The red-hot U.S. auto market is cooling. Total car sales in the United States fell 2.4% in the first half of 2019 and are projected to fall below 17 million for the entire year for the first time in half a decade. Experts predict continued year-over-year declines in the years ahead, with total sales falling as low as 15.1 million in 2021 — down from a record high of 17.5 million set in 2015.
According to auto-industry news and data firm, Edmunds, there are several explanations for the waning sales volume. For one, interest rates recently hit their highest level in a decade, making it more expensive for motorists to finance a new car. Additionally, automakers have been relying heavily on fleet sales in recent years, which is an unsustainable practice. Some companies have been loyal customers of American carmakers in particular — these are the companies that are buying up thousands of American cars.
The fall in sales is not hitting all carmakers equally, however, and a handful of companies are bearing the brunt of the decline. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed changes in total sales from the first half of 2018 to the first half of 2019 to identify the car brands with plummeting sales.
While falling car sales are partially the result of broader economic conditions, for many brands on this list, the decline may be attributable in part to low customer satisfaction. The car brands with declining sales on this list are more likely to have a lower customer satisfaction score than the industry average of 79 out of 100 — according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index — than the brands with climbing year-over-year sales.
Customer loyalty also appears to play a role. The car brands reporting the biggest declines in sales are also among the ones least likely to retain their customers. These are the car brands with the most and least loyal customers.
Click here to see the car brands with plummeting sales
Click here to read our methodology
35. Tesla
> YoY sales change: +62.5%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 83,900
> Sales, first half of 2018: 51,642
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: N/A
> Parent company: Tesla Inc.
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34. Genesis
> YoY sales change: +37.8%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 10,008
> Sales, first half of 2018: 7,262
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: N/A
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
33. Ram
> YoY sales change: +28.0%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 333,168
> Sales, first half of 2018: 260,341
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 80 out of 100
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
32. Jaguar
> YoY sales change: +11.8%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 16,282
> Sales, first half of 2018: 14,558
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: N/A
> Parent company: Tata Motors
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31. Volkswagen
> YoY sales change: +6.8%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 184,608
> Sales, first half of 2018: 172,887
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 77 out of 100
> Parent company: Volkswagen Group
30. Mitsubishi
> YoY sales change: +5.6%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 71,100
> Sales, first half of 2018: 67,327
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 76 out of 100
> Parent company: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
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29. Subaru
> YoY sales change: +5.2%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 339,525
> Sales, first half of 2018: 322,860
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 82 out of 100
> Parent company: Subaru Corp
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28. Volvo
> YoY sales change: +4.8%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 50,120
> Sales, first half of 2018: 47,845
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 82 out of 100
> Parent company: Zhejiang Geely Holding Group
27. Kia
> YoY sales change: +3.8%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 304,844
> Sales, first half of 2018: 293,563
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 76 out of 100
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
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26. Land Rover
> YoY sales change: +3.0%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 46,123
> Sales, first half of 2018: 44,779
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: N/A
> Parent company: Tata Motors
25. GMC
> YoY sales change: +2.9%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 277,280
> Sales, first half of 2018: 269,509
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 78 out of 100
> Parent company: General Motors
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24. BMW
> YoY sales change: +2.0%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 156,439
> Sales, first half of 2018: 153,386
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 82 out of 100
> Parent company: BMW Group
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23. Hyundai
> YoY sales change: +1.7%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 333,328
> Sales, first half of 2018: 327,785
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 79 out of 100
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
22. Acura
> YoY sales change: +1.5%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 73,767
> Sales, first half of 2018: 72,653
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 78 out of 100
> Parent company: Honda Motor Company
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21. Lincoln
> YoY sales change: +1.1%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 50,815
> Sales, first half of 2018: 50,269
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 82 out of 100
> Parent company: Ford Motor Co.
20. Cadillac
> YoY sales change: +0.8%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 75,735
> Sales, first half of 2018: 75,108
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 81 out of 100
> Parent company: General Motors
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19. Lexus
> YoY sales change: +0.6%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 135,735
> Sales, first half of 2018: 134,994
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 84 out of 100
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.
18. Honda
> YoY sales change: -1.6%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 703,428
> Sales, first half of 2018: 714,901
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 82 out of 100
> Parent company: Honda Motor Company
17. Buick
> YoY sales change: -2.1%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 107,238
> Sales, first half of 2018: 109,574
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 79 out of 100
> Parent company: General Motors
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16. Porsche
> YoY sales change: -3.4%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 30,257
> Sales, first half of 2018: 31,335
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: N/A
> Parent company: Volkswagen Group
15. Ford
> YoY sales change: -4.5%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 1,170,982
> Sales, first half of 2018: 1,226,398
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 77 out of 100
> Parent company: Ford Motor Co.
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14. Toyota
> YoY sales change: -4.9%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 1,016,373
> Sales, first half of 2018: 1,069,138
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 81 out of 100
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.
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13. Audi
> YoY sales change: -5.8%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 101,440
> Sales, first half of 2018: 107,687
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 82 out of 100
> Parent company: Volkswagen
12. Chevrolet
> YoY sales change: -6.4%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 938,626
> Sales, first half of 2018: 1,002,638
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 80 out of 100
> Parent company: General Motors
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11. Nissan
> YoY sales change: -7.7%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 653,978
> Sales, first half of 2018: 708,525
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 75 out of 100
> Parent company: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
10. Jeep
> YoY sales change: -7.8%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 456,281
> Sales, first half of 2018: 495,022
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 76 out of 100
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
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9. Mercedes-Benz
> YoY sales change: -8.0%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 159,130
> Sales, first half of 2018: 172,943
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 83 out of 100
> Parent company: Daimler AG
8. Dodge
> YoY sales change: -9.1%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 228,099
> Sales, first half of 2018: 250,933
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 74 out of 100
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
7. Infiniti
> YoY sales change: -12.6%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 63,058
> Sales, first half of 2018: 72,170
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 82 out of 100
> Parent company: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
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6. Mazda
> YoY sales change: -15.5%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 138,553
> Sales, first half of 2018: 163,924
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 77 out of 100
> Parent company: Mazda Motor Group
5. Mini
> YoY sales change: -22.3%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 17,583
> Sales, first half of 2018: 22,636
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: N/A
> Parent company: BMW Group
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4. Alfa Romeo
> YoY sales change: -26.3%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 9,037
> Sales, first half of 2018: 12,265
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: N/A
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
3. Smart
> YoY sales change: -26.9%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 475
> Sales, first half of 2018: 650
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: N/A
> Parent company: Daimler AG
2. Chrysler
> YoY sales change: -27.3%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 64,422
> Sales, first half of 2018: 88,630
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 71 out of 100
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
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1. Fiat
> YoY sales change: -38.4%
> Sales, first half of 2019: 5,103
> Sales, first half of 2018: 8,285
> 2019 ACSI customer satisfaction score: 77 out of 100
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Methodology
To identify the car brands with plummeting sales, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the percentage change in total sales by brand from the first two quarters of 2018 to the first two quarters of 2019. Quarterly sales data came from auto-sales data company goodcarbadcar.
We also reviewed each brand’s score from the American Consumer Satisfaction Index. The ACSI assigns brands a score out of 100 based on customers opinions of their experiences with the brand in a range of areas including performance, dependability, safety, warranties, technology, comfort, and gas mileage. Not all brands on the list have an ACSI score.
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