SOA announced its January 2005 sales today. If you read the text-only press release as it appears on PR Newswire (see http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/02-01-2005/0002942066&EDATE=), sales last month appear good. If you bother to download the 2.1 MB file from SOA's media website at http://vocuspr.vocus.com/VocusPR30/DotNet/Newsroom/ViewAttachment.aspx?SiteName=Subaru&Entity=PRAsset&AttachmentType=F&EntityID=96344&AttachmentID=c8c54fb3-fd07-4b2e-8642-7b80743b337e, you'll find that every Subaru model line, including the new Legacy/Outback, fell in sales relative to January, 2004.

well looks like legacy 'sedans' and impreza 'sedans' are doign better - but thats about it. funny how they 'leave out' all of the bad info in their press release.

January is tradionally a slow month for the auto industry. Everybody blew their wad last month on Christmas, so in January, they're paying bills, not buying new cars.

Bob

January is tradionally a slow month for the auto industry. Everybody blew their wad last month on Christmas, so in January, they're paying bills, not buying new cars.

BobWeren't people doing (or not doing) the same things in Jan 04, when Subaru sold more of everything?

Everyone is down - Ford and GM are taking a bath; even DC, who have a lot of excitement out there with their new models, like the Magnum and the SRT-8 are off a touch.

I guess I always knew there were many more Outbacks and Legacy wagons about than Sedans, but these numbers really show it. The fact that the Sedan is up is almost irrelevant, as it's not a big seller. Where I live, the "volume" pecking order is: #1 Outback (by a mile), #2 Legacy Wagon, and a very poor #3 Legacy Sedans - they really are almost a rarity here. And I think I have seen maybe a very small handful of the SUS model ever.

well Nissan didn't do so bad
http://www.nissannews.com/corporate/news/2004/20050201092400.shtml

The strength of SUV's and truck's kept it in a positive %...

I didn't read the press release yet, but remember that there were 2 less selling days in January vs. last year. It gets a little confusing when they post the actual unit sales - I was browsing Toyota's sales and the units were down for Camary, yet the press release said sales were up something like 1-2%.

On 10000 units, over 28 vs. 30 days - thats about 700 cars less than last year, a drop of 7%.

no guys, sales declined cause we were all waiting to hear if the were going to release the Legacy Sti for the 2006 model year ;)

funny how they 'leave out' all of the bad info in their press release.No kidding.

The AP headline for their report on SOA sales in January (as reported by Forbes at http://www.forbes.com/business/energy/feeds/ap/2005/02/01/ap1796970.html) begins:Subaru January U.S. Sales Rise
02.01.2005, 02:37 PM

Subaru of America Inc. said Tuesday that vehicle sales edged higher in January on continued strong sales of the Legacy sedan.

The brief headline from Investor's Business Daily at http://www.investors.com/breakingnews.asp?journalid=25695438&brk=1 reads: Subaru U.S. January sales up 31%
(2:33 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Subaru of America said Tuesday that U.S. January sales rose 31 percent to 12,340 units.
"Selling Days" is a bogus denominator. People intending to purchase a new car in January will do so regardless of how many Sundays and holidays are involved.

BTW, does every state in the US have laws which prevent car dealerships from conducting business on Sunday? I know many do. Let's here from the ones (if any) that don't.

selling days could mean something depending on which days you lost. TY Jan had 24 vs. 26 LY, if you lose a Saturday/Friday, I would think the impact is greater than losing a Monday/Tuesday.

I can't figure out how their calenday works, to me it looks like they just as many Monday-Saturdays as last year

Ohio sells on Sunday

Ohio sells on SundaySo, if they sell on Sundays in Ohio, I bet they sell on "holidays," too.

Any other states want to chime on on the bogus "selling days" adjustment nonsense?

']So, if they sell on Sundays in Ohio, I bet they sell on "holidays," too.

Any other states want to chime on on the bogus "selling days" adjustment nonsense?

Its not bogus... its a legit stat. For example Feb has fewer selling days than march... perhaps it is insignificant but it all adds up when we are only talking a percent or two.

When you look at volume being way off across the board for most brands, maybe 2004 sales incentives have something to do with it??

Its not bogus... its a legit stat. For example Feb has fewer selling days than march... The comparisons are for the same month a year ago, which tend to have the same number of days each year. If a dealership is open 7 days a week, then why wouldn't selling days = calander days?

']The comparisons are for the same month a year ago, which tend to have the same number of days each year. If a dealership is open 7 days a week, then why wouldn't selling days = calander days?

No.

This January had 5 full weekends (Sat and Sun). Jan 2004 was missing a Sunday. Jan 2003 had only 4 full weekend.

It's not bunk.


And FYI, VA sells on Sundays.

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0502/02/A01-77564.htm

http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/sales-cht12e_20050202.htm

Bob

Today's WSJ

U.S. Auto Sales Fell 5.3% in January

By SHOLNN FREEMAN
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
February 2, 2005

DETROIT – U.S. auto sales declined 5.3% last month from a year earlier, and General Motors Corp. reacted to its sales drop by announcing it had cut production in North America and Europe.

