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.
Please note: the graph below represents August 2010 sales only, and should be compared with the black bars on the graph above. Apologies for any confusion.
What a diverse group that is. Think about the diffrent interiors and powertrains represented in that group. It boggles the mind.
“The big news is that no model (save the Hyundai Sonata) outdid its August ’09 number.”
Uhmmm… the Malibu did 17,348 in August 2009 and 18,182 in August 2010. That seems to me that the Malibu also outdid its August ’09 number.
I know, just your pile on GM reflexes acting up. It’s hard to believe that after 30 years they are finally doing something right.
My mistake… text amended.
86er: I included a number of models from just outside the segment to the second chart for greater context.
Jetta is midsized?
It certainly has a more comfortable front seat than, oh, anything else listed here.
I’m also struck by the progress in this segment, as far as how I wouldn’t mind driving any of these – no real bad choices (outside of the Chrysler / Dodge offerings and to some the Impala, almost all of which are about to get refreshes).
Honda used to duke it out with Toyota for the #1 spot on that chart, but now they are left dueling with Hyundai for #2. Ten years ago, I would never have believed we would see this day.
Also, I don’t know where these classifications come from, but the Jetta is not in the same size class as the Camry, Accord and Sonata. Passenger volume of a Jetta is 91 cu. ft. while the Camry is 101 cu. ft. That makes the Jetta a Compact and the Camry a Mid-size according to the EPA and according to how most people view the vehicles. Conversly, the Toyota Corolla interior clocks in at 92 cu. ft. (My data is from the fueleconomy.gov website.)
The Jetta is a midsize car now because of its curb weight, about 3200 lbs, in line with the Camcordimas. It’s pretty hard to call a car “compact” when its weight goes significantly over the 3000-pound mark.
Some interesting stuff here.
GM is still a monster, single model sales comparisons aside, Chrysler still acheives Jetta volume on their Sebring twins, the LX platform Chryslers seem to be doing better combined than the other truly large offerings and the Mazda6 is only selling in entry lux volumes despite it’s mainstream pricing and merit. I guess these aren’t really suprises, but it is nice to be reminded now and then where everyone stands.
It would be cool to see what each manufacturer is doing with subprime credit and fleet sales to get their numbers. Maybe that would shed some light on the underperforming gems, like the Kizashi (not even on the list) and the 6.
Man.
Mazda could use some love.
Some really low sales numbers on the Mazda6. I guess ZoomZoom isn’t what people want.
The Sonata is surprising with basically a 100% sales increase. That is unbelievable actually.
My biggest surprise is that more people bought Lucernes than Avalons. The Lucerne will be put out to pasture soon and the Avalon just had an update. Kind of surprising on the Avalon side.
My biggest surprise is that more people bought Lucernes than Avalons.
Buick (and GM in general) had a good amount of brand equity among the usual buyers of large old-school cars.
Low 6 numbers: they used to be the only viable carmaker that had hatchbacks and wagons (unlike VW, reliable ones) and MT. Maybe it wasn’t much sales, but whoever wanted one didn’t have much choice. the 6-sedan gets cross-shopped with anything else.
I purchased one of the last hatchbacks from the old model and love it. But if Sedan was my cup of tea, I’d shop around.
I know the sales guy at Mazda and he also complains that they discontinued the hatch/wagon since that always got some stable sales.
I own a 2004 Mazda6s 5 door. Love it. It was unfortunate when it was discontinued with the newer model.
My best guess for the low sales numbers is actually mileage. It is rated lower than pretty much everything else. A very important factor in todays cars.
3,787 people made a terrible mistake.
Mostly rental fleets, I’d imagine. This probably also accounts for the relatively consistent numbers of the Malibu, Impala, and Fusion. Sonata is a hot, redesigned model, which accounts for its increase, and the Camry, Accord, and Altima were all popular purchases under the cash for clunkers program (wow, what a hangover!).
In addition to the 4,582 mistakes sold from the other side of the lot. Or are these all sent to fleet automatically? The local paper only advertises CPO Avenger/Sebring models, never new ones.
