Chart Of The Day: Compact Wars Heat Up In April

by Edward Niedermeyer

Published: May 4th, 2011

chart of the day compact wars heat up in april

In the comments section of Monday’s Honda Civic review, there was something of a rush to declare a new order in the hotly-contested Compact segment, with Honda notably losing out. Well, TTAC and its Best and Brightest tend to be a little ahead of their time, and the sales numbers for April prove that the Civic still attracts US car buyers in segment-leading numbers. But the monthly sales win was probably something of a bittersweet victory, as Honda dealers hunker down for what is likely to be months of tsunami-related supply interruptions. Meanwhile, the battle is getting feisty, with Hyundai and Chevy doing most of the disruption. Year-to-date, however, the Civic and Corolla are still maintaining their decades-long grasp on the compact segment. But then, the battle is only just beginning…

#ChartOfTheDay #NewCars #Sales

Edward Niedermeyer

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18 of 82 comments

Mike978 on May 05, 2011

Ed - thanks for responding to my comment and for on the whole generating (along with the other editors) good content. Just to be sure I understand you are you saying you display no b*** at all in your choice of phrasing or comments? It is funny how quite a few people think you do. Steven in replying to your first comment was fair and you must admit it is unusual for the author to add the first comment to a recently penned article. As long as you are fair with equally showing the foibles of all companies (and they all have them) then no complaint from me. I apologize again for getting the number wrong in my first comment - just blown away from Cruze beating Corolla, not something I thought would happen.

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- Alluster on May 05, 2011
  
  The Cruze didn't just beat the beat the corolla, it beat the corolla + Martix. If GM included HHR sales to the Cruze's mix, then they would beat them every month.
  
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- Edward Niedermeyer on May 05, 2011
  Just to be sure I understand you are you saying you display no b*** at all in your choice of phrasing or comments? No. I am saying, as I have been for years now, that accusations of bias don't mean anything. Instead of saying "you has a bias" (a statement that serves only to illustrate your own perspective/"bias"), give some facts that illuminate real understanding. I added a link to the Cruze recall because it is relevant to the story. Just as forthcoming supply interruptions are relevant to Honda's bittersweet segment "win" this month. Crying bias proves you don't like that one particular piece of context and not much else. I apologize if my frustration is showing here... I've made this argument over and over again, and yet the same situations arise again and again. It's getting to the point where I feel like taking the time to explain all this makes no difference, and everyone goes back to crying bias a few weeks later. If y'all don't start doing more self-policing on this issue, I really might just start deleting more comments... which is something I've gone out of my way to avoid since taking over here.
  
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- Edward Niedermeyer on May 05, 2011
  
  alluster83 brings up an interesting point. With HHR and Cruze combined, Chevy got 31,382 units last month. This would be the apples-to-apples comparison with Corolla/Matrix (which Toyota doesn't break out for some reason)... except that GM classifies the HHR as a truck for CAFE purposes. I suppose this doesn't make a big difference as far as the market is concerned, but our segment data has HHR as part of the "SUV/Crossover Low" segment.
  
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- SVX pearlie on May 05, 2011
  
  @EN: As the old saw goes, "Where there's smoke, there's fire". You may think that you're being fair, but the way that you manipulate data and present facts in a selective way tends to portray GM in a more negative light than your peers do, or your readers perceive them. While you may not be conscious of your biases, or TTAC's institutional Bi** Against GM, it's still there, lurking beneath the surface. Yes, TTAC was right that Old GM was a cesspool. Yes, New GM still inherits a lot of Old GM. That doesn't mean New GM shouldn't get credit where credit is due, without a backhanded slap by The B*a* Against GM at the same time. The fact that many of your readers consistently identify TBAG as an issue, and it touches a nerve with you wanting to be TTAC means that you should think harder as to why they're saying it and why it bothers you. Consider that they're at least as "right" as you are. As an example, I suggest you read more Karesh (New TTAC) or any of the True articles and compare against Farago (Old TBAG). I respect Karesh a *lot* more than the old guard with their axes to grind. Just let it go. ___ Did you seriously filter the word "B-1-A-5"? Really?
  
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- Rob Finfrock on May 05, 2011
  
  @alluster It's not really apples to apples. The HHR is a completely different car than the Cruze, with more in common with the Cobalt. The Matrix shares a lot more Corolla DNA.
  
