrolet was almost unchanged in the first quarter of last year’s sales slump. General Motors’ overall sales increase is 19%.
Infiniti: 25 Percent Down (Quarterly).
Infiniti’s woes were briefly discussed in our article on the sad state of Nissan370Zsales. The Nissan sales were up 14.8 percent during the period. However, Infiniti continues to decline. Except for the QX50, everything in Infiniti’s lineup fell by double-digits during the first quarter. It saw a 54.1 percent increase.
Dodge: 28 Percent Down (Quarterly).
The Dodge lineup is down to three vehicles. The brand sold 6,880 Journey crossovers in the first quarter 2021, 1,709 Caravans and 2 Vipers. One Dodge Dart was also sold, which could be the strangest zombie sales car we’ve ever seen. This is because the Hemi headquarters’s decision to cut the Journey and Caravan was the main reason for the year-over-year decline. The remaining three models, Challenger and Charger posted modest increases over the previous year.