Most of those will be college students. It’s the newest drunk shaming fad. After a hard night of drinking and partying many an unfortunate freshman is awakening to find a five year lease for a Chrysler Sebring superglued to his / her forehead. I struggle to stifle my guffaws whenever I hear the panicked wails of the young and hungover: “What do I do? What do I do?” Don’t worry kid, those emotional scars should be barely noticeable about a decade after your lease expires.
Maybe someone’s building an artificial reef somewhere?
Kia Optima numbers? The new one is arguably the best looking car to come out of Korea. It has a decent chance at gaining some traction if Hyundai is willing to part with some marketing dollars for its red headed step child.
Unfortunately I hear they’re getting away from the hamsters. Numbers should be good once it hits the market. The question is what other cars are going to take a hit?
It’s interesting to look at the combined sales of the Malibu and Impala. Together this August, they outsold the Camry by a fair margin, and the Accord by a rather large margin. Last year at this time, their combined sales couldn’t come close to the Camry, and they were narrowly outsold by the Accord. And that was during Cash for Clunkers, which was supposed to boost American auto sales.
Let’s not pretend that the Malibu and Impala are in different classes. They are very frequently cross-shopped, and the Impala doesn’t really have more usable interior room, it’s just slightly larger. I’d also be willing to bet that the Malibu actually sells for a higher price out the door than the Impala in most cases.
I wonder what would happen to Malibu sales if the Impala was discontinued? Chevy could probably replace the current Impala with a slightly stretched “Malibu XL” with the 3.5 from the Impala as the base engine. It could start at around the same price as a loaded 4-cylinder Malibu LTZ, but with an equipment level closer to the Malibu LS. Assuming that it could pick up the sales that are currently going to the Impala, Chevy would be able to claim a spot at the top of the sales charts. That would leave room for a real flagship Impala with RWD and a V8. Of course, none of this would ever happen. GM always seems to lose most of the sales when a brand or model is killed, and we’ll never get a RWD V8 Impala. Still, it makes a lot of sense to me.
Chevy would be doing better with the Malibu if it wasn’t for that pesky Impala.
Perhaps, but I suspect that the Impala’s current fleet buyers are too price sensitive for Hyundai/Kia and Chrysler not to get substantial shares.
The traditional, low-prices big car domestic buyers who are the Impala’s current non-fleet buyers will probably be shared with Ford and Chrysler, with a few with extra cash moving up to Buick.
I know some Impala owners that buy because of the name, they have a history of Impalas in the family. It doesn’t matter that the current model has little in common with the old RWD version.
To Jeffer’s comment – “I know some Impala owners that buy because of the name, they have a history of Impalas in the family. It doesn’t matter that the current model has little in common with the old RWD version.” Yes, yes and yes.
I wonder what the year over year numbers look like for the Buick LaCrosse. The volume is pretty small for August, 2010 considering the redesign, advertising push, and positive press the car has been getting.
The Prius’ sales are impressive. For a car that’s derided as being a one-trick pony, fad, “toy”
and such it sells at “real car” volumes.
Especially when you consider that gas prices are relatively low – and it’s a hatchback that Americans supposedly despise.
They are impressive, even after a 2-year sales slide: https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/chart-of-the-day-peak-prius/
It’s not the car for me (although I considered one years ago), but there is no doubt it’s a ‘real car’.
Where is the Subaru Legacy? Im sure its at about Mazda 6 numbers without the Outback but I would think it should be on this chart.
Only half of Malibu and Impala sales are retail sales so in actuality the VW Jetta outsells them…Can’t find data on Ford Fusion.
