Top 20 best-selling new cars of May 2012

[ifcar]

This time last year, none of the top 10 best-sellers was a Honda or Toyota. Now, half are.

Full sales charts for the month and YTD at link:
http://www.examiner.com/article/top-20-best-selling-cars-of-may-2012

And the best-sellers by class:
http://www.examiner.com/article/best-selling-cars-of-may-2012-by-class
.

[Atomic]

My favorite tread each month so I am adding the Chrysler statistics I received from a buddy. I later saw this same chart at Allpar.com, accompanied with a very informative article. A buddy sents me a sales report nearly every month, but I insist, I not the Chrysler employee ( ), he is...

Enjoy...

The chart did not copy all that well but the stats are impressive enough to post...

~ Atomic

Chrysler Group Sales Summary Thru May 2012

Model   May-12   May-11   Change   YTD 2012   YTD 2011   Change

500   4,003   1,759   127.6%   16,702   3,141   431.7%

FIAT BRAND   4,003   1,759   127.6%   16,702   3,141   431.7%

200   13,250   7,098   86.7%   58,231   25,252   130.6%

Sebring   0   53   -100.0%   0   2,380   -100.0%

300   6,101   2,539   140.3%   33,830   11,181   202.6%

PT Cruiser   0   45   -100.0%   0   1,328   -100.0%

Town & Country   10,323   6,629   55.7%   48,830   39,398   23.9%

CHRYSLER BRAND   29,674   16,364   81.3%   140,891   79,539   77.1%

Compass   3,720   4,555   -18.3%   16,443   15,998   2.8%

Patriot   5,891   5,470   7.7%   27,117   23,313   16.3%

Wrangler   14,454   10,008   44.4%   56,410   41,946   34.5%

Liberty   6,859   6,048   13.4%   34,447   26,048   32.2%

Grand Cherokee   13,274   9,484   40.0%   62,611   45,401   37.9%

Commander   0   8   -100.0%   0   104   -100.0%

JEEP BRAND   44,198   35,573   24.2%   197,028   152,810   28.9%

Caliber   1,341   4,002   -66.5%   7,987   17,576   -54.6%

Avenger   10,682   5,543   92.7%   43,458   24,868   74.8%

Charger   6,735   7,830   -14.0%   37,231   30,626   21.6%

Challenger   4,816   3,418   40.9%   19,442   16,777   15.9%

Viper   0   16   -100.0%   20   110   -81.8%

Journey   5,789   3,706   56.2%   29,855   22,484   32.8%

Caravan   12,418   9,427   31.7%   58,063   46,148   25.8%

Nitro   164   1,900   -91.4%   3,056   10,164   -69.9%

Durango   3,848   4,358   -11.7%   18,151   17,744   2.3%

DODGE BRAND   45,793   40,200   13.9%   217,263   186,497   16.5%

Dakota   26   1,350   -98.1%   441   7,015   -93.7%

Ram P/U   26,040   20,117   29.4%   114,630   90,536   26.6%

Cargo Van   307   0   N/A   2,302   0   N/A

RAM BRAND   26,373   21,467   22.9%   117,373   97,551   20.3%

TOTAL CHRYSLER GROUP   150,041   115,363   30.1%   689,257   519,538   32.7%

TOTAL CAR   46,928   32,258   45.5%   216,901   131,911   64.4%

TOTAL TRUCK   103,113   83,105   24.1%   472,356   387,627   21.9%

[Atomic]

Another great month for Honda. I was expecting the petering down effect assuming many car buyers are holding out for major upgrades to the Civic and other Honda models from what I hear (Fit, Insight...) and new Accord Coupe and Sedan for the 2013 model years.

[Atomic]

A great month for Honda. New or significantly revised models should guarantee an excellent year for the automaker and one that is hopefully not plagued with factory damage. Atomic

Civic propels American Honda to 48% gain

BY: Mark Rechtin

For:Automotive News -- June 1, 2012 - 5:34 pm ET

LOS ANGELES -- American Honda posted its best May since 2008 with sales of 133,997 units, up 48 percent from a year ago when Japan's March 2011 earthquake began to disrupt inventories.

But for many Honda vehicles, last month was strong regardless of circumstances, helping the automaker recover U.S. market share.

Despite a spate of unflattering reviews for the Civic, consumers are flocking to Honda's compact coupe and sedan line. Civic sales blew past 33,000 units -- its best month of the year by more than 5,000 units.

