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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 2011 Elantra and Corolla, and the 2012 Focus hit the market, this crucial segment will see yet more turmoil.
31 Comments on “Chart Of The Day: Compact Cars In January 2011...”
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Absolutely amazing to me that the Corolla sells as well as it does. I guess those that care about driving dynamics or materials quality are really in a distinct minority. To people for whom those things don’t matter, I guess that the name Toyota is hypnotizing because one can get more space, a longer warranty, and pay less for an Elantra.
The Corolla has rear seat headroom that Elantra victims can only dream about. I’ve never had much appreciation for Corollas, or Toyotas in general, but I rented one last year and it was improbably superior to other small rentals I’ve had recently, like the 2010 Focus. It was a Hertz rental with something like 38,000 hard miles and terrible cosmetics, but it went down the road like an arrow, had a very sophisticated drivetrain, and returned 30 mpg while being hammered on, making it about a third more efficient than previously mentioned Focuses. The worst of Toyotas interiors are more durable than the best of GM, Ford, VW, and Hyundai. If anyone cared about dynamics, no compacts would weigh 3,000 lbs, nobody would use run flat tires, and there would never have been a push for vehicle stability controls. I drive a car with industry superlatives for shifter, driver’s seat, and specific output, but I would buy a Toyota if they were to build a car for my priorities. They are one of the two best engineering firms in the business.
Aside from the fact that the Corolla’s nos. includes sales of the Matrix, according to Edmunds, Toyota had a fire sale of the Corolla to fleet for the month of January (so much so that it overtook sales of the Camry).
Considering that the % of Camry sales to fleet for 2010 was over 17%, that’s a lot to fleet.
@CJinSD
This isn’t the mid-1990s; the Corolla is widely regarded as having one of the worst interiors in its class and look even worse with wear.
Add in zero steering feel and prodigious bodyroll, the Corolla is probably even more derided by auto enthusiasts than the Camry (which is really difficult to do).
Good showing for the Cruze out of the gate…
Incredible showing out of the gate – coming out at #3 behind the established market leaders means GM is doing well.
If they can get to #2 next year, amazing!
Except for the fact those established market leaders are extremely dated platforms, yet still managed nearly 7,000 and over 1,000 more sales, respectively.
Chevy still has a long way to go… and selling reimaged Daewoos ain’t gonna do it.
Gee. When are Sergio’s snazzy interiors gonna move some Chrysler products into one of these top-ten lists?
I think many Corolla buyers drive the Madza 3 and wonder where all its touted excitement can be found.
Then they feel cramped by the Mazda cockpit and high door sill and head over to the Toyota dealership.
TTAC sticking point: At least the Corolla has a real name. Mazda jumped so hard on the numeric band wagon that the 323 became the 3…trying so hard to be hip and it still doesn’t get invited to many driveways.
I have no experience with the 323, but I can say the first-gen Protege was fantastic (in LX trim). Unfortunately it was largely lost behind the sublime Civics and Corollas of the early 90s. The second gen was completely forgettable and sold miserably. The third gen was a very decent car and did better, but I think the Mazda3 has been Mazda’s most successful compact car.
wouldn’t it be logical to judge the Cruze against the 12962 Cobalts sold last January?
I think it would be vary fair to compare it against January sales just to see how Chevy was doing in this segement.
In a few short months I think the Focus will be in the #2 spot.
Interesting that the widely criticized new Jetta is doing so well, while all the positive reviews of the Mazda 3 aren’t helping at all. Mazda’s results look absolutely disastrous.
Mazda can wipe that silly smile off their face any time now. Their smug sounding commercials aren’t helping either.
They’re seeing a 32% sales decline while everyone else is seeing good growth. Their styling seems to have done for the Mazda 3 what the jelly bean styling did for the Taurus.
Does Mazda’s Joker grille styling fall into the “What the hell were they thinking?” category yet?
It is enough to make me want to revisit the smug Mazda dealers I tried buying Mazda 3s from in 2007 and 2008. I used Mazda’s website to send requests for quotes to every Mazda dealer in Virginia and two in southern California. The only response I got to my inquiries in 2007 came a few weeks later, directly from Mazda. I told them that I’d bought a Honda, and that they were the first ones to follow up all my requests. I also told them that I visited a dealer in person who wouldn’t tell me anything about price except that there was a prep charge over the top of MSRP and accessories. A year later I was looking for another car in California. The response was roughly the same, although I did get a phone call instead of the email quote I asked for from one place. It serves their dealer body quite right to now have unsalably ugly cars.
I think the dislike for the Mazda grin is way overstated in automotive forums, regular people on the street (or on the lot) that I’ve talked to actually seem to like it.
Mazda’s problems stem from a very small dealer network, and not being competitive when it comes to incentives when you put them up against Toyota, Honda, and Ford. When it came time for me to replace my Protege5 I first went to my dealer group’s Mazda lot, as I could get the employee pricing, but even with that, the lease deal just wasn’t very good on a Mazda3. Toyota and Honda both blow crazy leases out on Corolla’s and Civics. In fact, I think what brings in a lot of Corolla buyer is that they can get one for under $200 a month on a lease with very little down. On the other hand, the Mazda3 also doesn’t have a lot of rebates to make it attractive like the outgoing Focus, or a super low starting price like the Elantra or Forte.