After being in a solid 3rd/4th place for a while, the Fusion is falling behind; it’s been pretty consistently sticking at around 17k units/month for most of the year. Disappointing for me as I’m a bit of a Ford fan (and rather fond of the Fusion). Though I’d bet money that the Impala is at least three-quarters fleet, and the Malibu is probably getting a decent amount of its volume from there as well (there’s no other way of explaining its strong performance despite having absolutely no notable changes this year). The Sonata’s sales increases are definitely well-deserved; it’s just about the most attractive car in its class right now (though I’d personally prefer something a bit sportier)
The new Sonata is apparently a pretty good car, but I’m still not sold on the looks or the interior. For similar money for the same platform I’d go for the 2011 Kia Optima in a heartbeat over the Sonata. Then again, the Optima looks sporty with hints of Saab, and the Sonata has the four door coupe thing going for it and looks a bit more like luxury cars, so it isn’t surprising a lot of people are going that route.
As far as the Fusion goes, at the dealer level, we’re getting killed on price vs. Chevy, Toyota, and Hyundai. Ford doesn’t want to put a lot of incentives on the car, which I can understand, but when you have three other lots in the same town selling similar vehicles for less, in this economy, price seems to talk. We’re still able to get the buyers who care more about features and overall quality, and I can understand where Ford is coming from choosing to sell fewer cars at a higher profit vs. more at a loss, but throwing us a bone would be nice. Add in Milan numbers (which is the same exact car) and it eclipses the Malibu, with less fleet sales to boot, and incentives for 2010s will likely get a boost once the 2011 models hit lots.
Hmmm, I just did some quick comparison pricing on carsdirect.com, and the Fusion seems to be available at much heavier discounts than are Sonatas and Camrys.
John –
Toyota is fond of hidden rebates and incentives given directly do dealers but not published, which makes direct incentive comparisons difficult. Both Hyundai and Toyota tend to heavily incentivize lease deals with overinflated residuals, which again, doesn’t show up directly in comparisons.
If the Sonata were any sportier, it would be more apt to call it a 2+2 coupe.
I think the main reason it even exists as a four door is that the driver does not want to be bothered by having to slide his driver’s seat forward each time a rear seat passenger ingresses/egresses as would occur in a two door design.
The Sonata rear seats are not comparable to a real mid-size car because they are low, sculpted out and stunted to account for the aggressive roof line.
Combined with the high rear door sills and gun slit windows, the owner of a Sonata is saying to the back seat passenger, “I resent that you are in my car, so just slump back there in the dark and be quiet”.
The new Buick Regal should be on this list.
A lot of the lower-level Sonatas are sold to fleets…the Accord, on the other hand, has a very low percentage of sales to fleet customers. So I’m sure that if we compared only retail sales for the two cars, the Accord would still be comfortably ahead.
2012 Malibu shrinks slightly to use the smaller platform of the Buick Regal. 2013 Impala will ride on the slightly larger Buick LaCrosse platform.
Huddled within the shanty as the rain outside cascades down, the remnants of a tropical storm that earlier impacted the Texas coast before heading inland to lash the Ozark Plateau and its plethora of noise-crazed cretins therein, reading the excellent collection of comments to the article resulting in the thread of said comments I sat and pondered.
Peeked at the graph yet again and resumed pondering.
Then peered at the “cottage cheese-type” textured ceiling and sighed a sigh of gratitude that it appears the shanty’s asphalt-type shingles and tar-paper below those appear to be properly shedding the water cascading from the firmament.
Sighing yet again…… seems as if a cloudy rainy day is conducive to sigh-creation within this Old Coot– the only comment concocted via that graph OR from the other comments is that, so far, the quality of watermelons this summer has definitely been inferior to what was available last year, no matter what watermelon-type was purchased and consumed; seedless or seeded.
The watermelon size and mass also appeared to be smaller than previous seasons.
The local weather guessers regularly declared that this summer season was above average in regards to average daily temperature highs so that, perhaps, resulted in an apparent subjective decline in watermelon taste quality.
Is it conceivable that a decline in watermelon savoriness could impact auto make/brand sales in any manner, even in a convoluted way that only a governmental bureaucratic buffoon could conjure up, attempting to provide an explanation for his/her/its existence and being paid an amount that typically exceeds that of comparable workers employed in the private sector where actual true wealth in an economic sense is created.
Pondering completed.