If you’ve been tracking sales the last few months, August won’t shock you. The same drivers (SUVs/hybrids) are still carrying demand, while sedan-heavy line-ups and EVs remain a mixed bag.
The rundown: Toyota leaned on familiar names as RAV4 sales climbed 20% from last year and 13% from July, hitting 42,311 units. Camry added 28,523 sales, up 14% YoY, while Lexus chipped in 33,368, a 12% lift.
That’s 225,367 vehicles sold in August, up 14% vs last year and 12% vs July.
Honda told a similar story, but with more weight on electrified models.
Nearly 44,000 hybrids and EVs sold in August, a record that pushed them to 36% of the brand’s total. That mix helped Honda reach 132,734 sales overall, 4.4% higher YoY and 7.8% stronger than July.
Acura sales were flat MoM at 11,101 sales, about the same as July, but down 7.5% YoY.
If we’re talking records: Hyundai logged 88,523 sales, its best August ever, and 12% stronger compared to August 2024.
EVs jumped 72% YoY, with IONIQ 5 retail sales climbing 60%.
The Palisade surged 50% YoY, though it cooled slightly from July’s record pace.
And Kia wasn’t far behind, delivering 83,007 vehicles, up 10% YoY and 5% MoM.
Carnival (+29% YoY), Telluride (+19%), and Sportage (+19%) kept the core lineup strong, while EV9 and EV6 set personal bests.
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Ford $F ( ▼ 0.09% ), meanwhile, leaned on its SUV lineup, with Bronco sales jumping 32% from last year (+9% MoM), while the Explorer added 22%, and Expedition spiked 54%.
On the electrified side, hybrids climbed 14.5%, while Mach-E (+35% YoY) and Lightning (+21% YoY) helped drive EV sales higher by 19%.
That’s 190,206 vehicles for the month, 4% higher YoY and 2% stronger than July.
Lincoln didn’t share the momentum, given that sales fell 15% YoY, with Navigator being the only model to show sales growth (+9% MoM).
At Subaru: The Crosstrek had its best month ever at 20,442 sales (+14% MoM), the Solterra EV hit a new high, and Forester climbed 5.7% YoY.
Those gains balanced softer Outback and Ascent totals, leaving Subaru with 61,220 sales, just above July but down 2.9% from last year.
Where momentum faded: Mazda and Volvo both reported slower sales in August.
Mazda sold 38,140 vehicles (–8% MoM, –7.6% YoY), with the CX-90 hitting a record 6,801 sales, which was ultimately offset by declines posted by the CX-30 and Mazda3.
Volvo moved 9,818 vehicles (–9% MoM, –5.8% YoY).
New EX30 and EX90 EVs added some volume, but XC40 (–13% MoM) and S60 (–11% MoM) seemed to drag the totals down.
Bottom line: Growth is concentrated where it’s been all year, with core SUVs, crossovers, and hybrids. If August proved anything, it’s that consistency sells. And dealers who mirror that mix locally will hold gross in Q4, regardless of the noise.
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