"Civic sales were helped by strong leasing programs," Edmunds.com senior analyst Jessica Caldwell said. "But ultimately its key asset is its brand credibility, which helps when there are people entering the auto market timidly after an extended period of time."

Meanwhile, the aging Accord, set for a redesign this fall, continues a strong sell-down, pushing nearly 30,000 units out the door, partially due to an aggressive dealer stair-step incentives program on the model.

The recently redesigned CR-V crossover continued to enjoy a strong marketing launch with more than 25,000 units sold.

"It's obvious Honda's return to strength is in full swing, and our May sales are impressive irrespective of last year's production supply problems," John Mendel, American Honda executive vice president of sales, said in a statement. "Any time Honda Civic sales surpass 33,000 units in a month, it shows real demand in the marketplace."

Honda ended 2011 with 9 percent of the U.S. market, down from 10.6 percent for all of 2010. With its 2012 sales up 10 percent, just below the industry's overall sales gain of 13 percent, Honda's market share has rebounded to 9.6 percent through May.

Honda spokeswoman Alicia Jones said that Honda transaction prices "remain fairly steady compared to the rest of 2012."

Jones, citing Power Information Network data, said Civic and CR-V transaction prices are relatively consistent. And while Accord prices are down gradually from earlier in the year, they are up from April.

Honda inventories "are now in a strong manufacturing position, although we continue to work on balancing the trim levels available in dealer inventories," Jones said.

On the downside, Honda appears to be limiting exports of made-in-Japan products, especially more fuel efficient models.

With big government incentives in Japan for fuel-efficient vehicles, Honda is keeping those vehicles at home, rather than battling tough exchange rates to sell them here. Sales of the Fit, Insight and CR-Z continue to slump. The same goes for the Civic Hybrid, the only trim level of the Civic made in Japan.

At Acura, a strong launch for the redesigned RDX -- the crossover hit a sales record -- helped push the division's volume up 62 percent. The MDX crossover and TL and TSX sedans also had strong months.

Next month, the just-introduced ILX sedan should push Acura even higher, unless the new model cannibalizes TSX sales.

Related Stories

May volume rises 26%; sales pace falls to 13.8M

[Madman]

The Civic is a prime example of delayed perception.  A decade ago, the Civic was one of the better cars in it's class.  But today, nearly anything else in it's segment is a better choice.  Problem is, most consumers (who don't follow the industry or read the latest reviews) still think the Civic is as good as it was a decade ago.  I wonder how long the Civic can ride on past glories before people discover it's really not that good?

[Atomic]

The Civic is a prime example of delayed perception.  A decade ago, the Civic was one of the better cars in it's class.  But today, nearly anything else in it's segment is a better choice.  Problem is, most consumers (who don't follow the industry or read the latest reviews) still think the Civic is as good as it was a decade ago.  I wonder how long the Civic can ride on past glories before people discover it's really not that good?

I sincerely think, despite extremely pleasing sales for Honda and the expected upgrades to all 2013 trim lines in both snazzy coupe and more mundane sedan, Honda already has great plans for the next generation. It is widely known, IMO that it will happen a year or two earlier than expected. By the, the millions of Civic drivers will be ready for their next one, move to a similar sized Acura (superior brand loyalty) or move up in size to an Accord, Crosstour, Oydessey or SUV/Crossover.

[TurboDan]

I know we've covered this before, but why do so many people need new pickup trucks every month? Are these mostly fleet/commercial sales?

As for the cars on the list, I'll just roll my eyes and bite my tongue.

[Madman]

I know we've covered this before, but why do so many people need new pickup trucks every month? Are these mostly fleet/commercial sales?

As for the cars on the list, I'll just roll my eyes and bite my tongue.

I bet if you were to remove commercial fleet sales from this list we would have a very different picture of what average people are actually buying.

