Coupled with GM’s news that the company will be closing plants and scaling back SUV production, the word that the F150 is finally not the country’s best-selling vehicle seems to put the final nail in the coffin of American gas guzzling. Sure, there are still tons of F150s selling (a lot of them to people who don’t really need them), but this change represents one of the biggest swings in the US auto market recently.
The numbers tell the whole story. Here are May’s top five selling vehicles:
- Honda Civic – 53,299
- Toyota Corolla – 52,826
- Toyota Camry – 51,291
- Honda Accord – 43,728
- Ford F-150 – 42,973
Overall, most of the automakers were way down in sales, except for Nissan and Honda, with Honda posting an increase of 11%. Strong sales of traditional economy cars show that people are not just trying to save money on gas, but are buying less expensive, less powerful cars in order to cope with an economic slowdown.
So what does all this really mean? It’s hard to say. On the one hand, the Prius is the most searched for new car on cars.com, but hybrid sales are also slumping. It seems that buyers know about the fuel economy possibilities with hybrids like the Prius, but are getting scared off by the price premium and moving towards either no car or a small car like the Civic or Corolla.
The real question now is, will it stick?
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{ 14 comments }
Yeah, who didn’t see that coming with gas the way it’s been going….
The picture is not the Civic that is referred to in the sales figures.
Irrespective, the black painted bonnet is incredibly tacky. Faux carbon fibre wannabe.
Yeah, we are bad people for wanting roomy cars. We should all drive around with little tiny cars and feel bad. Remember liberalism doesn’t equal equality, just even misery.
Middle America, I suppose.
They do need a constant influx of F-150’s or else country music performers would have nothing left to sing about.
I just bought a brand new F-150 and it works for me. I put around 300 miles on it a week and it can tow my fishing boat, which a Civic cannot.
That car looks so sexy.
“Yeah, who didn’t see that coming with gas the way it’s been going….”
Ford and GM it seams – heads in the sand
People are clearly getting fedup with high gas prices. I know I am.
JT
http://www.Ultimate-Anonymity.com
Honda for the win!
I totally would have bought a Hybrid Highlander last month but the price premium made it about a 4 year payback, so we got the gas one instead. The price difference is too high to really make it worthwile.
My wife & I just bought a 2008 Civic. The salesman told us that he didn’t have any on the lot, but that he had traded for one from another dealership. He also told 2 associates not to tell the other salesmen that he had a Civic coming in. It was coming in that afternoon or early the next morning.
Now, I think if we hadn’t been trying to trade in our old 2005 Civic and a 2000 Corolla, we wouldn’t have had a chance at getting a new Civic.
I didn’t quite believe him a the time, but now, I think I do.
And it was a very pleasant upgrade to our old Honda.
Civic sales have been low, cause everyone still has the first one they bought!!! My 99 Civic HX runs like brand new, and gets 40 MPG!! YEAH!!!!!!
GregK: You got a Hugelander because…??
It’s this idiocy that keeps the car makers lazy.
Caring more about his ego than anything else he gets a ridiculous unnecessary SUV instead of something sane.
Why?
Greg: A Highlander gets 18mpg in the city!!
18!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And you posted this only a few days ago! With gas at $4 a gallon!!
You deserve to pay $80 to fill up.
Boy, it’s funny to hear all the insecure truck owners whine about sales figures, making straw-man arguments against… Liberalism?
Jesus. What a country!
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