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Auto Blog
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
BRZ Sales Are Way Up Amid Subaru Sales Slide
Subaru at large faced a correction last month, but the sports car market didn't get the memo Subaru, among other automakers, has been enjoying month after month of record sales figures, in part thanks to the threat/eventuality of tariffs. While the brand remains up year over year, May 2025 saw Subaru move almost 6,000 fewer vehicles than in May 2024. It's a mixed bag across models, but there were a handful of winners. Arguably, the most surprising performance is by the brand's lone sports car offering, the Subaru BRZ. 0:08 / 0:09 2025 Ford Maverick: 4 reasons to love it, 2 reasons to think twice Watch More Sporty offerings were the biggest winners and losers for Subaru's May sales Diving into the numbers, Subaru's performance offerings are both a point of unexpected pride and a huge drag on the brand. The Subaru WRX tumbled 71.2 percent year-over-year, with the brand moving less than 500 examples off the lot last month. Year over year, the car is down 23.6 percent, the largest decline among the brand's lineup. On a positive note, the Subaru BRZ saw tremendous growth. A 43.6 percent gain compared to May 2024 helped the BRZ enjoy a 24.6 percent gain year-over-year. It's the second biggest gain for the brand, sitting aside the Solterra EV, another surprise, which saw a healthy 28.4 percent increase in volume year over year. There's a bit of a catch to that BRZ statistic, though. You see, Subaru only moved 227 BRZ coupes in May of 2024, so a 43.6 percent increase moves the needle to 326 units. That's hardly the volume needed to save the brand, and remarkably still fewer overall units than the WRX. At the current pace, Subaru is on track to sell nearly exactly 3,000 units over the entire year. Assuming the car stays in play for 10 years, that'll put BRZ production considerably under historically desirable and collectible models like the E46 BMW M3. Per year, BRZ sales are less than a quarter of what Porsche achieves with the 911. Subaru WRX 2025 Subaru BRZ It's complicated across the rest of the Subaru lineup, with sales fluctuating wildly The biggest drag on Subaru's May sales was the Outback. The brand moved just 11,214 examples compared to 16,506 last year, a drop of 32.1 percent and over 5,000 units. The Ascent, too, suffered a 32.8 percent decline, with 3,547 SUVs finding their way into customer hands as opposed to 5,277 in May 2024. There were some winners in May, though. The Crosstrek and Legacy both saw double-digit gains over the previous May and remain up year-to-date, with the former increasing by 15.5 percent and the latter by 24.4 percent. In fact, only the WRX, Outback, and Ascent are down year-to-date, where Subaru stays 3 percent ahead year to date compared to last year. Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness — Source: Subaru Final thoughts Other than rekindling my desire to own a BRZ — it's rarer than a Porsche 911, you see — Subaru's sales numbers for May only really paint a bleak picture for the WRX. We're not sure what's going on there, although there's speculation that a new STI model may be on the way. Perhaps would-be buyers are waiting to see where that thread leads. Either way, the next time an automaker starts whinging that sports cars don't sell, we have exactly one data point to rub in their face. Hopefully, they don't look too far into it. About the Author Steven Paul View Profile
Motor 1
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Motor 1
Your Car's Color Might Be Killing Its Resale Value
If you're someone concerned about resale value, then the color you pick might be more important than you think. A new study reveals that not all cars depreciate the same, and if you want to get the most money for your vehicle down the line, you're better off going bright and flashy. According to the latest iSeeCars study, yellow and orange vehicles depreciated by 24.0 and 24.4 percent, respectively, over a three-year period. Green cars also held their value, depreciating 26.3 percent. That's better than the three-year average depreciation of 31.0 percent. Overall Rank Color 3-Year % Depreciation $ Difference from MSRP 1 Yellow 24.0% $13,667 2 Orange 24.4% $9,951 3 Green 26.3% $13,152 4 Beige 29.5% $18,455 5 Red 29.8% $13,013 6 Silver 29.8% $12,636 7 Brown 30.4% $14,197 8 Gray 30.5% $13,648 9 Blue 30.9% $14,994 10 Black 31.9% $15,381 11 White 32.1% $15,557 12 Gold 34.4% $16,679 Gold-colored vehicles fared the worst, losing 34.4 percent of their value. White and black, two of the most popular colors , were also at the bottom, depreciating 32.1 and 31.9 