September N.A. Light-Vehicle Output Hits Record

September was a banner month for light-vehicle output in North America with plants in the U.S. Canada and Mexico turning out a record 1,520,920 cars and light trucks, 1.8% ahead of the prior September peak of 1,494,759 set in 1999. It also marked a 2.8% gain over prior-year’s third-best 1,479,405 September completions.

It was no surprise that light trucks were the driving force behind the industry’s record-September performance, with a benchmark 935,663 units rolling off the lines in September, besting by 8.5% the 862,114 built in like-2014 and handily erasing the old record of 868,007 completes posted in September 2005.

Cars, on the other hand, could muster no better than an 11^th-place finish with last month’s 585,257 units trailing by 5.2% the 617,291 cars assembled September 2014 and posed no threat to the record 769,821 built in 1998.

U.S. plants alone turned out 1,042,858 light vehicles last month to claim fifth place behind the record 1,109,895 units assembled in September 1999.

A year earlier, with some plants undergoing model changeover, U.S. LV output reached only 988,873 units, at the time a 6-year high.

Among U.S. highlights, Ford’s 35.3% light-truck output gain over like-2014 was the highest of all producers except low-volume Isuzu, while the Dearborn automaker’s 22.8% increase in car assemblies topped that of all other manufacturers, especially FCA, which experienced a 24.7% shortfall in car production vs. September 2014.

In Canada, where only Toyota car production eked out an increase over that of the prior year, LV output of 200,505 units trailed the 225,849 built in September 2014 by 11.2% and remained well below the record 353,975 units turned out in like 1999.

Mexico proved to be a bright spot where September output of a record 277,577 LVs topped by 4.9% the prior benchmark of 264,683 units posted a year earlier.

Last month saw Mexican auto workers assemble a record 125,617 light trucks, erasing the prior September peak of 106,326 recorded in 2013, while car production ran second-best to 2014 at 151,940 and 160,064, respectively.

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