Sales: Weekend Toys, March 2011

The sun is shining into the shrouded windows here at TTAC HQ, seriously tempting me away from the computer for the first time since Oregon’s long, grey winter set in. In celebration of the fine weather and the impending weekend, we continue our March sales coverage by taking a look at the cars we call “weekend toys.” There’s no real rhyme or reason to this “segment,” as it spans a variety of sizes and price points. So rather than seeing this as a segment of directly-competing models, just think of it as an update on the world of (relatively) irrational vehicle purchases. The chart above represents the most popular vehicles that we think qualify as sufficiently irrational… hit the jump for an extended chart, including the higher-priced, lower-volume models.

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Chart Of The Day: Full-Size Truck Wars, 1995-2010
Having inadvertently caused confusion over GM and Ford’s full-sized pickup rivalry, and in the spirit of t he reinvigorated cross-town battles between…
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Sales: Pickup Trucks, March 2011

Even with Sierra sales added in, GM’s trucks just couldn’t keep up with the Ford F-Series juggernaut this month. Ram, meanwhile is playing a distant third and the Japanese entries might as well not even exist. On the other hand, when it comes to compact and mid-sized pickups (chart after the jump), the Japanese entries are doing quite a bit better. Unfortunately for them, the top three compact-mid pickups combined couldn’t match the F-Series last month. Big trucks still sell in big numbers…

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Sales: Large/Premium Sedans, March 2011
The stakes might not be as high as they could be in the Large/Premium segment, but as Kissinger pointed out, things can get nasty because the stakes are so l…
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Sales: Subcompacts, March 2011
Despite the media’s on-again-off-again love affair with the “OMG SMALL CARS ARE TAKING OVER!” storyline, the US-market B-segment isn’…
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Sales: Compact Crossovers, March 2011
Escape and CR-V swapped spots last month, although Honda’s long-running compact CUV retained the top position in Year-To-Date sales. Toyota’s RAV…
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Sales: Compact Cars, March 2011
Competition in the compact car segment hasn’t hit the fever pitch of the midsized brawl, but make no mistake, there’s a battle brewing. Toyota&rs…
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Sales: Midsized Sedans, March 2011
Last month it seemed like Camry could stay away from the burgeoning knife fight in the midsize segment, but thanks to some aggressive incentives, Nissan was…
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Chart Of The Day: Can Ford Catch GM?
Ford outsells The General for the second month since 1998, and suddenly an age-old rivalry seems to be spluttering back to life. And, based on our latest cha…
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Will Japan's Tsunami End The Emerging Price War?

With automakers keeping the incentive pedal pinned to the floor as they entered the new year, a price war has been brewing in the US market for a while now. Hyundai USA CEO John Krafcik has called the trend “a step backward for the industry,” pointing out that nearly every automaker had struggled to regain pricing power coming out of nearly three years of industry-wide weakness. But with GM and Detroit leading the way with high (if “targeted”) incentives, matched by uncharacteristically high incentives from import-brand rivals like Honda and Toyota, it seemed that nothing could prevent a volume-pumping, but profit-sapping price war in the US. At least until Japan was hammered by earthquakes, tsunamis and nuclear accidents. Now, with manufacturers and suppliers still struggling to understand the full impact of production shutdowns and reduced inventories, TrueCar has projected current price trends forward, and finds that supply interruptions could reduce supply to the point where prices actually start coming up again. Check out TrueCar’s spreadsheet on supply and pricing projections in XLS format here, or hit the jump for a few highlights.

