Edmunds.com May 2012 Auto Sales Forecast: Steady Pace Continues as Summer Approaches

  Edmunds.com May 2012 Auto Sales Forecast: Steady Pace Continues as Summer
  Approaches

Business Wire

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- May 24, 2012

Light vehicle sales are expected to continue at a healthy clip in May, reports
Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information.
Edmunds.com estimates that 1,391,163 new cars will be sold in May, for an
estimated Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of 14.4 million. This would
be a 17.5 percent increase from April 2012 and a 31.1 percent increase
(unadjusted for number of selling days) from May 2011.

“Almost halfway through the year, the auto industry keeps chugging along
toward a mid-14 million unit sales pace,” said Jessica Caldwell, Sr. Analyst
at Edmunds.com. “With continued pent-up demand and consumers gaining more and
more access to credit, there’s every reason to believe that sales can continue
at this rate through the rest of the year.”

SALES VOLUME FORECAST, BY MANUFACTURER
                                                                     
Sales         May-12                                  Change from     Change
Volume        Forecast      May-11        Apr-12      May 2011*       from Apr
                                                                      2012
GM            246,321       221,192       213,387     11.4%           15.4%
Ford          222,712       191,537       179,658     16.3%           24.0%
Toyota        205,391       108,387       178,044     89.5%           15.4%
Chrysler      164,083       115,363       141,165     42.2%           16.2%
Honda         135,908       90,773        122,012     49.7%           11.4%
Nissan        97,545        76,148        71,329      28.1%           36.8%
Industry      1,391,163     1,061,132     1,184,027   31.1%           17.5%
                                                                       
                            *NOTE: May 2012 had 26 selling days; May 2011 had
                            24

Edmunds.com estimates that retail SAAR will come in at 11.6 million vehicles
in May, with fleet transactions accounting for 19.3 percent of total sales. An
estimated 3.23 million used cars will be sold in May, for a SAAR of 37.5m
(compared to 3.49 million – or a SAAR of 37.6 million – used car sales in
April).

AUTOMAKER PERFORMANCE

Toyota stands out above the other top auto manufacturers this month, thanks to
a projected 90 percent sales increase and a 4.5 percentage point market share
increase year over year. The growth underscores the progress that Toyota has
made since the March 2011 earthquake in Japan that temporarily damaged its
production capabilities and severely weakened its U.S. market position last
year. Honda’s numbers also reflect its year-long battle to shake off the
quake’s aftereffects, with sales and market share projected to be up almost 50
percent and 1.2 percentage points, respectively, year over year.

MARKET SHARE FORECAST, BY MANUFACTURER
                                                                     
Market        May-12                             Change from May      Change
Share         Forecast     May-11     Apr-12     2011                 from Apr
                                                                      2012
GM            17.7%        20.8%      18.0%      -3.1%                -0.3%
Ford          16.0%        18.1%      15.2%      -2.0%                0.8%
Toyota        14.8%        10.2%      15.0%      4.5%                 -0.3%
Chrysler      11.8%        10.9%      11.9%      0.9%                 -0.1%
Honda         9.8%         8.6%       10.3%      1.2%                 -0.5%
Nissan        7.0%         7.2%       6.0%       -0.2%                1.0%

The resurgence of Japanese automakers comes at the expense of U.S.
manufacturers whose market shares are coming back to earth after gains in the
months following the earthquake. General Motors and Ford are expected to see
their year-over-year market shares fall 3.1 percent and 2.0 percent,
respectively, this month. Chrysler, meanwhile, is still showcasing its
resilience, with an expected market share gain of 0.9 percentage points. Its
estimated 164,000 sales could be the automakers biggest single month since
March 2008.

About Edmunds.com, Inc.

Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, launched
in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site. Its acclaimed mobile
site, Edmunds.com Android App and five-star Edmunds iPhone and iPad apps make
car pricing and other research tools available for car shoppers at dealerships
and on the go. Its automotive enthusiast web site, InsideLine.com, is the
most-read car publication of its kind. Its highly regarded mobile site and
iPhone app features the wireless Web's most comprehensive gallery of
automotive photos and videos. Edmunds.com Inc. is headquartered in Santa
Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit.
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Contact:

Edmunds.com Corporate Communications
Jeannine Fallon/Aaron Lewis/Stephanie Mar
www.Edmunds.com
Media Hotline: 310-309-4900
pr@edmunds.com