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- Edward Niedermeyer on May 05, 2011
  
  @Edward Niedermeyer OK SVX, since we've reached the point that you're telling me to read through TTAC's stories to see the change in perspective over time, this conversation is over. I'm the freaking Editor-in-Chief around here... and you think I haven't noticed a shift in tone? You think that shift somehow happened against my anti-Detroit will? Puh-leeze. It's bad enough that you cast aspersions on my motivations, but now you're implying that I'm out of touch with the direction of my own site. Insult to injury, that is. Again, I'm not saying people won't perceive "bias" in my work. We all have our own perspectives. But if you're going to try to undermine TTAC's credibility by throwing around the "b word" without identifying a single legitimate issue, I'm going to delete your comments and ban you. It is long-standing TTAC policy to not allow debate about our editorial policies in the comments section, and I haven't obtained a lick of insight by bending it. So guess what? Convo over. If you've got beef shoot me an email and if I get enough complaints I may think about allowing a "flame TTAC" thread. But the reality is, that GM itself doesn't have serious issues with our content here... all the complaints come from the same 4 or 5 fanboys for whom we can never be fawning enough. These people are NOT looking for objectivity. I'm not going to cater to that, and I'm done defending against these goofy allegations. My conscience is clear. And no, I don't filter for the "b-word," but I'm sure tempted to start.
  
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- Bd2 on May 05, 2011
  
  One reason for the rise in Cruze sales is due to GM lifting the moratorium on fleet sales (previously limiting rental fleet sales to Avis). Still, impressive nos. for the Cruze. Don't know what Toyota did with the Corolla with regard to fleet sales for April (considering the future supply issue), but earlier in the year, Toyota was selling quite a bit into fleet.
  
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- CJinSD on May 05, 2011
  
  @Edward Niedermeyer Where there is smoke there is fire? I've read a number of accusations that the UAW has people spending their time spreading propaganda on automotive blogs while pretending to just be opinionated forum members. It must be true.
  
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- Geozinger on May 05, 2011
  
  @alluster Re: Cruze and HHR: They're closer than you think. The HHR is Delta I, and the Cruze is Delta II. The Delta platform was unveiled in the mid 2000's with the Saturn Ion (and Chevy Cobalt), and has little to do with the previous J-body.
  
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- CJinSD on May 05, 2011
  
  @alluster I didn't realize it was a reskinned Cobalt. If only they'd have kept the Cobalt's engines, the Cruze would make a non-punitive rental car. I guess the magazines were told the Cruze was all-Daewoo to try to keep the GM small car reputation from permeating it.
  
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- Geozinger on May 05, 2011
  
  @alluster IIRC, the engineering for the Delta I was US, and the basic engineering of Delta II was Opel with localizations or changes by Daewoo. I remember reading something back in the mid-2000's about how the Cobalt being the last American-engineered small car. I'd have to research that to be sure now...
  
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- Geozinger on May 05, 2011
  
  @alluster I would also remind folks that back in the 80's Toyota sold Corollas with FWD and RWD variations and the numbers were all under one nameplate. And for a while in the mid 90's the Nissan Altima was the Nissan Sentra Altima.
  
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Mike978 on May 05, 2011

Thanks again for replying and explaining your position. In future if I think a comment is biased I will provide some "evidence" for said accusation. I have certainly learnt something from this exchange - please keep up the generally very good work and articles on this site. An example of perceived (if not actual) bias was around the whole Detroit manufacturers being happy (or gloating) over the earthquake in Japan. That was from a Bertel article a few weeks ago.

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- Jaje on May 05, 2011
  
  A long time TTAC contributor posted some comments that really were shameful and almost hateful - they took a big step down in my respect for them in that thread.
  
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Jaje on May 05, 2011

As I eat my popcorn and watch the "b1@5" commentary - I see patterns emerge. A news article that states D3 is having an issue and similar people come on and are upset it was posted in the first place. The articles posted are not in fact "biased" but factual where above some are unable to defend their claims on fact but simply insert the 4 letter word as a way to bootstrap their argument. Then an article is posted on facts about the J3 having an issue and again another set of people come on the board to defend them. Such is life I guess on an automotive forum. I can't readily admit I am not biased as we had a loss of family friend due to let's say a 70's subcompact rear end incident with a fiery result. I spent a long time in anger about that company - much unfairly after a while. Companies have changed over the years but facts are facts - words are words. Anyone remember the "perception" gap as the explanation of quality that everyone was biased but when you put a Cavalier up against its J3 counterparts and it was an embarrassment. I think its time we get off our high horses and admit what we support also has its own faults just as we ourselves do to.

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- Edward Niedermeyer on May 05, 2011
  
  This. Thank you.
  
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Srogers on May 05, 2011

Another reason (besides that they weren't so good) that there aren't a lot of old Hyundais with 150K miles on them is because buyers of $7000 cars don't treat these cars the same as they would a more expensive vehicle. When a car is the cheapest one on the market, it's perceived as a 'disposable' car and treated accordingly. Sorry, this was to be posted under another comment and I messed up.

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