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Sales: Mid/Large CUVs, February 2011
Competition may be tightening for midsized sedan sales, but the battle is already well underway in the Mid/Large CUV category. Seven vehicles find themselves…
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Sales: Midsized Sedans, February 2011
For all the buzz surrounding the Compact segment, the real battle at the moment seems to be in the Midsized (D-Segment) class. As in the C-Segment, Toyota is…
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Sales: Compact Crossovers, February 2011
Unlike a number of segments, the Compact Crossover space has a fairly well-established order. And with no new products in this segment on tap for this year,…
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Sales: Compact Cars, February 2011
Say what you want about Toyota’s recent struggles, it still knows how to sell the bejeezus out of its C-segment Corolla/Matrix juggernaut. Toyota&rsquo…
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Sales: Subcompact Cars, February 2011
On most weekends, TTAC publishes the fun, frivolous kinds of stories that don’t make it into our regular weekly coverage, exposing our readers to every…
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Chart Of The Day: But We Need AWD Edition

The analysts RL Polk prove just how hot All Wheel Drive is right now, demonstrating that over a third of all vehicles sold in October and November of last year were equipped with AWD. Even more interesting: last Summer didn’t see the typical seasonal drop in AWD-equipped model sales. Polk’s Tom Libby breaks it down

At the make level, every ongoing make except four enjoyed an increase in AWD/4WD penetration in the September – November 2010 time period when compared to the same time period in the prior year. And the five largest makes based on retail registrations (Toyota, Ford, Honda, Chevrolet and Nissan) all experienced increased AWD/4WD take rates, led by Nissan (up 25%) and Toyota (17%). Lastly, in the 11 months of 2010 for which registration data are available, the two makes with the highest AWD mix among all those that offer both cars and light trucks, Subaru and Audi, have substantially out-performed the industry, with retail registrations up 21% and 20%, respectively, versus the industry gain of 7%.

Everyone doesn’t need AWD, but plenty of people want it… and it’s no coincidence that the two brands most closely associated with AWD (Audi and Subaru) are on sales tears right now. But will AWD continue to climb? Gas prices could put a crimp on the AWD party, but assuming for a moment that gas prices stay flat, where would the AWD fleet mix top out? Will the AWD mix ever hit 50 percent? More?

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Chart Of The Day: As Oil Goes Up… Edition

Keeping a nervous eye on oil prices? Curious how each increase in the price per barrel translates into price at the pump, and what impact that actually has on consumers? Zerohedge comes through with this handy primer on the real-world consequences of each increase in the price of oil. And what, pray tell, does the “Nomura” note scrawled over the $220/barrel price refer to? Why, t he prediction by Nomura Investment Bank analyst Michael Lo, that if Libya and Algeria stop oil production due to unrest, the price of crude will hit $220/barrel. Are you ready to start spending an extra ten percent of your household income on gas?

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Data Of The Day: TrueCar's February Forecast

As a site dedicated to arming consumers, industry observers and enthusiasts with as much worthwhile information about the world of cars as possible, we have to give it up for TrueCar. At a time when some automakers are dialing back the amount of data they share with the media and public, TrueCar’s regular data dumps represent one of the best sources of free information about the current state of the car market. And not only is it based on the analysis of millions of transactions, but it’s presented in a format that even the most laid-back of industry armchair quarterbacks can quickly understand. You can find the entire February forecast here, or, check out the gallery below for a TTAC-curated tour of some of the highlights.

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Chart Of The Day: Compact Cars In January 2011
The outgoing Ford Focus fell several spots in the C-Segment last month, and the Kia Forte bumped the Mazda3 down a bit… but as new products like the 2…
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Chart Of The Day: The Best-Selling Vehicles of January

Wherever you fall in America’s cultural geography, you have to cop to one cold, hard truth: trucks sell. In fact, in a market experiencing such odd automotive sales phenomena as no Honda Accord in the top ten, Altima taking second in the D-Segment and a Compact CUV in the top six, it almost seems like the only sure thing anymore is the F-Series and Silverado selling at or above 30k units per month. Whether you find that fact comforting or troubling, you’ll be sure to want to know the truck’s secret to success… which you’ll find just below the fold (along with a more extensive best-sellers chart).

