Two O.C. Car Importers Buck Trend, Increase Sales in July

Two of Orange County’s four auto importers bucked a continuing nationwide slump to report rising car and truck sales in July.

Leading the pack was American Suzuki Motor Corp., with a 24% increase in sales over July, 1991.

Benefiting from summertime interest in its two sport utility trucks, Suzuki sold 2,433 vehicles during the month, up from 1,961 a year earlier.

And Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America Inc. posted a 12% rise in sales of its cars and trucks, to 18,559 from 16,636 in July, 1991.

Orange County’s other car importers, meanwhile, reported slowdowns.

Mazda Motor of America, based in Irvine, said that its sales fell 2% during July to 29,758, compared to 30,349 in July of last year. Truck sales fell 30% to 5,358, from 7,658. Car sales, however, climbed 8% to 24,400, from 22,691.

Mazda sold 206,186 cars and trucks from January through July, down 2.7% from 211,947 a year earlier.

Hyundai Motor America in Fountain Valley saw sales of its passenger cars fall 17% in July, to 9,457 from 11,356 the year before. The company does not sell trucks.

For the first seven months, Hyundai sales fell 6% to 64,519 from 68,446.

Nationally, domestic car and truck sales fell 2% in July, and seven of 10 Japanese importers reported lower sales compared to a year earlier.

Suzuki, based in Brea, said sales of its Samurai and Sidekick sports utility vehicles jumped 37% to 1,884 during the month from 1,377 a year earlier. Sales of its Suzuki Swift passenger car fell slightly to 549 from 554.

Suzuki’s seven-month sales total this year of 14,477 vehicles--mostly trucks--was up 9% from the year-earlier 13,326.

The Sidekick, which far outsells the smaller Samurai, is a truck that does very well in the summer, said George C. Peterson, president of AutoPacific, an automotive and auto product consulting firm in Santa Ana. “They are the cute, little sporty summer vehicles.”

Mitsubishi, based in Cypress, said sales of its passenger cars rose 13% to 16,937 from 14,940 a year earlier. Truck sales, however, declined slightly to 1,622, from 1,696.

Among the biggest gainers in Mitsubishi’s stable was the Diamante luxury sedan. The company sold nearly 5,000 of the cars last month, in part because of a new program offering free loan cars to Diamante purchasers when their cars are kept overnight for warranty-related repairs.

For the first seven months, Mitsubishi’s U.S. sales of 108,519 vehicles were down 6% from the year-earlier 114,945 cars and trucks.