In a record-setting April for the Canadian auto industry, Ford Canada reclaimed its position atop the sales leaderboard by outselling the Chrysler Group’s various and sundry brands by a handful of units.

(Read More…)

The amount of time it takes to sell a new vehicle is usually a good indicator of demand for that model and gives a slightly different perspective from the more traditional number of days supply statistic. The average time that new cars and light trucks spent on U.S. dealer lots last month, 56 days, was up slightly from March’s 51 days, which was the same average selling time in April of 2013. Cars.com’s Kicking Tires blog has compiled lists of both the fastest selling vehicles in April as well as the cars that have lingered on the lots perhaps a bit past their shelf date. The ten fastest selling cars averaged just under 11 days from the time they rolled off their transporters until they were driven home by happy customers. The ten slowest selling cars took an average of 5 months to sell. The slowest selling car in America in April was the 2014 BMW 640i xDrive coupe, which sat on Dealer lots an average of 205 days. The two quickest selling cars were Subarus, the 2015 Forester and 2015 WRX, which both took an average of just 7 days to sell.

Complete lists after the break. (Read More…)

While hybrids like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid are doing well among most consumers, luxury and large SUV consumers are thumbing their nose at hybrid offerings aimed at them.

(Read More…)

One of the frequent themes discussed on TTAC is the rising inequality of the mainstream car market in Europe. Since the Great Financial Crisis, Europe’s auto market has not only undergone a severe contraction in terms of volume, but also a radical shift in its composition.

(Read More…)

Wednesday marks the 16th anniversary of the Daimler-Chrysler merger. One day prior to this milestone, Fiat Chrysler has unveiled their business plan for the next 5 years. While the industry norm is to keep future product plans, brand strategies and sales targets as a closely guarded secret, FCA took the unusual step of making it all public, with FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne headlining the event (billed as a conference for investors) at an event in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Each of FCA’s brands and subsidiaries was given the chance to present their strategy through 2018, with healthy helpings of new vehicles, future technology and corporate strategy being revealed.

(Read More…)

It’s not as though consumers hadn’t experienced doses of luxury in their SUVs before the Mercedes-Benz ML, Lexus RX, and Lincoln Navigator began pushing an increasingly impressive wave toward shore in the late 90s. But, especially in the enthusiast community, there was some reluctance to accept the notion of such illustrious brands diving head first into a market that was going to demand perfectly balanced compromises. The traditional off-road ability we associated with SUVs couldn’t be thrust overboard in favour of road manners. Or could it?

(Read More…)

With a SAAR of 16.2 million (up from 15.2 million in April, 2013), May was a strong month, with sales up 8 percent.

(Read More…)

For the past decade, midsize sedans have been the most popular segment in America. But data from Polk and IHS Automotive suggests that might be changing.

(Read More…)

Yesterday’s chart didn’t include premium C-segment entrants, but commenter Vega beat me to the punch in mentioning them.

(Read More…)

Today’s chart of the day comes courtesy of JATO Dynamics and Automotive News Europe, showing last year’s C segment car sales in Europe (click to enlarge).

(Read More…)

Long after the first SUV gold rush in the United States, the Detroit Three are gearing up for a second gold rush, this time in China.

(Read More…)

March 2014’s Canadian auto sales results displayed a further willingness on the part of buyers to gradually forsake cars and turn to smaller crossovers.

(Read More…)

The Ford Mustang is selling more frequently in 2014 than it did in the same period of 2013. Ford is also grabbing greater U.S. market share in the relatively high-volume muscle car sector.

(Read More…)

After setting up a retail lease program, Tesla is now moving closer towards a full-fledged captive financing arm, by launching a financing unit for corporate leases.

(Read More…)

America’s large car category shed more than 18,000 sales in the first quarter of 2014 as new entities weren’t able to add enough sales to overcome the declines of established players.

(Read More…)