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Chart Of The Day: The Price-Volume Frontier
Throughout the month, TTAC tries to go back to recent sales numbers in hopes of providing greater context for the industry’s day-to-day decisions. On t…
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Chart Of The Day: Does Age Matter? Edition
Ignore the commas in the X-axis labeling, and you’ll see that this graph compares total sales volume for last year against each model’s year-of-i…
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Charts Of The Day: The Top Six Models Of The Top Six Segments Of 2010
We’ve been slacking a bit on our sales analysis over the last few months, but with the end of the year rapidly approaching we’re getting ready to…
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Chart Of The Day: Trucks Are Back, Baby

Earlier this year we took a look at our rolling 12-month sales totals chart, and found that cars had pulled away from “light trucks” (a category that includes trucks, SUVs, minivans and crossovers), prompting us to proclaim The Great American Downsizing. Well, it turns out we opined too soon. Trucks closed out the Summer strong and went on a tear during the Autumn months, to pull back to parity with their car cousins. And because light trucks are trending upwards faster than cars, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them finish the year as the better-selling segment. Of course, these numbers aren’t being driven strictly by the old-school utes of yore, although old standbys like the full-sized pickups, the Yukon XL and Ford Expedition are all up by healthy margins. Between old-school utes and the large crossovers that are replacing them, the cars just don’t stand a chance. Hit the jump for car-versus-light truck sales by manufacturer.

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Chart Of The Day: Porsche Sales By Model 1995-2010 (YTD)
Yesterday’s discussion of Porsche’s identity as a pure sports car company (compared to an SUV-peddling luxury brand) was predictably emotional, s…
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Chart(s) Of The Day: EPA Breaks Down 35 Years Of Automotive Trends
If you love data almost as much as you love cars, you’re in for a real treat. The EPA has issued a report on the last 35 years of light-duty vehicle…
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Chart Of The Day: Key Hyundai Nameplate Sales Since 1995
If there’s a maxim the auto industry can take to the bank, it’s this: focus wins. Knowing a brand’s advantages and maintaining a laser-like…
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Chart(s) Of The Day: What Makes GM Tick

With GM’s IPO officially launched, we thought we’d send ChartOTD diving inside GM’s sales performance this year. The graph above shows GM’s top nameplates by volume for the January-October 2010 period, compared to the same ten months of 2009. All of GM’s top-ten volume vehicles are doing better than they did last year, but these are not in fact GM’s fastest-growing nameplates. For that graph and more, hit the jump…

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Chart Of The Day: Cumulative Brand Sales By Quarter
The six top-selling brands in America have sold between 450,000 and 1.3 million vehicles so far this year, with Hyundai (410,047) just missing the party. 201…
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Chart Of The Day: The Fall Of The Panther
Panther Appreciation Week rolls on with this look at the platforms sales since 1995 (sorry, our sales data doesn’t go back farther) compared to some ke…
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Chart Of The Day: Pony Car Wars Edition

Over the long haul of the Pony Car Wars, Ford’s Mustang has set the standard to which all others aspire. Having handily outsold the old F-Body Camaros (to say nothing of the nearest import-equivalent, the Nissan Z), Ford reigned alone over the declining muscle-coupe segment for much of the last decade. But the Pony Car cannot thrive alone, and the Mustang couldn’t keep its sales from sliding ever further… it needed some competition. Now, rather than fighting for pieces of a shrinking segment, the Camaro, Challenger and Mustang have been able to grow their sales together, revitalized by the renewed Pony Car Wars. Though our simple volume projection shows the Camaro on track to take the Pony Car crown from the Mustang, the short-term trends indicate a close battle to the finish this year. Hit the jump for summer sales comparisons…

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Chart Of The Day: Midsize Sedan Sales In August

GOTD’s brief mental health break is over, with our breakdown of sales in the biggest car segment in America: Midsize family sedans. The big news is that no model (save the Chevy Malibu and Hyundai Sonata) outdid its August ’09 number, thanks to the Cash For Clunkers effect a year ago. The other big lesson: things are getting tight at the top of the D Segment food chain. Based on these numbers, the capacity-constrained Sonata seems to be separating from the pack, leaving a big clump of nameplates stuck near the 18k mark. Based on the last several months, Hyundai could be one Sonata volume bump away from having the best-selling midsize sedan in America… just when it was beginning to seem like the Camccords would never be challenged. More chart action after the jump.

