Car Brands That Did the Worst in July

Cars and Drivers

Published: August 1, 2017 1:10 pm

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 9:33 am

July was not kind to U.S. automakers, who saw sales fall year over year in the month by some serious numbers. Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) posted a drop of 7.5%, and it was the best performer among the Detroit Three carmakers.

General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) posted the largest decline — 15.4% — and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (NYSE: FCAU) saw sales shrink 10% year over year.

The biggest problem continues to be sales declines in passenger cars, as sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and crossovers remain the favorites among U.S. drivers, but some SUVs and crossovers also saw lower sales volumes.

Before we look at July’s worst-selling cars, we should note that sales of GM and Chevy pickup trucks also declined in July, while Ford’s F-Series saw sales rise 5.8% and Ram pickup sales were flat. Sales of SUVs and crossovers were marginally better: Ford’s SUV sales rose 2.9%; GM’s best performer — the Chevy Equinox — posted a year-over-year boost of 7.5%; and FCA’s Jeep Grand Cherokee model saw a sales rise of 14% year over year.

Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMC) reported that July car sales rose 1.9% year over year in July, with sales of Honda models up 2.8% and sales of Acura models down 12.2%. Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) reported a 3.6% increase in sales in both its Toyota models and its Lexus models.

Volkswagen reported U.S. July sales were down 5.8% year over year, with a 3.5% drop in its best-selling Jetta and a sharp drop in sales of its Passat model the chief culprits.

Here are the 10 models with the biggest year-over-year July unit volume declines, excluding models that are being discontinued:

Buick LaCrosse: down 56.4%
Ford Fusion: down 42.2%
Cadillac CTS: down 40.1%
Chevy Impala: down 39.9%
Ford Mustang: down 35.1%
Volkswagen Passat: down 21.5%
Toyota Corolla sedan: down 16.1%
Ford Fiesta: down 12.5%
Honda CR-V: down 11.8%
Chevy Malibu: down 10.8%

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