So, take a small dealer network, less name recognition than a lot of the other brands, and an inability to beat competing cars on either payment or selling price, and you have a situation where only the enthusiasts are really still looking at the Mazda3, and unfortunately that is the group that the grin most seems to offend.
The people who hate the grin aren’t just bloggers. They also include every owner of the previous generation Mazda 3 that I know and a few women I’ve talked to who’d been interested in the old one but are turned off by the new one. Just look at the Mazda 3’s sales trends compared to a crop of cars that are either flawed like the Cruze, Elantra, and Jetta, nearing replacement like the Civic and Corolla, or both like the Focus and Sentra. The grin is about as appealing as the Acura guillotine. It is unfortunate, because they’re both good products that are let down by useless stylists.
I know a girl that has owned two Mazda3s, saw a new one on the road, and said “No way!” She hates the front end, and the back. Her 3 looks classic by comparison. Way to go, Mazda.
Did they hire the Subaru Tribeca stylists???
From Hyundai’s press release:
“Hyundai sold 4,792 cars (2011 Elantra sedan and 2011 Sonata Hybrid) with 40-mpg EPA fuel economy highway ratings, …”
Nothing on this chart is terribly mysterious EXCEPT for the bump in Sentra sales. The only reason the Sentra isn’t as old hat as the Civic is because not many people have been buying them since their unfortunate introduction 4 years ago. What on earth is driving sales up by 26% on a stale model that was never competitive?
The Sentra bump could be fleet dumping. The Sentra isn’t a bad car, but it isn’t outstanding, and from what I’ve seen it’s a victim of the Versa’s success.
It could well be fleet sales, but I don’t recall seeing Sentra on the lists of cars trending to fleet sales. I found the current model to be genuinely uncomfortable to drive in a way other new cars are not. The one I drove was also a CVT, and every yard traveled was a reminder of the car’s ephemerality.
A newspaper ad this Sunday may explain some of those Sentra sales: “New Nissan Sentra! Half off MSRP! You Pay Only $7,995!” Yeah, it’s a one payment 36 month lease, but how many people read the fine print? Knowing the dealer, they’ve probably been running this ad for a month or so.
Cruze already nipping at Civic’s heels. And Chevy dealers aren’t fully ramped up with this car yet.
The Cruze’s results are impressive, especially considering how pricey it is (for a GM compact, anyway). Bodes well for the new Focus, which is priced similarly but more familiar and, if anything, even more attractive.
On the other hand the Jetta seems to indicate that the opposite approach to this segment (dumbing-down at all costs) is just as effective…
You can say anything about Corolla but it is still a nice car in some trims. Yes, the LE is terrible but in S it is nice inside. Drives uninspired – true. But it has as many Pros as Cons.
One thing I don’t understand is Mazda3. BTW, I bought it 3 months ago. Excellent car.
Chevy Cruze raise and Civic decline – there is possibility that many people were holding on to buy the Cruze and now they finally can get it. So, as inventory will built it my drop sales. And Civic is in the process of waiting for the new model, so the people may waiting and not buying current. Same with Focus.
Jetta is real surprize. I guess, the price was the issue all this time. Now that it is compatitive by price, plus it drives well and has some room to it, it does well. Some people still believe in German engineering.
The Chevy and VW numbers were high because the flight buying for this past month was extremely strong.
A lot of the rental firms are now trying to dump the big bulk of their inventory during the first few months of the year. Tax season (which takes place from mid-February through May) is the prime used car buying season. Selling their vehicles at and right before this time yields higher sales prices.
Chevy and VW are also attempting to get their vehicles in as many hands as possible. The Cruze is not near to the point of becoming a ‘known’ car. That usually takes a couple of years.
As for the Jetta, VW is trying to become a high value brand in the United States. To make that work they have to put their vehicles in as many hands as possible. Which is why their numbers to fleet will likely be at least 50% of their volume this month.
Hey guys
I have compiled the Top 50 best selling models in the USA in January, if you are interested in seeing how these compact cars compare with the rest of the market.
The Chevrolet Cruze is 12th in the general ranking, the first time it ranks within the Top 20. The Chevrolet Impala and Ford Explorer are also doing really well this month.
The Top 50 models in January are here: http://bestsellingcars.wordpress.com/2011/02/05/usa-january-2011-chevrolet-cruze-12/#more-2918
cheers
Matt
Hey guys
I have compiled the Top 50 best selling models in the USA in January, if you are interested in seeing how these compact cars compare with the rest of the market.
The Chevrolet Cruze is 12th in the general ranking, the first time it ranks within the Top 20. The Chevrolet Impala and Ford Explorer are also doing really well this month.
The Top 50 models in January are here: http://bestsellingcars.wordpress.com/2011/02/05/usa-january-2011-chevrolet-cruze-12/#more-2918
cheers
Matt