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Chart Of The Day: SUVs And Luxury/Premium SUV/CUVs

Wrangler went on a summer tear last month, more than doubling its July 2009 number, and leading SUVs to a strong rally. The segment’s top 18 nameplates all improved their year-over-year numbers last month, as gas prices look to hold steady through the summer (only the Suzuki Grand Vitara lost ground). SUVs should be way up again (year-on-year) this month as well, as Cash For Clunkers limited SUV sales in August 2009. Strong sales in this segment could continue into the fall on the strength of new launches like the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Ford Explorer. On the other hand, with the Explorer moving to a Crossover platform and lines between SUVs and CUVs generally blurring, it’s becoming increasingly important to compare mid/large CUVs against this SUV segment. Based on that comparison, it’s easy to see that the mass market tends to pick road-oriented people-haulers rather than offroad-oriented rock crawlers. SUVs may be booming this summer, but in the big picture they’re melting away into the ever-expanding Crossover category. Hit the jump for a bonus graph of Luxury-brand SUV/CUV sales in July.

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Chart Of The Day: Mid/Large Crossovers In July
We’ve got a tight fight for the top spot again this month in the Mid/Large CUV segment. Traverse, Pilot, Edge, Outback and Sorento are all running betw…
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Chart Of The Day: Luxury and Premium Brand Sales, July And Year-To-Date
BMW snagged the top spot last month, but Lexus and Mercedes are still battling for the top spot in year-to-date luxury brand sales. Lincoln and Mercury are r…
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Chart Of The Day: Compact Crossover Sales In July
The Compact Crossover segment has changed a bit since last month, as the Honda CR-V enjoyed strong demand en route to over 20k monthly sales. Rogue had a str…
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Chart Of The Day: Compact Cars (C-Segment)
The C-segment did not have a great July, especially compared to July 2009’s Cash-for-Clunker-inspired clamor for compact cars. The three exceptions wer…
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Chart Of The Day: July Midsize Sedan Sales

Of the “Big Six” midsize sedans, Malibu is starting to emerge as a consistent number three to the Camry/Accord’s established one-two positioning. Fusion and Altima have swapped spots, and the Sonata is stuck at 17k units due to production capacity constraints. Meanwhile, the Impala is only just holding off… the Prius? Crazier still, the Prius/Impala 14k volume level is about double of the next best-selling mid-to-large sedan nameplates (Buick LaCrosse, Nissan Maxima, Dodge Charger are all in the 6k-7k level). Extended one-month chart after the jump…

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Chart Of The Day: Volt "Competitors" 1995-2009

OK, so none of these cars are actually “competition” for the Chevrolet Volt, but think of them as a benchmark “basket” and they can help define the market the Volt will soon be thrown into.

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Chart Of The Day: Luxury Brands
Our six month sales by brand chart is a bit crowded, so we’ve broken out luxury brands for today’s COTD. Bloomberg assembled a grip of analysts w…
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Chart Of The Day: A Changing Nissan? Part Two
As a Nissan rep pointed out via email last night, yesterday’s Chart Of The Day hardly tells the whole story of “the other Japanese brand.”…
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Chart Of The Day: A Changing Nissan?
15 years ago, these six cars were Nissan. Sure, they sold a few Zs back in ’95 (4,176, actually), and the 240SX was in its last year of five-digit sale…
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Chart Of The Day: Peak Prius?

What’s that? We still haven’t plumbed the depths of our bag-o-automotive-sales-data thoroughly enough to have published annual sales for the Toyota Prius? Well, here it is, my truth-starved friends: ten years of Prius sales, culminating in two consecutive years of falling sales. And granted, most nameplates are down over the last two years because the market has been down for a solid two years now. Also, if you think the downturn is due to gas prices, you’ve got a surprise waiting for you after the jump. So has the Prius lost its luster? Could the most culturally significant passenger car of the last ten years be running out of steam (or whatever it runs on), or is this just a natural drop in demand in line with a weak market?

