Every month, in the United States Automotive Industry, the car manufacturers report their sales for the previous month. The sales numbers for April, 2009 are out. Here at Auto News Review, we’ve broken down the numbers for each auto manufacturer. Ford continued to amaze, as Ford gained retail share, for the sixth time in last seven months. Ford Fusion set a monthly sales record and grew strength in the mid-size car segment. Mitsubishi’s car sales are down a whopping 55.9 percent from April 2008 sales.

Subaru of America, Inc. Announces April 2009 Sales Results
Subaru of America, Inc. announced that sales for the month of April were down 7-percent with 15,649 units sold in April 2009 versus 16,771 units sold in April 2008. For YTD sales, the company saw a 1-percent sales decrease as April 2009 YTD units sales were 57,181 versus 57,652 units sold in April 2008. The 2009 Subaru Forester and Legacy continue to break sales records as the Forester was up 12-percent over last year’s April sales, while the Subaru Legacy had a 36-percent increase in sales over April 2008 — each representing an April record.

            Apr-09  Apr-08  % chg    April-09 YTD  April-08 YTD   % chg
Legacy    2,561   1,890     36%        6,621         7,015      -6%
Outback*  3,293   4,137    -20%       11,806        15,736     -25%
Impreza   3,273   4,010    -18%       12,875        15,189     -15%
Forester  5,955   5,339     12%       23,897        15,327      56%
Tribeca     567   1,395    -59%        1,982         4,384     -55%
Total**  15,649  16,771     -7%       57,181        57,652      -1%

* Includes Legacy Wagon
**2008 total does not include 1 Baja sale

Audi Expects April U.S. Imported Luxury Market Share to Hit 9.2%
Audi announced sales for the month of April 2009 totaling 7,010 units sold. Audi predicts the April numbers will represent the brand’s largest market share of 2009 within the U.S. luxury vehicle market when monthly industry sales are compared to year-earlier results. In April 2009, there was a very strong demand for the new Audi Q5 luxury crossover vehicle. In just its second full month of sales, the Audi Q5 again surpassed 1,000 sales with a reported 1,212 units sold in April 2009.

Mitsubishi Motors Reports April 2009 Sales
Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) announced April 2009 sales of 3,919. This represents a decline of 55.9 percent from April 2008 sales of 8,878.

Mazda Reports April 2009 Sales
Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) reported April 2009 sales of 16,139 in the U.S., down 32.1 percent versus last year, and year-to-date sales of 69,934, down 31.1 percent. The MX-5 Miata had the best selling month since May 2008, selling 1,307 vehicles.

Chrysler Reports April 2009 U.S. Auto Sales
Chrysler reported April 2009 U.S. total sales of 76,682 units, representing a 48 percent decrease versus 2008. Jeep Wrangler continued its strong, upward sales trend, with April 2009 sales up seven percent (9,336 units) year-over-year compared to April 2008. Sales of the 2009 Dodge Challenger were up 11 percent (2,619 units) in April compared to March 2009. Retail sales of the 2009 Chrysler Town & Country increased six percent in April 2009 compared to March 2009. The all-new 2009 Dodge Ram truck continues to capture the attention of consumers and increase its market share; sales of the all-new 2009 Dodge Ram Quad Cab model increased 26 percent compared to March 2009.

Hyundai Motor America Reports April 2009 Sales
Hyundai Motor America announced sales of 33,952 vehicles in April, a 14 percent decline versus April 2008, in an industry expected to be down more than 30 percent.

CARLINE       APR/2008     APR/2009     CY/2008      CY/2009
-------       --------     --------      -------      ------
ACCENT           4,115        5,189       14,329      18,912
SONATA          11,001       11,815       35,432      37,472
ELANTRA          9,981        4,684       33,851      26,479
TIBURON            894        3,353        2,965       6,263
SANTA FE         7,252        3,726       24,943      19,839
AZERA            2,771          289        8,477       1,292
TUCSON           1,721        1,428        7,734       5,106
ENTOURAGE          500          186        2,042       3,171
VERACRUZ         1,045        1,206        4,845       5,251
GENESIS              0        2,076            0       6,021
TOTAL           39,280       33,952      134,618     129,806

Kia Motors America Announces April 2009 Sales
Kia Motors America (KMA) announced April 2009 sales of 25,606 units, and year-to-date sales of 94,499 total units. The critically acclaimed Soul, Kia’s all-new and uniquely styled urban passenger vehicle, recorded robust sales of 3,228 units in April 2009 and 4,508 total units since its arrival in February 2009.

