It's generally good news across the board, but some brands haven't been as successful as others.
Earlier this week, CarBuzz reported on the sales results for a handful of car manufacturers that released their figures early in the month. We were surprised to find that most brands saw great improvements in their respective numbers, with many surpassing the previous year's figures. Several more automakers have released statistics, giving us a greater sense of what's happening in the world of US car sales. Let's take a look at the second batch, and evaluate their performance.
BMW/Mini
BMW USA shifted a total of 87,948 vehicles in the second quarter of 2023 (an 11.5% increase over Q2 2022), with the majority of sales coming from the automaker's range of SUVs. The South Carolina-built X5 was the company's best-seller, with a total of 18,575 examples leaving showroom floors between April and June. That's impressive, considering the mid-size SUV has a starting price of $65,200.
Surprisingly, it's the 4 Series that's the second-best performer in the lineup, with 13,765 examples sold during this period. This presumably includes the Coupe, Convertible, Gran Coupe, all-electric i4, and M models. The X3 takes third place with a total of 12,637.
Other strong entrants include the pricey X7 (7,174), the 3 Series (7,665), and the 5 Series (7,303). Despite the controversial styling and hefty price tag, 762 people purchased the new XM. The Z4 (724) and X2 (63) were the slowest sellers. It's worth noting that the F39 X2 went out of production last year, so BMW is obviously trying to move the last few units on showroom floors.
BMW sold a total of 17,964 fully-electric vehicles in the first six months of the year. This already exceeds 2022's year-end figure, which shows there's strong demand for the automaker's EVs, including 4,135 examples of the iX that were sold in Q2.
Mini's second-quarter sales grew by 47.8% in 2023, with the boutique brand selling 7,585 units compared to 5,131 vehicles in the same period in 2022.
This growth was spurred on by the Countryman, with sales growing by a phenomenal 143.7%. In Q2 2022, the automaker sold 1,013 examples. Sales of the Countryman increased to 2,469 units in the same period this year. It will be interesting to see if the all-electric next-generation model can keep this trend going. The Cooper/Cooper S Hardtop 2-Door posted the second-best figures, with 1,845 examples sold.
Overall, the BMW Group sold a grand total of 95,533 vehicles in the USA, across both brands. 2023 year-to-date figures stand at 185,283, representing a 12.5% increase over last year.
General Motors
General Motors sold a staggering 691,978 vehicles across its four brands in the second quarter. This represents a year-on-year increase of 18.8%.
Chevrolet accounts for most of the group's sales, with the Bow-tie brand shifting 454,046 units between April and June. Unsurprisingly, the Silverado range was the top dog, with a total of 141,299 examples leaving dealership floors. The GMC Sierra lineup was the second most popular model in GM's range, with 75,810 units sold.
The Equinox, recently updated for MY2024, was the best-selling passenger vehicle at 52,949 examples.
As for the rest of the brands, Buick sold a total of 42,752 vehicles, with the Encore GX (18,055) taking the sales crown. 2023 Q2 Cadillac sales tallied 38,877. The range-topping Escalade (11,555) led the way. The all-electric Lyriq managed just 1,348 units.
Speaking of electric vehicles, the Hummer EV was by far and away the slowest seller, with just 47 examples delivered to customers. GM has previously given a reason for these incredibly low figures.
Bolt/Bolt EUV sales figures were relatively strong, with 13,959 recorded sales. Other popular entrants include the Malibu (40,731), Traverse (37,148), Trailblazer (33,857), Tahoe (29,258), and GMC Acadia (24,205). As for the more desirable sports cars, Chevrolet shifted 9,125 examples of the Corvette and 9,557 units of the Camaro – the latter up by 110.3%. It seems many enthusiasts are rushing to buy the Camaro before it's discontinued.
Year-to-date figures for the automotive conglomerate currently stand at 1,295,186 vehicles (up 18.3%). Last year, General Motors outsold Toyota by a considerable margin. Read below to see how Toyota is faring so far.
Mazda
Mazda has decided not to disclose second-quarter figures, instead sharing June 2023 and year-to-date sales statistics.
This still gives us a good idea of how the brand is doing, though, with a total of 29,786 sales for the month of June (up from 2022's 15,129). The CX-5 led the way, with 12,861 examples leaving Mazda dealerships, followed by the CX-30 followed with 6,612, while the CX-50 managed 3,532 units.
