Market Insight Snapshot

Vehicle registrations drop, but sales decline slowing; Ford Motor Company and Hyundai shine in Q3 2009 February 17, 2010

Automotive sales continued to struggle in the third quarter of 2009, but the rate of sales declines seems to have slowed. Amidst the industry turmoil, both Ford Motor Co. and Hyundai were the two biggest bright spots during the third quarter of 2009, according to recent industry analysis by Experian Automotive. Ford grew by 5 percent versus Q3 2008 and had four of the top five vehicles for customer loyalty. Hyundai gained two percentage points of market share and also increased its overall vehicle registrations by more than 30 percent. New vehicle registrations drop 8.67 percent; Ford, Hyundai post biggest gains New vehicle sales continued to struggle in Q3 2009, falling 8.67 percent from Q3 2008. Total new vehicle registrations in Q3 2009 were 2,840,015, compared to 3,109,954 in Q3 2008, a difference of 269,939 units. The rate of sales declines appears to be slowing, considering that new vehicle registrations dropped by nearly 1.2 million units from Q2 2008 to Q2 2009. New vehicle registrations — Q1 2008 versus Q3 2009

Used vehicle registrations actually showed a slight uptick in Q3 2009 compared to Q3 2008, rising 0.38 percent. Used vehicle market share is on the rise, accounting for 76.3 percent of all vehicle registrations in Q3 2009 compared to 74.6 percent in Q3 2008. Hyundai, Ford Lead Q3 2009 growth in market share and registrations Hyundai performed strongly in the third quarter by experiencing a 30.1 percent increase in new vehicle registrations, increasing Hyundai’s total market share to 7.6 percent. Ford also saw improvements in new vehicle registrations, growing by 5.1 percent for the quarter and increasing Ford market share to 15.6 percent. New vehicle registrations — Q3 2009 versus Q3 2008

All other major automotive brands saw declines in new vehicle registrations, with GM and Chrysler dropping 27.6 percent and 27.3 percent, respectively. Nissan (6.4 percent), Honda (2.4 percent) and Toyota (1.6 percent) all saw declines in registrations but outperformed the overall market.

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Q3 2009 market share

Four manufacturers gained market share in Q3 2009 compared to Q3 2008: • Hyundai — 2.2 percentage points • Ford — 1.1 percentage points • Honda — 0.4 percentage points • Nissan — 0.1 percentage points Those losing market share included: • General Motors — -2.8 percentage points • Chrysler — -1.8 percentage points • Toyota — -0.1 percentage points Ford models capture five of top 10 spots for customer loyalty leadership Ford continued to perform well in brand loyalty. Ford’s Fusion, Edge, Flex and Five-Hundred models were all within the top five vehicles for customer brand loyalty at 61.8 percent, 57.8 percent, 57.6 percent and 56.3 percent, respectively. Ford Freestyle had the 10th highest brand loyalty at 47.6 percent. The Toyota Venza held the top spot for customer loyalty at 63.2 percent. Other top performers included the Chevrolet Traverse at 53.7 percent, the Toyota Prius at 51.8 percent, the Chevrolet Impala at 48.9 percent and the Toyota Camry at 48 percent in the sixth through ninth spots. In overall corporate loyalty, Toyota moved ahead of General Motors. However, Toyota’s overall loyalty market share still dropped from 47.8 percent in Q3 2008 to 47.1 percent in Q3 2009.

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Top vehicle brands for customer loyalty

Crossover utility vehicles, small car economy segments post largest gains; sports utility vehicles, full-size pickups drop Crossover utility vehicles (CUVs)–entry level and small car–economy were the two fastest-growing vehicle segments, gaining 50,747 and 49,698 more registrations, respectively, year over year. Other significant gains included hybrid car (20,133), CUV midrange (19,542) and small car–budget (17,541). Segment registration trends Q3 2009 versus Q3 2008

CUV- Entry Level

Small Car - Economy

Alt. Power – Hybrid

Car

CUV – Mid

Range

Small Car - Budget

Mid Range

-

SUV – Entry Level

Van - MiniSUV –

Lower Mid Range

Pickup – Full Sized Car

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Full-size pickup trucks saw the largest decline with 114,613 fewer registrations than in the same quarter for 2008. Other notable declines included sports utility vehicle (SUV)–lower midrange (-44,829), minivan (-43,417), SUV–entry level (-32,164) and midrange car (-30,915). Passenger cars reclaim vehicles in operation (VIO) lead from light trucks The total number of vehicles in operation (VIO) dropped by 481,000 units during Q3 2009. This is partly attributable to the Cash for Clunkers program, as many vehicles were scrapped earlier than they normally would have been. In addition, because a higher percentage of light trucks were eligible to be turned in under the program, the total percentage of passenger cars in operation surpassed the total number of light trucks. Currently, 50.03 percent of VIO are passenger cars, while 49.97 percent are light trucks. This is a reverse of Q2 2009, when light trucks outnumbered passenger cars for the first time in recent history. Passenger car versus light truck by region

There are some significant regional differences in VIO. Passenger cars have a higher percentage of VIO than light trucks in the Midwest (50.04 percent/49.96 percent) and Northeast (55.1 percent to 44.9 percent). Light trucks lead passenger cars in the South (51.9 percent light trucks/48.1 percent passenger cars) and the West (50.5 percent light trucks/49.5 percent passenger cars). These regional differences are particularly important to understand for aftermarket organizations, as it helps them to stock appropriate inventories based on more localized vehicle populations.

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About Experian Automotive Experian Automotive, a part of Experian, delivers information services to manufacturers, dealers, finance and insurance companies, and consumers. Experian® helps automotive clients increase customer loyalty, target and win new business, and make better lending and vehicle purchase decisions. Its National Vehicle Database, housing more than 625 million vehicles, along with Experian’s credit, consumer and business information assets, meet the industry’s growing demand for an integrated information source. Experian’s advanced decision support services help clients turn this information into improved business results. Experian technology supports top automotive businesses, including eBay Motors, CarsDirect.com, CarMax and NADAguides.com. For more information on Experian Automotive and its suite of services, visit our Website at http://www.experianautomotive.com. About Experian Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 65 countries. The company helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score and protect against identity theft. Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended March 31, 2009, was $3.9 billion. Experian employs approximately 15,000 people in 40 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; Costa Mesa, California; and São Paulo, Brazil. For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com. Experian and the marks used herein are service marks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Experian Automotive analysis and studies For additional Experian Automotive information, including data analysis, research and related information please visit: http://experianautomotive.com/automotive/auto-resources.html. For more information or to speak with a subject matter expert, please contact: Christopher Fielder Experian Public Relations 1 224 698 8628 christopher.fielder@experian.com © 2009 Experian Information Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. Experian and the marks used herein are service marks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.