Volkswagen Reports April 2009 Sales
Volkswagen of America, Inc. announced April 2009 sales of 16,289 units, a 16.1 percent decrease over April 2008 sale of 19,415 units. Volkswagen’s European tuned minivan, Routan, posted its best sales month ever with 2,606 unit sales. The New Beetle also performed well in April with its best sales month since August of 2008.

BMW Group U.S. Division Reports April 2009 Sales
The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported April sales of 19,362 vehicles, a decrease of 38.4 percent from the 31,448 vehicles sold in the same month of 2008. The BMW Group also reported a year-to-date sales volume of 70,606 vehicles, down 29.4 percent, compared to 99,977 vehicles sold in the same period a year ago. Despite the negative development in April, both BMW and MINI continue to track better than their market segments year-to-date.

Acura Announces April 2009 Sales Results
Total Acura sales for April 2009 were 8,813, down 32.3 percent compared to April 2008, with Acura year-to-date* sales totaling 33,333 units, down 33.4 percent. The all-new TL performance luxury sedan remained as Acura’s top selling model in April, a three month sales trend, with TL sales reaching 3,105 units, down 27.6 percent as compared to last year.

American Honda Reports April Sales of 101,029
American Honda Motor Co., Inc., posted April vehicle sales of 101,029, a decline of 25.3 percent* compared to April 2008, the company reported today. Honda Division posted April sales of 92,216, a decline of 24.5 percent compared to April 2008.

Mercedes-Benz Reports April 2009 Sales of 14,565
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) reported April 2009 sales of 14,565 vehicles, a decline of 28.1 percent over April 2008. The volume leaders for the month were the C, GLK, and M-Class with sales of 4,274, 1,869, and 1,838 respectively. On a year-to-date basis, the company sold 54,799 new vehicles, a decrease of 29.7 percent over the comparable period last year.

Toyota Reports April 2009 Sales
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., reported month-end sales of 126,540 vehicles, a decrease of 41.9 percent from April 2008, on a daily selling rate basis. The Toyota Division posted April sales of 112,345 units, a decrease of 42.2 percent from the same period last year. The Lexus Division reported April sales of 14,195 units, a decrease of 39.2 percent from the year-ago month.

Daimler AG Reports a 30.7 Percent Decrease for the Mercedes-Benz Cars Division in the U.S. for April 2009
Daimler AG (stock exchange abbreviation DAI) reported sales for the Mercedes-Benz Cars division (Mercedes-Benz and smart combined) of 15,910 units in the U.S. for April 2009. Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) reported April 2009 sales of 14,565 vehicles, a decline of 28.1 percent over April 2008. The volume leaders for the month were the C, GLK, and M-Class with sales of 4,274, 1,869, and 1,838 respectively. On a year-to-date basis, the company sold 54,799 new vehicles, a decrease of 29.7 percent over the comparable period last year. smart USA recorded 1,345 sales in April 2009. Year to date sales now total 6,282 units which represents a 2 percent increase versus April 2008 year-to-date sales. Since its introduction in the United States, there are over 30,000 smart fortwos traveling the highways throughout America. The smart fortwo offers the right balance of power, outstanding fuel efficiency, innovative safety features, environmental friendliness and excellent value. There are currently 75 smart centers in 35 states.

Nissan North America Announces April 2009 Sales
Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) (NASDAQ:NSANY) reported sales for April 2009 of 47,190 units versus 75,855 units a year ago, a decrease of 37.8 percent. Sales of Nissan Division vehicles decreased 36.3 percent, while sales of Infiniti vehicles decreased by 48.3 percent.

Ford Gains Retail Share as Ford Fusion Sets Sales Record
Ford gained retail share, for the sixth time in last seven months. Ford Fusion set a monthly sales record and grew strength in the mid-size car segment. Ford hybrids combine to eclipse year-ago sales. Kelley Blue Book named Fusion Hybrid and Escape Hybrid to Top 10 Green Cars list. Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sales totaled 129,898 for April 2009. In April 2009, the Ford Fusion paced the share performance. Fusion sales totaled 18,321, a record for any month. April was the first full month of sales for the redesigned 2010 model and the new Fusion Hybrid version, and April is believed to be the first month that Fusion was among the top three-selling mid-size sedans. Recent independent studies rate Fusion and the Mercury Milan – the most fuel-efficient mid-size sedans in America – as having the best predicted reliability among all mid-size sedans.