[ifcar]

Best-sellers by class: (asterisks denote a new winner compared to the previous month)

Subcompact cars: Kia Soul
Compact cars: Honda Civic*
Midsize cars: Toyota Camry
Large cars: Chevrolet Impala
Entry-luxury cars: Mercedes-Benz C-Class*
Luxury cars: BMW 5-Series*
Compact crossovers/SUVs: Honda CR-V
Midsize crossovers/SUVs: Chevrolet Equinox
Large crossovers: Ford Explorer
Large SUVs: Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban
Entry-luxury crossovers/SUVs: Lexus RX
Luxury crossovers/SUVs: BMW X5
Vans: Toyota Sienna*
Pickups: Ford F-Series

Full top-10 sales charts for each class at link:
http://www.examiner.com/article/best-selling-cars-of-may-2012-by-class

[Northlands]

The Civic is a prime example of delayed perception.  A decade ago, the Civic was one of the better cars in it's class.  But today, nearly anything else in it's segment is a better choice.  Problem is, most consumers (who don't follow the industry or read the latest reviews) still think the Civic is as good as it was a decade ago.  I wonder how long the Civic can ride on past glories before people discover it's really not that good?

Pretty much. There are a lot of Toyota and Honda buyers out there that don't tend to cross shop as much as others. All purely anecdotal, but I have a lot of friends that own both brands, and typically just show up and buy the newer model without looking at other brands.

[TurboDan]

Pretty much. There are a lot of Toyota and Honda buyers out there that don't tend to cross shop as much as others. All purely anecdotal, but I have a lot of friends that own both brands, and typically just show up and buy the newer model without looking at other brands.

Yeah, I have an Accord neighbor who always buys the newer Accord, and a Camry neighbor who always buys the newer Camry. I have a few other friends and family members who are the same.

[Xer0]

The Civic is a prime example of delayed perception.  A decade ago, the Civic was one of the better cars in it's class.  But today, nearly anything else in it's segment is a better choice.  Problem is, most consumers (who don't follow the industry or read the latest reviews) still think the Civic is as good as it was a decade ago.  I wonder how long the Civic can ride on past glories before people discover it's really not that good?

I mostly agree with this but I still don't think that the Civic is at the bottom (then agian, I have a Honda bias so take it for what its worth)

We'll see what the 2013 refresh does for the Civic (and it needs to do a lot.)

[sportyaccordy]

The Civic is a prime example of delayed perception.  A decade ago, the Civic was one of the better cars in it's class.  But today, nearly anything else in it's segment is a better choice.  Problem is, most consumers (who don't follow the industry or read the latest reviews) still think the Civic is as good as it was a decade ago.  I wonder how long the Civic can ride on past glories before people discover it's really not that good?

As long as its reliable and provides an unintrusive driving experience.

As much as we dislike it, for its market and purpose it's still a great car. By many of the same metrics, a Lancer is a great car and def suffers from perception gap. But I wouldn't go as far as to call it "not good". Much of the competition are gambles.

[TurboDan]

As long as its reliable and provides an unintrusive driving experience.

Exactly. And add in "doesn't cost a lot."

Civic (like most Japanese mainstream cars) is a compromise car. Jack of all trades, master of none. And that, for better or worse, is what most Americans want.

[SVT666]

It used to be the class leader though Dan.

[ifcar]

Exactly. And add in "doesn't cost a lot."

Civic (like most Japanese mainstream cars) is a compromise car. Jack of all trades, master of none. And that, for better or worse, is what most Americans want.

It's not even among the best economy cars at that, and it's rather expensive for its class.

[Atomic]

Yeah, I have an Accord neighbor who always buys the newer Accord, and a Camry neighbor who always buys the newer Camry. I have a few other friends and family members who are the same.

I thought that might be you over the fence, Dan! Howdy neighbor... We could very well be. Lol.

Our family: Honda, Neighbors: Toyota.

[TurboDan]

It's not even among the best economy cars at that, and it's rather expensive for its class.

Well, people are willing to pay a premium for "reliability." 

[TurboDan]

It used to be the class leader though Dan.

Yeah, I agree. Although even in its heyday, there were cars I liked more than the Civic. The old Protege comes to mind. All the ones I see now look like POSs, but they were underrated back in the day.

[Atomic]

I hope to have a Honda as a second car as much as I dream of a European sports coupe or convertible. Might not be as racy, unless a Honda S2000 (rumored to return). This goal is just from experience alone.

[Northlands]

It's not even among the best economy cars at that, and it's rather expensive for its class.

Err... wha? They start at $14,990 up here. It's not all that expensive... 

[ifcar]

Err... wha? They start at $14,990 up here. It's not all that expensive... 

Yeah, you guys get discounted Civics for whatever reason. Even the base DX with no a/c or stereo is $16k here (plus destination.) The cheapest Civic with a stereo, a/c and an automatic transmission (the LX, the line's best-seller) is $19,595 with destination.