Posted on 11/14/2011 11:48:13 PM PST by Lazlo in PA
The recession and high gas prices have been major deciding factors in car purchases in the past several years. This can be seen on the list of the ten cars and light trucks models with the greatest unit sales growth in the last five years, as per data from Edmunds.
Interestingly enough, the list does not have a single major Japanese car company model on it. Instead, it is dominated by cars from U.S. companies, second tier Japanese manufacturer Subaru, and upstarts from South Korea, all of which grew sales by at least 60 percent.
Decades ago, Honda, Toyota, and Nissan had tremendous growth and kept gaining market share in the U.S. By July 2006, Toyota’s U.S. share matched that of Ford. Within two years, GM and Chrysler were bankrupt.
Not many analysts expected a Detroit comeback. Probably none predicted that South Korean companies would become the most successful car companies in America in terms of growth. Nevertheless, Kia and Hyundai have taken the U.S. market by storm. They have done so by following the Japanese business example of high quality, fuel efficiency, and low prices.
Most of the cars and light trucks on this list share several commonalities. First, most of them sell for less than $25,000. This threshold has become more important as the economy began to slip into recession in 2007, making low-priced cars attractive. Second, the price of crude oil rose above $140 in the summer of 2008. Consequently, gas prices shot up, and combined with the economic downturn, fuel efficiency became an important consideration. Most of the cars on this list get 30 MPG on the highway (or come close to doing so).
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My next car is a Forrester, if they are still in production. High ground clearance, lots of cargo room.
No wonder GM went bankrupt.
It was a recall that affected only a small percentage of northern cars. If you were driving my car in TX, or AL, you never would have discovered the problem. The care and service we received on that brought us back as customers.
The main Japanese brands, Toyota and Honda, suffered from huge supply chain issues due to the earthquake and tsunami, plus their designs are just flat out boring. The Koreans, Hyundai and Kia, have cars that are rivaling the Japanese on quality and have a little bit of design flair, plus they were available. Given all that, there is no surprise sales for the Koreans are way up.
Sounds like you lucked out. Considering all the horror stories you hear about bad dealerships, you have found a good one. That can make all the difference in the world.
I liked the Olds Cutlass Supreme as well. Now we have a 2007 Hyundai Sonata and it’s excellent and I recently rented a Ford Fusion and it was even better.
I dunno about this list, but without weighting the results for number of units sold I think it’s misleading. Here are the results rejiggered based on number of units sold (a better guage of popularity IMHO):
Hyundai Elantra - 162,153
Jeep Wrangler - 116,599
Ford Fusion - 100,621
Ford Escape - 94,120
Chevy Equinox - 84,495
Kia Sorrento - 79,659
Subaru Outback - 44,559
Kia Optima - 33,336
Cadillac SRX - 32,936
Subaru Legacy - 16,325
Other than the Jeep, which is a rather uncomfortable ride compared to the others, the rest make some sense. The Elantra is up where it is because it’s cheap, both to buy and to operate - it’s the new Ford Escort, if you will. It’s instructive to see that the Fords still beat the Chevy union-parasite junk. The Kias are interesting, too, but I’ve seen a few of the newer models and, like the Japanese brands of yore, it’s clear that Kia is following the same course, going from junky little beaters to some nice stuff. Hyundai is doing the same thing; some of their products are quite nice these days. It’ll be interesting to see if they do a luxury model spinoff the same way that the Japanese manufacturers did.
I have a 94 Buick Roadmaster, 350 LT Engine ,rear wheel drive, 26 mpg highway, 174,000 on the clock, plenty of room.
I keep it maintained to the max in hopes it will last me another 20 years, when I turn 90.
I also have a 2005 Toyota and I use it for the short runs.It’s a great little car,when it needs replacement I will get another Camry.
They have; it's the Genesis: http://www.hyundaiusa.com/genesis/
Last year I was ready to retire my 3rd Honda after 15 years in the '95. Ended up giving it to my relatives for their teenagers to learn on a stick. The 18yo male has already trashed it (sniff).
I had been hankering for the Honda Euro-Diesel but then the California CARB regs made Honda rethink. I am now in an Audi(VW) TDI A3 and loving it. 28mpg city and 40+ highway and no problems with limited range or fuel availability.
I watch the BBC Top Gear all the time, I wish more of the European diesel cars were available, they really like the Skoda Yeti, kind of like a Forrester from what I gather.