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Chart Of The Day: Pickup Trucks

Compact and mid-sizers after the jump…

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Chart Of The Day: The Great American Downsizing

The best-selling nameplates in America may still be pickup trucks, but for the first time in nearly a decade, cars and car-based crossovers are outselling the body-on-frame competition. The shift occurred in the second half of 2007, as gas prices built to their Summer 2008 peak, and despite more reasonable energy prices, consumers do not appear to be going back to large trucks and SUVs en masse. And, as Automotive News [sub] reports, the downsizing of America’s buying tastes is doing more than just putting a fork in the SUV fad.

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Chart Of The Day: Domestic Content Edition

These are the ten vehicles that NHTSA says are made from 90 percent domestically-produced components [via cars.com]. Notice a common thread there? Yes, the correct answer is Ford involvement, but according to cars.com, the task of crowning a “king of domestic content” isn’t as simple as NHTSA’s number.

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Chart Of The Day: The Electric Future

Whither the electrified market? According to this slide from a recent Johnson Controls analyst presentation [full PDF here], 2m global units by 2015 seems to be one of the models the industry is working on. And compared to other 2015 estimates, like Pike Research’s 3.1m worldwide number, it’s a fairly conservative approach. Still, there’s a long road ahead for plug-in and even hybrid vehicles. Toyota’s Prius, by far the best selling hybrid nameplate in America, sold about 152k units in the last 12 months. All hybrid nameplates sold 27,800 units last month [per Edmunds], for an annualized rate (non-SAAR) of about 333,600 or about half of the estimated 2015 market. Why that’s a problem, after the jump…

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Chart Of The Day: May Volume By Manufacturer
We’re still taking email requests for Chart Of The Day , but today’s chart isn’t one of them. This little data nuglet, of May volume by ma…
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Chart Of The Day: May Volume By Brand
Thomas Olesen wrote in to request a May 2010 brand volume chart. His wish just came true. Your wildest US-market auto sales questions can be answered too, if…
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Chart Of The Day: Junior Luxury Sedans

TTAC Commenter Charles T writes in:

Any chance you could do $30-$40k entry-level luxury, ie BMW 3-series and everyone else gunning for a piece of that pie? For completeness sake, include cars that normally aren’t positioned against the 3-series despite being a similar price (Lexus ES and Lincoln MKZ, for example) just as a sense of their relative market sizes; I’d be curious to see how the sporty vs unsporty dichotomy plays out in the real world.

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Chart Of The Day: Luxury Crossovers In May
We like to think of TTAC as something of the thinking (wo)man’s car blog: sure, we’ll try to drive the hot cars, but we’ll be just as inter…
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  • Dartdude The bottom line is that in the new America coming the elites don't want you and me to own cars. They are going to make building cars so expensive that the will only be for the very rich and connected. You will eat bugs and ride the bus and live in a 500sq-ft. apartment and like it. HUD wants to quit giving federal for any development for single family homes and don't be surprised that FHA aren't going to give loans for single family homes in the very near future.
  • FreedMike This is before Cadillac styling went full scale nutty...and not particularly attractive, in my opinion.
  • JTiberius1701 Middle of April here in NE Ohio. And that can still be shaky. Also on my Fiesta ST, I use Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires for the winter and Bridgestone Potenza for my summer tires. No issues at all.
  • TCowner We've had a 64.5 Mustang in the family for the past 40 years. It is all original, Rangoon Red coupe with 289 (one of the first instead of the 260), Rally Pac, 4-speed, factory air, every option. Always gets smiles and thumbs ups.
  • ToolGuy This might be a good option for my spouse when it becomes available -- thought about reserving one but the $500 deposit is a little too serious. Oh sorry, that was the Volvo EX30, not the Mustang. Is Volvo part of Ford? Is the Mustang an EV? I'm so confused.