North American Vehicle Sales Up in 2005

As if to further underscore the complex challenges facing the automotive vehicle market, reports of 2005 production show that more cars and trucks were sold in 2005 than 2004.
WardsAuto.com is estimating that calendar-year 2005 production in North America of all cars and trucks, including medium- and heavy-duty makes, will finish at 16,316,174 units, up 0.6 percent from 2004’s 16,224,864.
North American output for the final week of 2005 is estimated at 9,709 units, compared to 299,620 built the prior week and zero output estimated for same-week 2004.
Although Ward’s is discontinuing its weekly production estimates as of 2006, the independent automotive data and publishing service will continue to offer monthly and annual production, as well as production forecasts, for North American assembly plants at the manufacturer, plant and vehicle line levels.
When drawn along national lines, however, Mexico comes out the big winner.
In just the U.S., calendar 2005 output is estimated at 11,945,936 units, down 0.1 percent from the 11,960,354 vehicles assembled last year.
Canada’s 2005 output is pegged at 2,691,409 units, down 0.7 percent from 2004.
Meanwhile production in Mexico is estimated to have increased 8.1% to 1,678,829.
Of 2005’s estimated U.S. vehicle production, General Motors Corp. accounted for 27.6 percent;, 23.4 percent; Chrysler of DaimlerChrysler, 13.9 percent; Honda of America Mfg. Inc., 7.8 percent; Toyota Mfg. Inc., 7.3 percent; Nissan Motor Mfg. Corp., 7.0 percent; New United Motor Mfg. Inc., 3.5 percent; Inc., 1.1 percent; Mitsubishi Motor Mfg. of America Inc., 0.7 percent; AutoAlliance International Inc., 2.3 percent; Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc., 1.0 percent; Mercedes- Benz U.S. of DaimlerChrysler, 0.6 percent; and other manufacturers, 3.8 percent.