(March 4, 2015) Winter weather across much of the country in February blunted auto sales, but not enough to prevent small gains over February 2014 for most companies. Overall sales were 1.26 million, slightly below the predicted sales of 1.3 million.

“The underlying fundamentals supporting growth in 2015 remain solid,” Yong Yang, Ford’s chief economist for the Americas, said. “In spite of the recent rebound, fuel prices remain low and continue to provide a significant boost to consumer disposable income.”

Most companies posted modest gains as the overall industry rose 5.3 percent. While last month’s pace trailed January’s hot start, the industry has taken solid early strides towards its sixth year of sales advances since the recession.

Toyota saw a 13.3 percent rise in sales year-over-year and edged in front of Ford for the first time in six months with total sales of 180,467. Ford sold 180,383 units, but still holds a slim lead for the year for second place behind General Motors with a total of 357,114 compared to Toyota's two-month total of 349,661.

"The auto industry is off to its best start since 2002 as truck demand continues to rise," said Bill Fay, Toyota division group vice president and general manager. "Toyota light trucks and SUVs, led by RAV4, set a new February record."
 
While Ford's sales were off 2 percent from a year ago, Ford Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Service Mark LaNeve struck an optimistic note. “Strong customer demand for the all-new F-150 drove strong F-Series retail sales results in February. The all-new F-150 continues to be the hottest vehicle on dealer lots, turning more than four times faster than the industry’s overall full-size pickup segment.”

Fiat Chrysler extended its streak of year-over-year gains to 59 consecutive months with a 5.6 percent increase. Jeep continued to set the pace for FCA, with a 21 percent gain. The Ram brand jumped 12 percent, while sales rose 13 percent for the Chrysler brand. Dodge sales fell 15 percent, and Fiat was down 5.1 percent.

Sharply higher truck deliveries led General Motors to a 4.2 percent February gain. Combined sales of pickups, SUVs and vans jumped 36 percent from a year earlier, while demand for GM’s highest-volume cars plunged. The Chevrolet Cruze, for example, was down 16 percent, and Sonic deliveries plunged 62 percent.

GMC led the way for GM with a 19 percent gain, its fourth-straight monthly double-digit increase. Chevrolet rose 3.8 percent. Cadillac sales dropped 13 percent and Buick sales fell 9.2 percent amid weak demand across its car lineup.

American Honda extended its monthly winning streak to seven with a 5 percent lift. As with its biggest Japanese rivals, Honda’s luxury unit outpaced the mainstream brand. Acura sales rose 13 percent, helped in large part by the new TLX. A 12 percent drop for the Accord limited Honda Division’s increase to 4.1 percent.

Hyundai rose 7.1 percent, helped by the Genesis, Sonata and Santa Fe. And sibling Kia kept a short winning streak alive with a 6.8 percent increase.

Subarureported record sales totaling 41,358 vehicles, an 18.5 percent gain over February 2014. The company also reported year-to-date sales of 82,170, a 21 percent gain over the same period in 2014. February marked the 12th consecutive month of 40,000+ vehicle sales for the company.

Mazda's 5.4 percent gain marked its 11th increase in the past 12 months. Much smaller rival Mitsubishi was up 26 percent, while Jaguar Land Rover climbed 14 percent. Volkswagen Group deliveries fell 2 percent, ending a four-month run on the plus side. The VW brand lost momentum, too, down 5.2 percent. The Golf family of compact cars was the only VW nameplate to see sales rise last month, as volume more than doubled to 3,921 units. Nissan post a 2.7 percent gain with total sales of 118,436.

In the luxury ranks, the BMW division of BMW Group sold 25,201 units, a 14.5 percent increase over February 2014; Mercedes-Benz sold 25,291 units, a 5.2 percent gain; Lexus saw sales of 22,995, up 22 percent from last year; Audi continued its climb with sales of 11,455, representing a 5.3 percent jump from last year; and Cadillac totaled February sales of 11,739, a 12.6 percent decline from last year.

Sources: Automobile manufacturers, Automotive News