ID :
98563
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 08:33
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Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/98563
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U.S. eclipsed by China in 2009 auto sales+
NEW YORK, Jan. 5 Kyodo - New car sales in the United States plunged more than 20 percent in 2009 to a 27-year low of 10.43 million units, less than the 12.23 million units sold in China during January-November, making the Asian country the world's largest car
market for the first time, data released by a U.S. research firm showed Tuesday.
The result marked a historic turning point in the world automobile industry,
which had been led by the Big Three Detroit companies since Ford Motor Co.
began mass production in 1913, introducing the world's first belt conveyor
system.
Sales by all automakers operating in the United States totaled 10,429,553 units
in the reporting year, down 21.2 percent from 2008 and the lowest level since
1982, according to Autodata Corp.
In 2009, the U.S market was severely battered by the worldwide recession that
originated in the preceding year's collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
The market also shrank in the reporting year due to reduced operations of
General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC following their filing for Chapter 11
proceedings in the year.
New car sales in 2009 represented a drop of about 2.8 million units from 2008
and were 40 percent lower than the peak of 17.4 million units registered in
2000.
New car sales in the United States surpassed 16 million units for the sixth
consecutive year through 2007. But sales tumbled nearly 2 million units in
2008. Sales in 2010 are expected to recover to only 11 million units, according
to auto market analysts.
In 2009, sales declined 29.7 percent to 2,063,069 units at GM, the largest for
any carmaker operating in the United States.
GM was followed by Toyota Motor Corp., which saw a drop of 20.2 percent, or
about 447,500 units, to 1,770,149 units, registering the sharpest decline both
by percentage and unit in the past 40 years.
Toyota, however, overtook GM as the top company in annual retail sales
excluding fleet sales for the first time with around 1,607,500 units.
Ford Motor, ranking third, scored a 15.3 percent fall to 1,615,799 units.
Sales slid for the second consecutive year at Toyota, with the falling margin
being the largest in the past 40 years both in percentage and volume.
Honda Motor Co. ranked fourth, with sales down 19.5 percent to 1,150,784,
larger than 931,402 units marked by Chrysler, down 35.9 percent. Honda exceeded
a Big Three maker for the first time on an annual basis.
The combined sales of the Big Three automakers in 2009 fell 26.8 percent to
4,610,279 units, commanding a record-low 44.2 percent share of the U.S. market,
down from 47.5 percent in 2008. The combined share by Japanese makers rose to a
record-high 40.3 percent.
Among other Japanese carmakers, sales dipped 19.1 percent to 770,103 units at
Nissan Motor Co., 21.3 percent to 207,767 units at Mazda Motor Corp., 44.5
percent to 53,986 units at Mitsubishi Motors Corp., and 54.4 percent to 38,695
units at Suzuki Motor Corp. Sales grew 15.4 percent to 216,652 units at Fuji
Heavy Industries Ltd., aided by brisk demand for newly launched models.
New car sales in the United States gained 15.1 percent in December from a year
before to 1,029,936 units, Autodata said.
==Kyodo
market for the first time, data released by a U.S. research firm showed Tuesday.
The result marked a historic turning point in the world automobile industry,
which had been led by the Big Three Detroit companies since Ford Motor Co.
began mass production in 1913, introducing the world's first belt conveyor
system.
Sales by all automakers operating in the United States totaled 10,429,553 units
in the reporting year, down 21.2 percent from 2008 and the lowest level since
1982, according to Autodata Corp.
In 2009, the U.S market was severely battered by the worldwide recession that
originated in the preceding year's collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
The market also shrank in the reporting year due to reduced operations of
General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC following their filing for Chapter 11
proceedings in the year.
New car sales in 2009 represented a drop of about 2.8 million units from 2008
and were 40 percent lower than the peak of 17.4 million units registered in
2000.
New car sales in the United States surpassed 16 million units for the sixth
consecutive year through 2007. But sales tumbled nearly 2 million units in
2008. Sales in 2010 are expected to recover to only 11 million units, according
to auto market analysts.
In 2009, sales declined 29.7 percent to 2,063,069 units at GM, the largest for
any carmaker operating in the United States.
GM was followed by Toyota Motor Corp., which saw a drop of 20.2 percent, or
about 447,500 units, to 1,770,149 units, registering the sharpest decline both
by percentage and unit in the past 40 years.
Toyota, however, overtook GM as the top company in annual retail sales
excluding fleet sales for the first time with around 1,607,500 units.
Ford Motor, ranking third, scored a 15.3 percent fall to 1,615,799 units.
Sales slid for the second consecutive year at Toyota, with the falling margin
being the largest in the past 40 years both in percentage and volume.
Honda Motor Co. ranked fourth, with sales down 19.5 percent to 1,150,784,
larger than 931,402 units marked by Chrysler, down 35.9 percent. Honda exceeded
a Big Three maker for the first time on an annual basis.
The combined sales of the Big Three automakers in 2009 fell 26.8 percent to
4,610,279 units, commanding a record-low 44.2 percent share of the U.S. market,
down from 47.5 percent in 2008. The combined share by Japanese makers rose to a
record-high 40.3 percent.
Among other Japanese carmakers, sales dipped 19.1 percent to 770,103 units at
Nissan Motor Co., 21.3 percent to 207,767 units at Mazda Motor Corp., 44.5
percent to 53,986 units at Mitsubishi Motors Corp., and 54.4 percent to 38,695
units at Suzuki Motor Corp. Sales grew 15.4 percent to 216,652 units at Fuji
Heavy Industries Ltd., aided by brisk demand for newly launched models.
New car sales in the United States gained 15.1 percent in December from a year
before to 1,029,936 units, Autodata said.
==Kyodo