(FINAL) November 2014 Sales Thread: Automakers Begin Holiday Season with a Bang

November 2014 Light Vehicle Sales Volume:
WardsAuto forecast LV Sales:    1.287 million units
ACTUAL November LV Sales:     1.294 million units

Differential: 0.6%

November Light Vehicle SAAR:
Forecast LV SAAR:                     17 million
ACTUAL November LV SAAR:     17.1 million

WardsAuto tracks light-vehicle (LV) deliveries throughout sales reporting day. Monthly year-over-year change represents the change in daily sales rate (DSR). November had 25 selling days this year and 26 in 2013, meaning DSR % change will be larger than year-over-year comparisons of total sales volumes.

OVERVIEW:

U.S. automakers sold 1.29 million light-vehicles in November, the industry's highest November sales tally since 2001. The results reflected an 8.7% increase in daily sales (over 25 selling days) compared with same-month year-ago (26 days), and were directly in line with WardsAuto's forecast for the month.

A year ago, some automakers surprised the industry with aggressive sales over the "Black Friday" weekend, which traditionaly had not been viewed as a big auto sales weekend. This year most automakers joined the fray, boosting the LV SAAR past 17 million for just the second time since July 2006.

Detroit Three automakers recorded the biggest year-over-year DSR increase of any group, with daily sales jumping 11.5% over year-ago. Fiat Chrysler, Ford and GM collectively accounted for 44.7% of LV sales compared with 43.6% last year.  Year-to-date, D3 sales are up 5.3% to 6.75 million units.  

GM led all automakers with 225,818 deliveries, a 10.7% DSR gain, good for a 17.5% share.

Asian automakers grabbed a 44.8% market share, on combined deliveries of just over 580,000, and a 6.6% DSR uptick. The group's 6.85 million year-to-date sales are 6.3% higher than year-ago. Toyota led Asian automakers, and finished the month second overall, with 183,436 LV sales, a 7.1% DSR improvement that gave the company a 14.2% share.

European automakers' daily sales climbed 6.5%, as the group sold a combined 135,559 LVs in November, accounting for 10.5% of deliveries. 

The industry's year-to-date sales rose to 14.94 million light vehicles, a 5.3% improvement over the first 11 months of 2013.

Company results were reported in the thread below. 

Related Content

U.S. Light Vehicle Sales Summary table

UPDATE 2:00 PM: Kia, like its sister South Korean automaker Hyundai, outpaced expectations somewhat, but still fell below year-ago on a volume basis. However, the company's daily sales were up nearly 3% on 44,936 devliveries, bringing the company's YTD sales to 534,647 - a 6.6% improvement over like-2013.

Subaru, meantime, continues to set company sales records, joined Honda and Audi, among others, in announcing record November sales, with 44,936 deliveries, equating to an industry leading year/year DSR gain of 28.6%. Subaru sales are also up 20.6% YTD. 

Daimler reported a 5.5% improvement in daily sales, on nearly 38,000 deliveries of Mercedes, Smart and Sprinter LVs. Mercedes reported its best November ever on the strength of 34,578 deliveries.

UPDATE 1:20 PM: Hyundai is the only automaker to report a year-over-year decline so far for November, with daily sales falling 0.3%, based on 53,672 deliveries. The negative result, however, was above WardsAuto expectations, as the company's fleet sales were expected to fall below recent trend. Hyundai's YTD sales are up 0.5%, to 661,211.

UPDATE 1 PM: BMW Group,  including Mini brand, delivered 36,028 LVs, 99 fewer than in November 2013, but with one less selling days this year, the automaker's DSR climbed 3.1%. The automaker has sold just under 348,000 vehicles through the first 11months of 2014, a 4.8% YTD improvement over same-period year-ago.

Mazda DSR was up 6.5% compared with year-ago, on LV sales of more than 21,000 units. YTD, Mazda's nearly 281,000 deliveries represent a 7.7% YTD gain.

UPDATE NOON: Audi set a November record for sales, with its third-highest monthly DSR ever - 666 units - a 26.9% DSR bump from year-ago. Audi sales are up 15.4% over year-ago. Meanwhile, Volkswagen brand had a more modest 7.4% improvement over its year-ago results, but YTD sales trail year-ago by 11%.

UPDATE 11:15 AM: Honda set a new November sales record, delivering just shy of 122,000 LVs, an 8.7% gain in daily sales that puts the automaker's 1% over year-ago YTD, with 1.4 million sales. Nissan, like Honda, finished the month directly in line with WardsAuto expectations, selling more than 103,000 cars and light trucks in November, a less than 1% gain compared with a strong year-ago DSR. (NEW) Fiat Chrysler light vehicle numbers were adjusted slightly from prior post. FC delivered just under 170,000 LVs in November, still the automaker's highest volume November in 13 years, and the company's 56th consecutive month of year-over-year improvement. FC deliveries outpaced WardsAuto forecast by roughly 3.6%.

The strong results equated to a 24.8% jump in daily sales versus same-month 2013, FC's largest year/year gain since April 2012, and brought the automaker's year-to-date sales through November are at 1.9 million units, up 15.7% over same-period year-ago.

UPDATE 10:45 AM: GM and Chrysler year-over-year gains would seem to have come at least partially at the expense of Ford, which fell below expectations, delivering just under 182,000 LVs in November, a 2.1% gain in DSR - the company's first positive year/year comparison since August. Ford's YTD sales stand at to 2.2 million units, 1% below same-period year-ago.

Collectively, Detroit 3 automaker deliveries were directly in line with WardsAuto's forecast for the group, delivering a combined 578,695 LVs, an 11.6% DSR gain that puts the group 5.3% over year-ago YTD. 

UPDATE: 10 AM: (NEW) Fiat Chrysler updated at 11:15 am above.

Detroit 3 rival General Motors also outperformed WardsAuto expectation, by 3%, delivering over 225,000 light vehicles - a 10.5% DSR improvement over like year-ago - that brought GM YTD sales to nearly 2.7 million units, up 4.1%.

Toyota matched WardsAuto's forecast - delivering just over 183,000 LVs, a 7.1% DSR gain that puts the Japanese automaker 5.6% over year-ago through 11 months with 2.16 million sales.