Detroit Wrestles U.S. Share Lead From Asians

Detroit Three auto makers took the lead in market share in first-half 2013, bucking the notion a resurgent Japanese contingent would tilt the scale in favor of the Asian brands this year.

General Motors, Ford and Chrysler combined for a 46.1% slice of the U.S. light-vehicle market through June, WardsAuto data shows, up a full point from year-ago.

Meanwhile, Asia-based auto makers saw share decline to 45.0%, from 45.9% in first-half 2012. European brands were flat at 8.9% in like-2013, from 9.0% year-ago.

Ford and Chrysler enjoyed the largest gains, while Kia and Hyundai were among those recording the biggest losses.

The Dodge brand’s midyear market share rose to 6.3% from 5.5% year-ago, and Ford ended the first half at 15.8%, up from 14.9%.

Largely driving the Detroit Three growth this year are light trucks, especially large models that may or may not be used for commercial purposes.The medium-duty Ford F-Series is one of the fastest-growing vehicles of 2013, with sales surging 52.2% through June.

The Ram Cargo Van posted a 37.8% hike, while Dodge Durango SUV deliveries jumped 32.0%.

General Motors’ share through June was flat at 18.2%, with strong light-truck demand offsetting weaker car volumes to keep the auto maker on pace with the overall industry gain.

Sales of the low-volume, soon-to-be-extinct Cadillac EXT pickup rose 42.4% in the first six months, while demand for GMC’s outgoing Yukon XL SUV spiked 63.8%. However, Cadillac CTS deliveries plunged 40.6% and the Chevrolet Malibu was off 21.4% in the same period.

Hyundai’s U.S. share slipped to 4.6% through June, from 4.9% in like-2012, while sister-brand Kia slid to 3.6% from 4.0%.

Hyundai’s Elantra compact continues to soar, with sales up 11.7% in the first six months. But most other Hyundai vehicles declined, which the Korean auto maker blames on strained capacity.

At Kia, deliveries of the Sedona minivan tumbled 75.9% and the Sportage cross/utility vehicle fell 25.3% from prior-year. Despite a redesigned model, sales of the Kia Forte compact slid 15.8%.

Even Honda and Toyota failed to keep pace with market growth in the year’s first half. Honda-brand share slipped 0.1 percentage points to 8.6%, as demand for the CR-Z and Insight hybrids continued to weaken, down 69.1% and 41.5%, respectively.

Toyota lost 0.2 points, giving it a 12.7% slice of the U.S. market through June. Toyota car sales were nearly flat in the first half, largely due to the Scion line’s ongoing slide.

Nissan and Subaru share gains, of 0.1 and 0.3 points, respectively, prevented more significant share erosion among Asian brands.

Market-penetration losses at the Volkswagen brand and Volvo countered gains at Audi and Porsche in the European sector.

VW Group’s total U.S. share stood at 2.7% through June vs. 2.9% year-ago, while Volvo’s 0.4% share marked a 0.1-point drop, each hurt by flat or declining sales of high volume models. Audi and Porsche had two of the biggest-gaining models in the U.S. so far. Sales of Audi’s Allroad soared 409.6% in first-half 2013, while the Porsche Boxster spiked 347.0% from year-ago.

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