percent. This is likely because 'those colors provide zero distinction in the used market, reducing their value and making it easy for buyers to shop around for the lowest-priced model in these shades,' according to iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer. However, the type of vehicle the color is on also matters. Orange trucks lost 16.0 of their value in the study, followed by green and gray. Shockingly, red trucks lost the most, but just barely, at 28.8 percent. Black, white, and beige were below red but all above 28.0 percent depreciation. Orange and green SUVs lost the least amount of value compared to black, brown, and white models, while orange and green sedans held theirs better than the other colors. And if you're looking for a minivan, get a green one. They lost just 15.3 percent of their value in three years, followed by brown vans, which lost 21.3 percent. iSeeCars compared 1.2 million three-year-old used cars to determine the impacts of color on resale value. Check out the full study for all the details. Check Out More Interesting Studies: Mazda Miata Owners Barely Drive Their Cars: Study Kia Is 'Seriously Studying' a Pickup Truck for America Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Source: iSeeCars Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
The Herald
03-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Herald
May figures: the best-selling cars in SA
May's new vehicle market in South Africa registered 45,308 sales against the 37,139 retailed in the same month last year. It was the eighth month in a row that sales have outperformed those of a year earlier. After five months of 2025, the market is 12.6% ahead of the same stage of 2024, up from 205,771 to 231,719 units. Brandon Cohen, chair of the National Automobile Dealers' Association (Nada), thinks the real market is stronger than it appears as 12 of the 24 Chinese brands selling vehicles here don't report their sales numbers. Lebo Gaoaketse, head of marketing and communication at WesBank, was cautiously enthusiastic about the figures. 'First quarter sales performed better by volume while displaying slower growth, indicating that the month was a solid volume performance rather than an overriding reason to celebrate,' he said. 'While volumes continue to be confidence-inspiring, household budgets remain under pressure,' said Gaoaketse.
The Independent
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Auto Trader reports growing car sales despite ‘financial pressure' on customers
Car selling platform Auto Trader has said the UK's automotive market is in 'good health' with growing new and used car sales, defying another year of high interest rates and weak consumer confidence. Auto Trader said the UK's new car market grew 3% over the last 12 months, mainly driven by more sales for company 'fleet' vehicles, but standard retail sales fell 4% year-on-year. Meanwhile, the company said it saw 'strong levels of demand for used cars', with 4% more sales this year than last, though supply remains below pre-pandemic levels. It said used car pricing has been 'stable' over the last 12 months after declines in the previous financial year. The group said it saw a 5% increase in the number of cars advertised through its platform, an average of 449,000 per month through the year. And it said consumers made a record 81.6 million visits to Auto Trader's platforms this year. Auto Trader's revenues came in at £601.1 million in the year to March 31, up 5% compared with the previous 12 months, while profit rose 8% to £376.8 million. The growth in both markets comes despite another year of high interest rates and inflation in the UK, which the company said put 'financial pressure' on customers. The company said that through much of the year, consumer demand exceeded the supply of used cars, meaning sales tended to happen fast. Nathan Coe, chief executive of Auto Trader, said: 'Despite broader macroeconomic uncertainties, the UK car market is in good health and we continue to deliver against our strategy to improve car buying and retailing.' He added that the company launched a new artificial intelligence product range called Co-Driver, which is helping to speed up searches on Auto Trader's platform. Mr Coe said: 'The first wave of Co-Driver products has already successfully enhanced the quality of adverts, while reducing the amount of time it takes for retailers to advertise their vehicles. 'We see significant potential for the use of AI to improve the buying and selling of cars in the years ahead.' 'We remain confident in the outlook for the business given our strong market position, the value we deliver for customers, and our unique data and technology capabilities.'