Overall, auto makers in the U.S. market sold 1,006,113 cars and light trucks last month, according to Autodata Corp. The result translated to a 16.26 million seasonally adjusted annualized selling pace for light vehicles, down from a pace of 16.38 million vehicles a year earlier.

While January is typically one of the slowest months of the year for new-vehicle sales, industry executives yesterday said last month's sales were hurt by heavy snow in the Northeast and Midwest and bad weather in other parts of the country. Consumers also have learned that the industry offers some of its best deals in December as companies try to hit annual sales goals. In January, industry executives said, sales suffered "payback" for the December surge.

GM and Ford Motor Co. underperformed the overall market, losing market share to rivals including DaimlerChrysler AG and Toyota Motor Corp. Moreover, some of GM's and Ford's most-profitable large sport-utility vehicles suffered sharp sales declines compared with a year earlier. Sales of Ford's Explorer SUVs slumped 41%. Sales of GM's big Yukon SUV fell nearly 39%.

Some smaller, car-based crossover SUVs fared better. Sales of Nissan Motor Co.'s Murano rose 33%, and demand for Honda Motor Co's Pilot improved by 11%.

Just to add a little positive spin to this thread, sales in Canada were up 2.9% in January as compared to January 2004. Toyota (-1.2%), Honda (-9.5%), Mazda (-34.1%) and Mitsubishi (-13.3%) were all down, so Subaru's positive number looks even better in comparison.

Cheers,

The oh so happy driver of a 2005 Legacy 2.5GT Limited Wagon.

Everybody saw the upside-down moose anus pictures and had second thoughts about Scoobaru!:lol::lol:

Everybody saw the upside-down moose anus pictures and had second thoughts about Scoobaru!:lol::lol:
when was this? sick...

']SOA announced its January 2005 sales today. If you read the text-only press release as it appears on PR Newswire (see http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/02-01-2005/0002942066&EDATE=), sales last month appear good. If you bother to download the 2.1 MB file from SOA's media website at http://vocuspr.vocus.com/VocusPR30/DotNet/Newsroom/ViewAttachment.aspx?SiteName=Subaru&Entity=PRAsset&AttachmentType=F&EntityID=96344&AttachmentID=c8c54fb3-fd07-4b2e-8642-7b80743b337e, you'll find that every Subaru model line, including the new Legacy/Outback, fell in sales relative to January, 2004.


....maybe the word has gotten out there that SOA is a SOB when it comes up to warranty work ?!? :rolleyes:

']
BTW, does every state in the US have laws which prevent car dealerships from conducting business on Sunday? I know many do. Let's here from the ones (if any) that don't.

I've seen a few dealerships in Pennsylvania open and doing business on Sundays. I know of one Audi dealership in California thats regularly open on Sundays.

___________________

As for fewer sales compared to last year, I'll chime in here as Mr Negative, and I'll say that with the prices of new vehicles being generally higher than ever, and the economy being not so stable (in actual peoples' minds, not in gov't statistics), and with many vehicles simply not having sufficient feature content, I'll argue that many people just aren't buying because they want something better and haven't found it yet, or they've found it and it costs too much (so they wait), etc, etc.
I have some buddies who sell used vehicles, and they tell me that the number of customer inquiries about used cars is way up, and the number of used car sales is also up, from prior years.
Could it be that until the economy is booming for all the potential buyers out there, that people are waiting longer before buying new cars? Are people keeping their cars longer? Or are some people redirecting their attention to used cars, such as all the used cars with certified preowned warranties?

Used car sales are way up.
We literally ran out of used cars last month!

The ecomony is going to hell in a handbasket... what do you expect?

We had a weak christmas too...

~v6

Im buying this month. :p You have to realise the market is reaching saturation levels right now. Every tom, **** and harry have a car less than 4 years old. People don't realise how good we have it right now with regards the cost of the cars from the likes of Subaru. Its not going to be too long before the prices have to go up and incentives being offered.

The dollar is toast right now. If the intrest rates don't rise soon the import business is going to hurt real bad. I used to only hear about the dollar being so low now it really is. Someone should reopen a steel factory they would make a killing at the current rates. All the steel we have in salvage yards would go along way.

']Weren't people doing (or not doing) the same things in Jan 04, when Subaru sold more of everything?

Possibly, but there are other things to consider. You'd have to look at December '03 sales vs. December '04 sales, etc.

Possibly, but there are other things to consider. You'd have to look at December '03 sales vs. December '04 sales, etc.

Weather too. This January the northeast—and especially New England—got nailed by a blizzard. So there were more people shoveling rather than shopping.

Bob

I thought snow was supposed to be a Subaru salesman's best friend. The weather where I am was unusually warm during the first half of January.

']I thought snow was supposed to be a Subaru salesman's best friend. The weather where I am was unusually warm during the first half of January.

That's assuming you can get to the dealer. I bet Subaru has a good February, thanks to the January heavy snow in the northeast. :)

Bob

See they should have made a sedan that fits seven.