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Planes, Trains & Automobiles

25 Nov 2009

About 38 million Americans are expected to go somewhere this holiday season, and AAA says that's up about 1.4 percent from last year. NBC's Tom Costello has the details.

Maria's Market Message 24 Nov 2009
CNBC's Sue Herera sits in for Maria Bartiromo to discuss the day's top business and financial stories, and look ahead to tomorrow's Closing Bell.

GM's Saab Story

24 Nov 2009

It's back to the drawing board for GM after a Swedish company pulled out at the last minute of a deal to buy the Saab unit. Insight with Erich Merkle, independent automotive consultant and CNBC's Phil LeBeau.

GM's Saab Deal Is Off 24 Nov 2009
General Motors' Saab deal is off, reports CNBC's Phil LeBeau.

BMW Signed as Olympic Partner

20 Nov 2009

BMW has been chosen as the official automotive partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics games. Ian Robertson, board member of BMW Group, spoke to CNBC about the sponsorship.

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CNBC ON DIGG

Auto Sales: A September Not to Remember

Published: Thursday, 1 Oct 2009 | 4:35 PM ET

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By: Phil LeBeau

We knew September sales would be terrible following the Cash for Clunkers pop in July and August.

So when you see both GM and Chrysler down more than 40% it's not a shock.

Ford, after posting its first monthly sales gain in August, fell 8.8%.

Toyota down 6.1%.

You get the picture: few people were buying new cars or trucks last month.

And there are not many compelling factors pushing people to buy right now.

Slideshow: Are You Driving One of The Top Ten Gas-Sipping Cars

The economic recovery has yet to lead to substantial job creation, there were few worthwhile incentives in showrooms, and Cash for Clunkers depleted inventories of the hottest models people want.

So what did September show us? Here are a few of the numbers from the research firm Autodata.

1) Luxury sales/demand are picking up.

BMW was up 3.6%
Porsche was up 8.4%
Mercedes, Lexus, and Cadillac all posted much smaller declines than the overall market.

I wouldn't say it's time to proclaim the high end market is back again, but there is no doubt demand for luxury models is up.

2) Ford, Hyundai keep building off their momentum.

While Ford sales were down last month, the company has now picked up a full percentage point in market share. That's up two-tenths from where the company stood at the end of last month.
Meanwhile, Hyundai sales shot up 27.2% last month. A spectacular move any month, but extremely impressive when total industry sales are down 29%.

3) GM's "former four brands" are paying the price.

Want proof of how much the sale or closing of a brand can hurt sales? Check out the September number for the four brands GM is getting rid of.

Pontiac: Down 52.5%
Saturn: Down 83.8%
Saab: Down 72.5%
HUMMER: Down 81.5%

Listen, I understand these guys have little marketing right now, and many dealers have given up pushing them. It's always interesting though, to see how prospective buyers turn away from brands that are in flux or being eliminated.