(October 2009) U.S. light-vehicle sales in September 2009 skidded 25.7% to 744,161 units from 962,097 unit sales in the same month last year, and were 41% below August 2009 delivery totals, when the government’s CARS (Cash for Clunkers) incentive program concluded.

September’s 9.3 million-unit seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR) likely was the second-lowest monthly sales pace this year after February’s 9.1 million-unit SAAR, according to the J.D. Power and Associates Sales Report.

A few September sales highlights:

•Car sales continued to outpace trucks in September as in the majority of months this year. Car deliveries accounted for 54.1% of total light-vehicle sales, while the light-truck share in September was just 45.9%—a difference of 8.2 percentage points. In August, car deliveries accounted for 58.2% of total light-vehicle sales, which was a record monthly car share this year.

•Compact vehicle (cars and trucks) deliveries declined by more than one-fifth in September vs. the same month a year ago. Although compacts gained 2.0 points of share and ended the month with 36.6% of industry sales, the midsize vehicle category captured a larger 39.6% share of the market in September 2009.

•Only two of 26 subsegments posted year-over-year increases, and both were niche categories. Midsize sporty cars (+54.4%), led by Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, and compact premium crossovers (CUVs) (+47.8%), led by the Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class, posted the best gains through September.

•Eight of 11 multi-franchise automakers outpaced the industry’s decline in September vs. last year.

•Only two multi-franchise automakers — Hyundai Motor (+21.0%) and Jaguar Land Rover (+13.0%) — achieved year-over-year gains from September 2008.

•Among the multi-franchise manufacturers, BMW Group (-0.5%) and the Volkswagen Group (-4.0%) posted the smallest declines in September vs. last year. BMW’s MINI brand and VW Group’s Porsche nameplate each sold more vehicles than a year ago. Daimler Group sales fell 16.9% from last year, but Mercedes-Benz brand deliveries declined only 13.2%.

•Although Ford Motor sales were down 9.0% from last year, the company outperformed the three major Asian automakers last month—Nissan Group (-10.7%); Toyota Group (-16.1%); and Honda Group (-23.3%).

•The most significant year-over declines were experienced by two Detroit automakers. General Motors and Chrysler Group each saw monthly sales declines of more than 44% from last September.

•Among the four independents, Fuji Heavy Industries’ Subaru brand remained the best performer. September deliveries slipped just 3.3% from last year. And while Mazda’s sales were down 15.5%, it also outpaced the industry’s 25.7% decline. Also, Mitsubishi Motors and Suzuki Group underperformed the industry in September.