December 2013 Sales: Automakers Shatter Records

The end of the year usually brings strong sales figures, and while a good number of automakers saw negative sales numbers for the month, they still managed to break yearly sales records. Some automakers even managed to set new sales records, like Audi who had its best U.S. sales year to date. Looking at the month of December, Honda had its best December sales, while Volkswagen managed to have its second best December since 1972. Other automakers boasted strong months, including Mitsubishi that had its best December in seven years. We can't look at the month of December and not take a peek at overall sales records. Ford claimed its best year of sales since 2006, Kia had its second best full year of sales in the U.S., and Mazda managed to have its best year of retail-only sales since 1994. Even the luxury automakers outdid themselves. Mercedes-Benz achieved its highest year of sales in the U.S. with 312,534 units sold in 2013. BMW managed to break its U.S. all-time sales record, while both the BMW and Mini brands set new sales records. Take a look at the chart below to see how each automaker finished out 2013.

Brand/Company	December 2012	December 2013	NUMERICAL CHANGE	ADJUSTED DSR RATE	BEST SELLING MODEL
Acura	16,034	15,751	-283	-1.8	MDX
Audi	14,841	17,013	2,172	14.6	Q5
BMW	37,399	37,389	-10	0.0	3 Series
Buick	16,473	15,379	-1,094	-6.6	Enclave
Cadillac	18,248	18,165	-83	-0.5	SRX
Chevrolet	167,091	153,493	-13,598	-8.1	Silverado
Chrysler	25,513	20,270	-5,243	-21.0	Town & Country
Dodge	52,391	47,689	-4,702	-9.0	Caravan
Fiat	3,707	3,745	38	1.0	500
Ford	206,838	210,074	3,236	1.6	F-Series
GMC	43,921	43,120	-801	-1.8	Sierra
Honda	116,740	119,504	2,764	2.4	Accord
Hyundai	59,435	63,005	3,570	6.0	Elantra
Infiniti	12,627	13,232	605	4.8	Q50
Jaguar	1,049	1,544	495	47.0	XF
Jeep	39,871	53,275	13,404	34.0	Grand Cherokee
Kia	39,178	33,631	-5,547	N/A	Optima
Land Rover	5,174	5,764	590	11.0	Range Rover Sport
Lexus	30,607	34,757	4,150	18.1	RX
Lincoln	7,384	7,984	600	8.1	MKZ
Mazda	27,251	22,964	-4,287	-15.7	Mazda3
Mercedes-Benz	28,145	33,007	4,862	17.3	E-Class
Mini	6,456	6,592	136	2.1	Cooper S
Mitsubishi	4,113	6,423	2,310	56.2	Outlander Sport
Nissan	86,883	96,526	9,863	11.4	Altima
Porsche	1,834	3,246	1,412	10.0	Cayenne
Ram	30,885	36,028	5,143	17.0	Pickup
Smart	996	855	-141	-14.2	ForTwo
Subaru	36,653	40,172	3,519	9.6	Forester
Toyota	163,536	156,086	-7,450	-0.7	Camry
Volkswagen	44,005	34,015	-9,990	-22.7	Jetta
Volvo	6,150	4,888	-1,262	-20.5	S60