Leaf Zaps Volt; Asian Competitors Outsell Honda in U.S. August Sales

Nissan sold 1,362 Leaf electric vehicles in the U.S. in August, compared with General Motors’ 302 deliveries of the Chevrolet Volt extended-range EV, WardsAuto data shows.

While Nissan can claim victory, both Leaf and Volt sales so far this year are well-below the pace expected when the EVs first went on sale late last year.

Nissan also saw good results from its Altima midsize car, up 19.7% and accounting for 23,016 of the auto maker’s 91,541 deliveries last month. The new Versa sedan boosted that nameplate’s sales 10.5%.

Nissan’s August tally again surpassed struggling American Honda, which sold 82,321 vehicles, 27.2% below year-ago on a daily-selling-rate basis.

Honda-brand sales tumbled 27.5%, while Acura deliveries slid 24.5%, according to the auto maker. All Acura models were in the red, with the RL sedan plunging 79.6% from year-ago and the ZDX CUV plummeting 81.8%.

There were few bright spots for Honda, which saw sales decline at least 86% or greater for the Civic Hybrid sedan and Ridgeline pickup. However, the CR-Z sport-hybrid inched up 3.2% and the Pilot climbed 11.4% year-on-year.

Honda blames continued production troubles stemming from the Japan earthquake and tsunami in March for much of its sales loss, but says in a statement the situation should be resolved soon.

"The production plan for most of our models returned to 100% by late August at all of our North American factories," says John Mendel, executive vice president of sales-American Honda.

Nissan Leaf sales running 2:1 against Chevy Volt.

"A greater selection of vehicles is beginning to arrive at dealers this month, as the company continues to recover from temporary supply disruptions."

Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group bested both American Honda and Nissan, selling 99,693 units last month. The Korean brands’ August results gave them a 5-month winning streak against Nissan. That follows Nissan’s previous 5-month run of higher monthly sales.

But there are signs Hyundai may not be able to keep up much longer. The auto maker’s 4.9% gain in August was its lowest since June 2009 – barring months when the U.S. government’s “Cash for Clunkers” incentive was in effect – reflecting low inventories.

Kia saw a better month, up 22%, for a 4.2% market share, compared with 3.5% in like-2010. Hyundai’s penetration inched up 0.1 percentage points, to 5.9%. Of the two brands, Kia’s year-to-date sales also are higher, up 39.4% vs. Hyundai’s 21.3%.

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