US Auto Market Stats: The Numbers Don't Lie (DCX, F, GM, HMC, NSANY, TM)

Sometimes it feels like there's too much information out there but other times one can come across some really useful data that paints a clear picture. Yesterday all the major auto manufacturers released their May sales figures. I have compiled all the numbers and then some to help get a better idea of how the industry is aligned.

U.S. May Auto Sales (Increase/Decrease Y-o-y)
1. Honda Motor Co (HMC) +21%
2. Toyota Motor Corp (TM) +17%
3. Ford Motor Co (F) -2%
4. Nissan Motor Co (NSANY) -7%
5. DaimlerChrysler (DCX) -11%
6. General Motors (GM) -12%
Source: Yahoo! Finance/AP

U.S. Auto Market Share, Top-4 YTD (as of 5/31/06)
1. GM 23.5%
2. Ford 17.4%
3. Toyota 14.6%
4. DaimlerChrysler 13.7%
Source: Yahoo! Finance/AP

Profitability Per Vehicle Sold Before Taxes
1-3. Nissan, Toyota, Honda $1,200
4. DaimlerChrysler $223
5. Ford -$590
6. GM -$2,496
Source: Yahoo! Finance/AP

Labor Productivity -- Hours Per Vehicle
1. Nissan 28.5
2. Toyota 29.4
3. Honda 32.5
4. GM 33.2
5. DaimlerChrysler 33.7
6. Ford 35.8
Source: Yahoo! Finance/AP

Briefly, the theme in May was all about compact cars. This shouldn't be a surprise but I admit I am surprised that we are essentially having a replay of the original emergence of Japanese cars onto the U.S. auto scene but the U.S. autos still don't get it. High oil prices and high demand for more fuel efficient cars is still propelling Japanese autos; except for Nissan which is having issues with its product cycle timing. In terms of productivity GM and Chrysler do deserve some credit because if you click the link to the source article you'll see that they are closing the gap. The profitability per vehicle figures are alarming. Just consider the difference between Toyota and GM where a nearly $3,700 difference exists in each car sold. Take a look at the graph in a post I did in April that compares the market cap of U.S. listed autos.

Click here for a link to a post on April's statistics.

1-yr chart comparing TM, NSANY, HMC, GM, F, and DCX