What a silly study. Big deal, poorly selling cars increase their sales.
Small numbers when increased 100% still result in a small number. Silly, silly study.
Meanwhile, all the Honda and Toyota owners are just breaking their vehicles in at 100,000 miles. Why buy a new one.
The Forrester is “nice”. We considered purchasing one, but we went with the Imprezza hatchback because we spend a lot of time on the freeways in So. Cal. (Really, really wanted to buy the Forrester’s “turbo-charged” version, but again, it just wasn’t fuctional for us.)
We are in the market for a “new-for-us” car in the next 6 months or so... Our Chevy Blazer has already seen its best days although I loved that “light truck” and its 4-Wheel-Drive - awesome when we lived in Colorado and went up to the mountains a lot.
We’re in Wisconsin now, so although I think 4WD is awesome for those really bad snowstorms, it’s not a necessity as it was in CO. I have to admit to not wanting to lose the size/height of the car. My husband had a run-in with a deer last year, and if he wasn’t in the SUV it would have been a LOT worse — just a moderate concussion for my husband, and car battered from windshield cracks from the face/antlers to a huge indentation when the body slammed against it on the passenger door driver’s side. I’m concerned about deer, but not to the point where I wouldn’t buy a “regular” car.
Suggestions as to a dependable, reliable “mid-size” sedan? We’re turned off on GM cars due to political concerns & union issues - but I think I might still buy a used Saturn if the price was right and the mileage low enough (I LOVED my Saturn SL2).
We’re probably looking at a foreign car for the first time ever - Toyota/Honda for dependability and length of life. I see discussion of Kia here — are they up to par with the Toyota/Honda cars with quality and dependability yet (I’m just not familiar with their cars - except that they reminded me of a Yugo-type when they first came out as they pushed the inexpensive feature so much when introduced).
Thanks for all the info. people have posted on the thread already — gives me places to start! LOL
I leased a 2011 Hyundai Sonata and my daughter leased a 2012 Elantra.
Both are beautifully designed, comfortable to drive and economical.The lease prices are very attractive. I have a set price to purchase the car at the end of three years, and if I don’t want to purchase it, I turn it in and lease a another car.
Years ago Icame to the realization that whether you lease or buy, you are still drive a depreciating vehicle. Leasing is renting, and is more flexible and has no large down payment, plus a much more reasonable monthly payment. And it is more flexible—I don’t have to sell the car, I am not stuck with the car past the lease end unless I want to buy it, and I have that option also.
If you have small kids that wreck cars or high mileage commutes, leasing is not for you. But if you’re older, don’t have little kids or messy teenagers, and you can live with 1,000 or so miles a month, it may make sense for you.
Actually they have a high end luxury model: the Equus. The one with the back seat recliner,DVD player, heat and massage.
Beautifully appointed inside, the styling outside is not as leading edge as their other models.
Out of the 16+ cars around here, only two are foreign and one of them is the only 6 cylinder. I have a ‘90 560SEL. The only car I took over 140mph comfortably. I have the window sticker for that one and it was $90K new so it had better handle and perform great. Extremely easy to work on and well engineered. The other is a ‘78 280SE. It is a total slug, but is a fun little car. The engine is bulletproof which is why I see so many old Mercs still in use oversees.
The Krouts really know how to sensibly engineer stuff especially when you compare it to American stuff. To change the blower motor in my ‘76 Catalina Safari, the shop manual has you cut a big whole in the inner fender to access it and then putty the panel back in. Some engineering idea on an item that does need replacing now and again.
I have a ‘93 Roadmaster Estate with the lesser 350. I drove one with the LT. It was a rocket ship. I liked the ‘93 better because the dash is nicer and has gauges. You can still get the engines for yours and mine from GM along with the Trans brand new. I did have to take off all the stupid rubber strips on the belt line because I couldn’t keep them from falling off anymore. You had to buy the whole chrome piece to replace them and that was $$$. I did buy a full set of brand new wood grain for it when my buddy at Buick told me that they were going to stop making it years ago. Glad I did that.
To keep mine going to 90 I will have to make it another 52 years. If the Cubans can keep their old pre Castro stuff going in those conditions for this long, I think I can do it too. It may get like that here if we get 4 more years of Obummer. The Volt will be the new Skoda.
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