August 2015 Auto Sales: Winners and Losers

Winner: Infiniti +16.1 Percent

Infiniti had a very good August. The Japanese luxury brand managed to increase its sales by more than 16 percent. Overall, its dealerships moved just shy of 11,000 cars and crossovers. Sales for all of 2015 are up nearly 11 percent.

Winner: Land Rover +16.4 Percent

Likewise, Land Rover had a blowout month, with year-over-year August sales increasing 16.4 percent. That correlates to total deliveries of 5,225. Its performance for all of 2015 is even more impressive — dealers have moved nearly 43,000 vehicles, a 20.5 percent increase compared to the same time period in 2014.

Winner: Jeep +17.5 Percent

Jeep is a brand that just won’t quit. The sun rises in the East and every month, this FCA division posts another sales increase. In August, its deliveries grew almost 18 percent, totaling nearly 81,000 vehicles. So far this year, it has sold just shy of 560,000 units.

Winner: Volvo +18.3 Percent

Does Volvo still make cars? Apparently, it does, and based on this Swedish brand’s performance in August, its cars are proving to be pretty popular. Dealers moved nearly 6,000 units in August, an increase of more than 18 percent compared to the same month in 2014. For all of this year, it has delivered just shy of 41,000 units, an increase of 4.3 percent.

Winner: Mitsubishi +22.1 Percent

The triple-diamond brand is turning into the little engine that could. Sure, Mitsubishi may be on the brink of collapse, but its sales keep on keeping on. Last month, it moved more than 8,000 vehicles, a year-over-year increase of more than 22 percent.

Loser: Toyota -9.7 Percent

In a rare misstep, Toyota’s August sales declined by nearly 10 percent. Despite the drop, this stalwart Japanese brand still sold nearly 191,000 vehicles, so the lackluster performance is hardly the end of the world. For 2015, it has sold more than 1.6 million cars and trucks.

Loser: Chrysler -14.1 Percent

Some of Jeep’s sales success is offset by the Chrysler division. Every month, it seems this FCA brand slips, and in August, it dropped more than 14 percent year over year. Total deliveries were shy of 26,000. Still, despite its middling showroom performance of late, Chrysler’s sales are still up 14 percent for all of 2015.

Loser: Dodge -15.1 Percent

Dodge is also dragging FCA down. Its sales were off more than 15 percent in August, barely topping 42,000 units. For the year, this division’s deliveries have fallen 15.7 percent, a whole lot of not good.

Loser: Scion -37.0 Percent

Scion just can’t win these days. Its August sales fell a whopping 37 percent compared to the same month last year. Dealers sold a pitiful 3,895 units. Its performance for 2015 is pretty shabby as well, dropping more than 22 percent during the first eight months.

Loser: smart -53.7 Percent