by Richard Russell
Even the most sincere optimist would be hard pressed to find good news in the April automotive sales numbers. Car sales were down 9% and trucks 9.5%. The April decline was sufficient to drag down year-to-date numbers by 5.1% and 7.6% respectively and industry sales in total by 6.2%.
Hardest-hit among the broad swath cut by a dismal month were domestic manufacturers and the biggest market segments. Domestic car sales were off 15% and truck sales 12% while imports enjoyed 3% and 10% increases. Minivans sales were off almost 15%, pickups 11% and compacts 5%. The extremes of the market enjoyed some positive developments, with the least and most expensive vehicles both recording increases. Sub-compact sales were up almost 16%, luxury SUVs 39% and luxury cars 3%.
Among manufacturers, Kia was the big winner in April, posting an increase of almost 14% over April 2003, while Ford posted the largest decline - 18.3%. Here’s the breakdown by manufacturer:
| Manufacturer | April | 2004 to date |
| Kia | 13.8% | 8.1% |
| Volvo | 9.2% | 16.6% |
| Toyota | 6.5% | 8.1% |
| BMW | 6.4% | 10.2% |
| Nissan | 2.6% | 9.7 |
| Hyundai | 2.6% | 5.9% |
| Mazda | -5.0% | -4.9% |
| Honda | -5.8% | -3.8% |
| Mercedes | -6.2% | -6.7% |
| VW | -7.3% | 2.7% |
| Subaru | -11% | -11.5% |
| Jaguar | -13.5% | -10.3% |
| Suzuki | -15% | -0.6% |
| Chrysler | -15.1% | -14.5% |
| GM | -16.3% | -15.6% |
| Ford | -18.3% | - 6.4% |
Here’s a look at the top three sellers in each segment for the month
| COMPACT | ||
|---|---|---|
| Honda Civic | 7,066 | -3.4% |
| Toyota Corolla | 5,181 | -2.1% |
| Mazda Protege | 4,612 | -17.4% |
| LARGE PICKUP | ||
|---|---|---|
| GM Silverado/Sierra | 6,767 | >-12.7% |
| Ford F-Series | 5,960 | -19.8% |
| Dodge Ram | 3,313 | 6.6% |
| SMALL VAN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chrysler Caravan | 5,630 | -29.4% |
| GM Venture/Montana | 4,666 | -17.1% |
| Ford Windstar | 1,910 | -38.9% |
| INTERMEDIATE | ||
|---|---|---|
| Honda Accord | 3,185 | 16.2% |
| Chevy Impala | 3,002 | 60.4% |
| Toyota Camry | 2,523 | -24.9% |
| SUBCOMPACT | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hyundai Accent | 2,643 | -3.5% |
| Toyota Echo | 2,169 | 3.7% |
| Kia Rio | 1,223 | 26.7% |
| COMPACT SUV | ||
|---|---|---|
| Honda CR-V | 1,601 | -17.5% |
| Ford Escape | 1,527 | 17.3% |
| Hyundai Santa Fe | 1,179 | 36.9% |
| LARGE VAN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ford Econoline | 1,443 | -1.1% |
| GM Express/Savanna | 1,278 | 50.2% |
| Chrysler Ram | 270 | 34.2% |
| INTERMEDIATE SUV | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ford Explorer | 1,363 | -17.7% |
| GM Trailblazer/Envoy | 1,280 | -1.5% |
| Buick Rendezvous | 828 | -4.3% |
| LUXURY | ||
|---|---|---|
| BMW 3-series | 966 | -1.7% |
| Audi A4 | 563 | 7.9% |
| Infiniti G35 | 559 | 68.4% |
| SPORT | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ford Mustang | 992 | -2.4% |
| Chrysler Sebring | 607 | -3.0% |
| Mazda Miata | 522 | -8.7% |
| SMALL PICKUP | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ford Ranger | 903 | -27.1% |
| GM S10/Sonoma | 818 | -28.9% |
| Mazda B-Series | 456 | 50% |
| LUXURY HIGH | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mercedes C-Class | 759 | -7.3% |
| Mercedes E-class | 218 | 73% |
| Cadillac Deville | 195 | -38.3% |
| LUXURY SUV | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lexus RX300 | 531 | 178% |
| Acura MDX | 328 | -16.1% |
| BMW X5 | 302 | 20.3% |
| LARGE SUV | ||
|---|---|---|
| GM Tahoe/Yukon | 458 | -21.6% |
| GM Suburban/Yukon XL | 393 | -24.1% |
| Chrysler Durango | 375 | -23.5% |
| LUXURY SPORT | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nissan 350Z | 205 | |
| Chevrolet Corvette | 153 | -8.4% |
| Mercedes SL | 87 | -16.3% |