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Tariff Effects Look To Spark Tough Summer
After an initial rush to purchase vehicles before import tariffs kicked in, the sales rate has ... More slowed and prices are likely to increase. It was all going so well. Sales for both new and used vehicles were already skipping along at a brisk pace. After Pres. Trump announced tariffs on imported vehicles sales then accelerated into overdrive when consumers stormed showrooms to avoid the expected price hikes. But as British troubadours Chad and Jeremy sang long ago, that was yesterday, and yesterday's gone. Cox Automotive senior economist Charlie Chesbrough briefing media on market conditions during an ... More event at the Manheim Detroit wholesale vehicle auction facility on May 22, 2025. 'It's really tomorrow that we're worried about, and that's because these tariffs are really going to start to have an impact on the market here over the next couple of months,' said Charlie Chesbrough, senior economist at Cox Automotive, during a media event at the company's Manheim Detroit wholesale auto auction facility. 'We think that there's going to be a situation where the selling pace of both the new and the used market is likely to shift into a slower pace here over the summer months, as high vehicle prices start to hit the market.' The rush to score deals before the tariffs kicked in led to the seasonally-adjusted sales rate for new vehicles to jump to 17.8 million vehicles in March, and 17.3 million in April, according to Cox research. That squares with research from J.D. Power showing in March and April, approximately 149,000 extra vehicles were sold due to buyers re-timing their purchases on the expectation of significant future price increases. 'These re-timed sales will present a headwind to the industry sales pace for the balance of this year,' wrote Thomas King, president of the data and analytics division at J.D. Power. 'Despite this effect, retail demand for new vehicles remains robust, with retail sales expected to increase 1.1% over a year ago.' Used car sales saw a similar surge, although Chesbrough points out that's more typical of the spring selling season when consumers receive their tax refunds. In both cases, however, the buying frenzy has led to thinner inventories, meaning fewer discounts and higher prices, bad news at a time when vehicle affordability was just starting to attenuate from record highs. 'We actually went through a period where prices were contracting for quite a time in the new vehicle market,' pointed out Chesbrough. 'But now you can see they're starting to rise again, and with these tariffs coming in over the course of the summer, that's going to put even more pressure on these prices and in the used vehicle markets, a similar story as well.' Prices for used vehicles are starting to increase due to lean inventories of trade-ins and vehicles ... More coming off-lease. The average transaction price for new vehicles rose 1% last month from a year ago and about $1,000 from March to about $48,700. For used vehicles, the ATP stood at $25,547, down from the peaks during the days of lean inventories caused by Covid-era production slowdowns, according to Cox research. The numbers from J.D. Power differ slightly, but not the trend. 'The average used-vehicle price is trending towards $29,168, up $130 from a year ago,' wrote King. 'This reflects the combination of reduced supply of recent model-year used vehicles—due to lower new-vehicle production during the pandemic—fewer lease maturities and manufacturers moderating discounts.' But in both cases, consumers' budgets are likely to be further challenged as we head into the summer. 'Our expectation is over the course of the summer, those prices are going to rise even more quickly,' predicted Chesbrough. Auction lanes at Manheim Detroit where used vehicles are sold to dealers. Stark evidence of price increases for used vehicles is seen at the sprawling Manheim Detroit facility and the other Manheim sites, where dealers bid on vehicles to fill their lots through both online and in-person auctions. The selling price at those auctions rose an average of about 4.9% in April with the largest increase of 5.5%, according to Chesbrough. That includes the full breadth of body styles for internal combustion engine and electric vehicles. Propping up used vehicle values is the dearth of trade-ins and turned-in lease vehicles caused by the Covid-era production and sales slump. But with both the sales and leasing pace seeing sharp increases since then, the supply of used vehicles coming to auction is expected to surge in the next couple of years, but with a distinct change in category. With battery electric and hybrid vehicles leasing at more than a 50% rate the last few years, Chesbrough expects 'We're going to see a whole bunch of those electric vehicles coming to auction. In fact, about 500,000 are expected in 2027.' Consumer sentiment is at its lowest point since the Great Recession in June, 2022, according to the ... More University of Michigan. But in the near-term, despite some automakers vowing to absorb the costs of import tariffs, eschewing price increases, the combination of the levies and the overall state of the economy has consumer confidence as its lowest point since June of 2022 during the Great Recession, according to the University of Michigan consumer sentiment study. 'We were recovering,' said Chesbrough. 'But then once we got past the election and Trump started talking about these tariffs, we've fallen off a cliff since last December. The concern is that when you have consumers in this situation where they're really concerned about the outlook for the U.S. economy, it almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. They start pulling back on their consumption.' Indeed the title of another long-ago hit may predict what's up ahead could very well turn out to be a 'Cruel Summer.'
