Chart Of The Day: Compact Cars In September

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

Thought the Midsized segment was heating up in September? A mere 633 units separate the Cruze and Corolla in their battle to become the best-selling Compact in America for 2011. And the way Elantra and Jetta are moving up the chart, this segment could could get a lot more interesting by the end of the year. In fact, the Focus’s weak performance this month makes it vulnerable to the Jetta in the Year-to-Date sweepstakes, despite appearing to be a strong entry in the segment. Back in July it was reported that Focus production was being slowed due to problems with a supplier of dashboard skins. At the time, a Ford dealer told the Associated Press

I know they’re working 24/7 trying to address whatever component issues they have. It’s a high-visibility issue with Ford Motor Co., and senior management is very concerned and very involved.

So, is there still a supply problem, or is the Focus just not selling? A quick look at inventory data shows that Focus started September with a 33 days supply and ended with a 74-day supply, which implies that any supply problems were solved last month. Going forward, the Focus should find its sales stride… or it will become another scalp on the Jetta’s belt.


Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • SCE to AUX SCE to AUX on Oct 10, 2011

    I can't believe the Jetta's that high and the Impreza's that low.

    • See 2 previous
    • 30-mile fetch 30-mile fetch on Oct 13, 2011

      "I can’t believe the Jetta’s that high and the Impreza’s that low" Well, let's see. A cheapo interior that falls shy of the Jetta despite it's decontenting, and has less interior space. Mandatory AWD that both drives up the MSRP and helps keep fuel economy in the basement, well below most midsizers. I can see why the Jetta has greater appeal for more people.

  • Kevin Kluttz Kevin Kluttz on Oct 10, 2011

    I just can't understand why anyone still would buy a GM car. Reputation, anyone? Short memories? "Buy 'Murrican" parents erroneously telling their children that they must buy GM? Bunch of crazy idiots out there.

    • Eldard Eldard on Oct 13, 2011

      GM folks are still quite okay, though. As for Chrysler folks, now that's a group that really needs help.

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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