How Bad Are Auto Sales? 10 Questions and Answers

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7. Is Hyundai's ad line — You can return your car to us if you lose your job — still moving cars?
Yes. The Korean brands, Hyundai and Kia, have gained market share this year at the expense of their American, Japanese and European rivals. Both Hyundai and Kia were outperforming the industry through May. "Hyundai's share is up over 2 percentage points over the first half of '08, which is a massive undertaking in a very volatile market. We do continue to see them in a position to go after additional share, but it will be a more difficult environment, as the domestics are reawakening," says Jeff Schuster, an analyst with J.D. Power & Associates in Troy, Mich.

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8. How are the German carmakers faring?
They aren't doing great. Volkswagen, BMW, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz have all reported double-digit sales declines so far this year. On the plus side, the overall German share of the market is up slightly, but hanging on doesn't guarantee success. Both Porsche, which is in danger of being swallowed by BMW, and Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler AG have gone to the Middle East for more cash.

9. Are any car manufacturers doing well?
Subaru continues to chug along, building on its modest success last year. Overall, Subaru's sales are down only 1% during the first six months of the year, and it just reported a 3% increase in June. Audi is another carmaker showing signs of gaining share in a difficult market. While its sales are down slightly, Audi now holds more than 9% of the U.S. luxury market, its largest share in years. (Watch an interview with Ford CEO Alan Mulally.)

10. Do these awful sales numbers jeopardize any aspect of the Obama rescue plan?
Manufacturers insist that the latest car sales are a reflection of the underlying weakness of the U.S. economy. Bob Carter, head of the Toyota sales apparatus, notes that the Japanese automaker's sales totals continue to suffer from California's economic crisis as well as its real estate downturn. "It's not one thing: it's real estate, it's availability of credit, it's unemployment" that's hurting California sales, he says. Mike DiGiovanni, GM's general director of market analysis, says the present economic numbers suggest that a modest improvement in economic conditions is under way but that it's still very fragile and could use more stimulus. GM's lawyers warned in bankruptcy court that the company might have to start the liquidation process by mid-July if it is not guaranteed an exit from bankruptcy in the next 30 to 60 days. (On July 5, Judge Robert Gerber of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved the sale of GM's assets to a government-run company.) Further, if a modest recovery in sales doesn't begin soon, the bailouts of both Chrysler and GM could fail. "Our situation is perilous," says GM's LaNeve.

Read "How to Know When the Economy Is Turning Up."

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