Mazda 3 sales totaled 2,745 units, making it one of the poorest sellers despite the lineup's agreeable price tag. Just 866 examples of the MX-5 Miata were delivered to customers, but it wasn't the weakest model by a long way. That accolade belongs to the flawed MX-30 EV, with a mere 16 units sold in June 2023.
2023 year-to-date sales for the Hiroshima-based brand currently stand at 183,783 (a 28.7 % increase over Q2 2022).
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi is going through an identity crisis of some kind, but the automaker has still posted slightly stronger second-quarter sales.
Total Q2 2023 sales sit at 24,602, which is considerably lower than rival brands. The Outlander carried the brand between April and June, with 14,368 examples sold. In the same period last year, Mitsubishi delivered 4,130 fewer units of the Outlander.
Sales of the Outlander PHEV (1,620) and Eclipse Cross (2,761) have also increased, but the Mirage (1,974) and Outlander Sport (3,879) have taken a tumble in Q2 2023. While the company's second-quarter numbers are on the up and up, 2023 year-to-date (YTD) sales show a decline. The current YTD figure sits at 45,540 – down 2,732 units compared to the same period last year.
Toyota/Lexus
Let's start with what everybody wants to know. Has Toyota Motor North America's year-to-date sales surpassed General Motors? In short, no. The Japanese automaker has delivered a combined total of 1,038,520 vehicles across the Toyota and Lexus brands. In fact, the manufacturer has suffered a 0.7% decline compared to 2022's YTD figure of 1,045,697.
Toyota hasn't shared second-quarter figures, so let's look at June 2023's numbers. The RAV4 was the best performer in the company's stable, with 38,250 units finding homes across America. The Camry came in second place, at 28,706, with the Tacoma following at 21,321. Corolla sales weigh in at 20,485 units.
There are several interesting things to explore here. A mere 2,466 Prius models were sold, suggesting the brand's first-ever hybrid is waning in popularity. The quirky Crown posted 1,232 sales, beating out the GR86 (1,178) and Supra (246). Toyota's unique hydrogen-powered Mirai proved more popular than the Supra, with 445 deliveries.
In the Lexus division, it's the RX (9,819) that lit the sales charts on fire last month. The recently refreshed luxury crossover beat out its NX baby brother (6,925) and the ES luxury sedan (3,475). Even with a replacement model on the horizon, Lexus still managed to deliver 2,438 units of the GX.
Moving to the upper echelons of the lineup, Lexus shifted 493 LX SUVs, 174 LS sedans, and 132 LC grand tourers in June 2023.
Toyota Motor North America doesn't sell many pure EVs in the United States, and the sales figures show consumers aren't very interested in the group's battery-powered offerings. Just 616 units of the bZ4X were delivered, while Lexus successfully sold 281 RZ crossovers.
Volkswagen
The German brand finished the second quarter with 76,934 sales, which represents a 1.7% decrease compared to 2022's Q2 figure of 78,286. VW's five SUVs made up the majority of sales, with the Tiguan (19,038) leading the pack. The Atlas (excl. Atlas Cross Sport) managed 14,043 deliveries. Sales of the compact Taos totaled 13,724.
These are all relatively strong numbers, but all three examples actually saw a year-on-year reduction in sales. The only products that proved more popular in Q2 2023 were the all-electric ID.4 (6,690), Arteon (627), and Golf R (735). It's the Jetta that led the passenger car field, with a grand total of 11,650 units reaching customers during this period.
Despite this, there's a morsel of encouraging news. Year-to-date sales for 2023 sit at 144,787, which is 1.1% stronger than last year's figure of 143,279. We're looking forward to seeing whether the electric ID. Buzz minivan will make an impact on the automaker's bottom line.
Volvo
Sweden's only car manufacturer has reason to celebrate, with June sales up 53.3% compared to the same period in 2022. Volvo Car USA sold a total of 12,933 vehicles in June, with Recharge models (PHEVs and all-electric variants) making up 29.3% of sales.
The excellent XC60 premium crossover was the top seller, with 3,925 units finding new homes in America. The XC90 (3,645) and XC40 (2,193) took second and third place, respectively. In the first six months of the year, the automaker's YTD figures sit at 59,750 – an increase of 18.1% compared to the same period in 2022. Unfortunately, Volvo hasn't shared additional details for the American market.
Keyword: More Car Sales Results Are In And The News Is Good