Tuesday, August 31, 2010

2011 FORD FIESTA vs 2011 MAZDA 2 - IN PICTURES

Traditionally, cars which share platforms share plenty of other stuff, as well. The Mazda 2 and Ford Fiesta are different. Look closely enough and you can see the overall shape of the Mazda in the Fiesta's bodylines, but they appear to be completely different cars. The Mazda uses a less-powerful engine and offers a less-expensive hatchback bodystyle. The Fiesta is available as a sedan - don't even consider its awkward style a possible fit for your driveway - but the Mazda is a 5-door hatchback only.

The purchase of a subcompact is more price-dependent than any other automobile. The person who really wants a Rolls-Royce Phantom will be able to justify the price premium over the Bentley Mulsanne, but the buyer of a 2011 Ford Fiesta or 2011 Mazda 2 will be tempted by available deals as much as seductive design. Nevertheless, The Good Car Guy has compiled the pictures you see below to directly compare these two long lost brothers. It's expected that the Blue Oval's appeal in America will bring in far more sales to the Fiesta than the Mazda, just as the Escape attracts thousands more customers than the Mazda Tribute. Based on vehicle styling, is that appropriate?

Judge for yourself.

Perhaps more graceful than the Fiesta, Mazda's 2 does not appear as aggressive; not as ready to pounce as the Fiesta when viewed from the rear.

You certainly couldn't accuse the 2011 Ford Fiesta of being too cutesy. The 2's Mazda-spec smiley grille lets it down even though, once again, its lines are cleaner and smoother when viewed from the front.

Five or six years from now the Mazda 2's lines will be more pleasing. The Fiesta will appear dated despite the fact that it was more exciting in 2010. Wheels, of course, make a huge difference when viewing a car from the side. In the case of the two pictures above, the featured 2011 Ford Fiesta and 2011 Mazda 2 are of the high-end variety and are thus fitted with nice alloys.

Mazda's 2011 2 is incredibly Mazda-like, not let down by its price at all. Orange-lit and very black, the 2's interior is ready to fight in the segment above. Completely different from the Mazda but still attractice, the 2011 Fiesta's cabin is dynamic and very modern.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Subcompact Car Sales In America - July 2010
Ford Verve Concept Debuts At Frankfurt
Subcompact Car Sales In Canada - July 2010
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Thursday, August 26, 2010

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING VEHICLES IN CANADA - YEAR-TO-DATE THROUGH JULY 2010


Just ahead of August's Sales Stats arriving, here are Canada's Top 10 Best-Selling Vehicles so far this year. In other words, if 2010 had only seven months, these'd be considered the most popular vehicles in Canada. Four trucks, two minivans, one cute-ute of an SUV, and five cars fill ten positions. How'zat? Take a look to find out.

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#10 - Hyundai Accent: 16,753
Images of the 2012 Hyundai Accent have been spread across the web. When a replacement isn't far off, the price of the current outdated car must fall. The 2010 Hyundai Accent is by no means a bad car, but with huge discounts and 0% financing, the Accent becomes a terrific runabout. Sales are down by just 3.7% through July 31/2010.

#9 - Hyundai Elantra: 20,645
Like its smaller partner in crime, the Hyundai Accent, a future Elantra has already been displayed. Thus deals aren't hard to find on the current 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The addition of a wagon model has certainly assisted Hyundai in its quest to strengthen sales in the compact segment. In July, for instance, the Elantra Touring was responsible for 954 of the Elantra's 3,223 sales. At this time last year, Elantra sales in Canada were 18,009.

#8 - Toyota Corolla: 23,672
South of the border, Toyota USA lists Corolla sales and Matrix sales as one. If that were true of Toyota Canada, the Corolla/Matrix total of 35,845 sales through July 2100 would make it Canada's best-selling car. Though Matrix sales have risen slightly in 2010, Corolla sales have dropped precipitously: down 22.8& through the first seven months of this year.

#7 - Ford Escape: 26,762
Never unpopular, the Ford Escape has become as much of a staple in the average Canadian's diet as potatoes this year. It seems as though everyone's driving a 2010 Ford Escape. Sales have risen 14.5% on the backs of Ford's Employee Pricing and so-called "delivery allowances". The Escape isn't the roomiest or classiest small SUV, but it's a tremendous deal that Canada prefers over every other utility vehicle on the market.

