Well, cash for clunkers is over, as are the astronomical sales increases had by some subcompact models last month. It's back to the same old stuff, for the most part, and that means slow sales.There were some bright spots: The Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, and MINI lineup all posted positive increases last month. And yet another juxtaposition for the title of "best seller" for the year, too. The Nissan Versa is again the top seller this year, followed by the Hyundai Accent, and the Honda Fit.
The biggest loser for the month? The Toyota Yaris—down 68% last month from 2008. As you may remember, the Yaris didn't fare very well last month, either, despite Cash for Clunkers incentives. Unsurprisingly, the Pontiac G3 continues to pull up the rear as far as sales go.
| Make/Model | Sept. '09 vs Sept. '08 | Year to date | Cars sold in '09 to date |
| Hyundai Accent | +61.3% | +25.1% | 55,525 |
| Kia Rio | +35.7% | -23.4% | 23,234 |
| MINI (all) | +9.7% | -14.0% | 34,996 |
| Nissan Versa | -23.9% | -7.1% | 63,757 |
| Suzuki SX4 | -39.0% | -32.0% | 17,265 |
| Honda Fit | -51.6% | -12.1% | 55,475 |
| Chevrolet Aveo | -52.4% | -32.5% | 31,486 |
| Smart (all) | -54.2% | -31.6% | 12,421 |
| Scion xD | -63.4% | -49.8% | 11,686 |
| Toyota Yaris | -68.0% | -42.4% | 50,785 |
| Kia Soul | -- | -- | 24,237 |
| Nissan Cube | -- | -- | 14,752 |
| Pontiac G3 | -- | -- | 5,190 |
6 comments:
I like to think of C4C as a big sugar rush. And just like with all sugar rushes, there's the crash. C4C didn't really solve the underlying problem that companies are facing right now, it just staled them for a bit. Now we're back, possibly worse in some cases, then before.
Though I imagine a lot of loan companies are gonna make a good mint off of C4C. Well, as long as their customers don't lose their jobs... :-/
Hmmmmmm. JD Powers certainly hasn't hurt Accent sales, despite their idiotic "two star" rating across all categories. Seriously....two stars across the board...which is absurd. The Accent is soooo obviously NOT inferior to the Yaris or Versa or whatever, and car buyers can see that for themselves in a test drive. Most independent car reviewers give the Accent high marks. A recent reviewer in the Washington Post said it was "the best subcompact in America." N'ways, I'm glad the Accent continues to sell, it's a solid, cute little car that deserves a fair shake against the other subcompacts.
The end of C4C was ramarkably ill-timed too (not that they timed it, they ran out of money...it was supposed to last until the end of the year).
Anyway, it cleared out the '09s but the '10s won't be shipping until later in October, and the pre-C4C slowed down production schedules meant bare cupboards all through September. The local Ford dealer is only now starting to get more cars in, they were sold out of everything but F15Os and SUVs.
The Accent is worlds better than the Versa in my opinion.
I think the Versa is my least favorite vehicle in that segment by far.
I think a lot of those Versa sales can be attributed to fleet sales.
I see a TON of Versas on rental lots no matter where I go. I think that skews the results...
That might be. It's funny: Every time I try to rent a subcompact, such as the Versa, the rental companies never have them, so I get the free upgrade. Which, by the way, isn't as intriguing to me as the econocar I wanted.
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