August auto sales were a cause of weeping for dealers.
Auto registrations, a barometer of sales, were down 17% last month from a year earlier.
For the year, registrations are projected to come in 4% lower to 174,645 autos, according to the Costa Mesa-based Orange County Auto Dealers Association.
In August, only five auto brands saw an increase. The rest were down. Experts blame a ripple effect from the slumping housing market.
“Everyone’s feeling a bit poorer,” said Jack Nerad, analyst for Irvine-based Kelley Blue Book. “The home equity that they had is not there anymore.”
The downturn has brought back incentives from dealers, some of which are offering zero interest financing.
Some are pinning hopes on new models, such as the Cadillac CTS and the Toyota Highlander.
The only gainers in August: Hyundai, Porsche, BMW, Mazda and Isuzu.
For most, the increase in registrations weren’t significant.
BMW, the largest of the gainers, was up 104 autos to 776. Hyundai was up 43 autos to 339. Mazda had 38 registrations for 320 autos. Porsche was up three cars to 98. Isuzu was up seven cars to 13.
BMW’s gain was bad news for Mercedes-Benz, long the dominant luxury brand here. Mercedes, which lost the No. 1 spot earlier this year to Lexus, fell to No. 3 in August with BMW’s gain and its own 19% drop to 734 autos.
The only consolation for Mercedes: Lexus slipped 3% to 951 autos.
Even perennial overall leader Toyota/Scion had a big drop in August, falling 25% to 3,430 autos.
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Hyundai Elantra: automaker grows sales in August |
Sun Power
Macy’s at Westminster Mall has gone solar.
Executives from Macy’s Inc., solar panel installer SunPower Corp. and Southern California Edison recently made a ceremonial transition to solar power. Macy’s plans to put in solar systems at 26 of its California stores. The systems are designed to cut energy costs and are said to have the effect of removing 1,144 autos annually from the state’s highways.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is launching a pilot solar power project in Santa Ana. The store is the first of 22 sites in California and Hawaii that will be solar powered.
Beauty Supply
Second Street Beauty store has opened at Woodbury Town Center in Irvine. The store, based in Long Beach, carries brands such as Bare Escentuals, Smashbox Cosmetics and Paul Mitchell.
Orchard Openings
Bellagio Spa & Salon opened at Orchard Hills Village Center in Irvine. The spa has six private rooms for facials, massages and other treatments. The spa also has nurses and medical doctors that can offer Botox, laser skin and vein therapy and laser hair removal. Other stores opening at the 125,000-square-foot center in Irvine this fall include WineStyles, Zov’s Cafe, Bakery & Bar and Johnnie’s New York-A Neighborhood Italian Restaurant.
Sprouting Up
At the Tustin Courtyard, Sprouts Farmers Market is replacing Whole Foods Market, which closed in August. Sprouts, set to open early next year, is an Arizona-based company that sells farm produce, vitamins and supplements, seafood, cheeses and other items. This is the company’s first OC location. It has California stores in Claremont, El Cajon, San Marcos and Torrance.
Costa Mesa-based Donahue Schriber developed the Tustin Courtyard and has owned the property for 30 years.
Ink Spot
Rapid Refill Ink, a printer and laser toner cartridge store that also recycles, recently opened at Fountain Valley Plaza. Phil Dinn, franchisee, said he read about the business in a magazine. The recycling angle interested him enough to get involved with the company.
Customers can bring in old cartridges and have them flushed out and refilled.
Cartridges can be reused as many as 15 times, he said.
Dinn is planning on opening another shop in Mission Viejo next year. His wife and cousin also help run the store.
Rapid Refill also has a recycling program with the local schools, which get money for each cartridge they bring in.
Rapid Refill Corp. is based in Chanhassen, Minn.
