December two thousand fifteen Dashboard
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The HybridCars.com monthly sales Dashboard is a collaboration of HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates, a Michigan-based market research stiff focusing on automotive issues including the hybrid and electrified vehicle market.
Overall sales for the general passenger vehicle market in December continued at a high level and were up nine percent from a year ago, albeit there were two more selling days than last year (thus the rate of increase on a selling days basis was less albeit still positive).
Sales in latest months have been strong, with enlargening truck sales significantly offsetting a decline in car sales. Plug-ins had another good month thanks to strength of sales of the fresh Chevy Volt, but the other categories of higher mileage vehicles – particularly regular hybrids and diesels – were down.
Note that December is typically a strong month for plug-in hybrids and battery electrical vehicles since many owners seek to obtain their vehicles in order to qualify for the available tax credits.
Sales for utter electrified vehicles were up significantly from November two thousand fifteen and December 2014. In fact, with Tesla sales (estimated of course), December sales were the highest month ever with the Model S carrying the stream. As a share of total sales, December sales were above the year-to-date share and close to best-ever results. As noted, the Model S paced the category and had a best-ever result of three thousand five hundred units. Tesla reached its annual objective of 50,000 units with actual global sales of 50,580. Model X sales were modest at one hundred seventy seven in December or two hundred eight to date. Volumes should increase going forward as production is embarking to ramp up (presently at a rate of two hundred fifty weekly but should increase quickly). Sales of the Nissan Leaf have been consistent over the last several months. The Volkswagen e-Golf had another good month, and in fact reached an all-time high of six hundred nine units. The BMW i3 had a strong month trailing only the unusually high result of September 2015.
As mentioned, plug-in hybrids loved a good month entirely based on the strength of the fresh Volt. Chevrolet’s fresh model is now fully available in the “launch” states with national availability due in the Spring. While sales for the category were plane with November, there was a decent increase in December as compared to December 2014. For the year, sales were down based on a decline in the Volt and the Prius Plug-in hybrid which ceased production in June. While sales of the Volt should increase in the fresh year, the lack of availability of the Prius until the Fall will depress category volumes. The BMW i8 had an excellent month, and clearly enlargened availability is a key factor in its sales. The BMW X5 PHEV also had a good month as it is just becoming available. As a share of total sales, buttplug in sales in December were therefore above the year-to-date level, albeit well below best ever results.
Hybrids had another poor month; in fact their share of total sales was just above November which was the lowest since September 2011. The Toyota RAV4 hybrid debuted in November and had a much better month in December as more volume became available. Each of the three Prius nameplates were up from November albeit sales remain below earlier months. Hybrids were up vs. November at about the rate of the overall market, albeit in comparison to December two thousand fourteen the segment was down. For the month, hybrid sales as a percent of total sales were just under two percent, with the comparable figure for the year at Two.Two percent. For 2014, hybrids were Two.75 percent of the market. The highest result in latest years was two thousand thirteen when hybrids were Trio.Two percent of the total market.