#6 - Mazda 3: 31,034
A 10.6% increase in year-to-date Canadian sales has been enough for the 2010 Mazda 3 to pass the Toyota Corolla. But even with declining Honda Civic sales, the Mazda hasn't been able to usurp the Honda as Canada's best-selling car.... yet. Sales Stats for August aren't in yet. Besides, the fall and early winter could bode well for Mazda.

#5 - Honda Civic: 31,604
Canada is addicted to the Honda Civic. Like hockey viewers flocking to the TV for a glimpse of Ron MacLean or James Duthie, Canadians buy the Honda Civic like it's going out of style. Which it is. The current model's been around since 2006 and the 2010 Honda Civic ain't much changed. But it was good to begin with and satisfies the nation's needs for economical, reliable, moderately-stylish, Canadian-built transportation.

#4 - Dodge Ram: 32,175
For a third-string quarterback, the Dodge Ram sure does get a lot of attention. In fact, 2010 has been an amazing year for the Ram. Sales have risen 84.4% compared to the first seven months of 2009. If GoodCarBadCar.net didn't list the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado as one, the 2010 Dodge Ram would be Canada's second-best-selling truck.

#3 - Dodge Grand Caravan/Chrysler Town & Country: 37,389 
Chrysler grabs only 2,777 of these sales; 34,612 of the company's 37,389 minivan customers select Dodge. For all intents and purposes, the 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan starts at $20,945. There you see why Dodge grabs most of the sales, for the 2010 Chrysler Town & Country has a base MSRP of $29,845. This is also why you see Dodge taking hold of much more minivan market share in Canada than in the USA. Canadians really care about price.

#2 - GMC Sierra/Chevrolet Silverado: 50,729
Broken down by brand, 26,626 buyers went with the GMC. 24,103 chose Chevrolet. They're the same truck, so what's it matter? For one thing, the strength of GMC in Canada helps make General Motors look good for keeping GMC over Saturn or Pontiac (as if there was ever any doubt). Moreover, the majority of Canadians clearly prefer their grilles unadorned. Or something.

#1 - Ford F-Series: 56,314
Facts you were unaware of #1: the Ford F-Series was actually Canada's best-selling truck when Sir John A. began his second term as Canada's Prime Minister. Facts you were unaware of #2: To drive the $42,179 2010 Ford F-150 King Ranch 4x4 SuperCrew from Fogo, Newfoundland to the actual King Ranch, you'd see 5,513 kilometres pass beneath your wheels. Facts you were unaware of #3: F-Series sales are up 20.3% this year.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Canada Auto Sales By Brand - July 2010
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In Canada - July 2010
Top 10 Best-Selling SUVs In Canada - July 2010
Top 5 Best-Selling Trucks In Canada - July 2010
2009 Year End Canadian Auto Sales Figures
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

MINIVAN SALES AND MUSCLE CAR SALES IN CANADA - JULY 2010

For the vast majority of automakers, victory isn't everything. Being able to say, "We sold the most _____", doesn't feel quite as good as making trunkloads of money. Don't worry your pretty little head off - Dodge will forever be inclined to proclaim the Grand Caravan as Canada's best-selling minivan. But take into consideration the percentage of 2010 Dodge Grand Caravans which were sold to fleets (likely at no profit to Chrysler) and the rest which went to regular consumers with around $7,000 in incentives, and you begin to see Honda's contentedness.

See, every time Honda sold an Odyssey in Canada in July 2010, Chrysler/Dodge sold five minivans and 65% of the sixth van was out the door. But while the base price of a Dodge Grand Caravan had plummeted to $20,945, the $31,690 Odyssey wasn't likely much cheaper than $26,000. 

You might also be interested to know about a few minivan competitors not in this Graph because, well, they ain't minivans. Toyota Venza sales were 1,045 in July. 464 units of the Ford Flex were sold in Canada in July. Dodge Journey sales reached 2,268.

As for muscle car sales in Canada, only the best-selling 2011 Ford Mustang posted a decline in sales compared with July 2009. Camaro sales shot up 49%; Mustang sales fell from 898 to 880.
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SPORTY CAR SALES AND PREMIUM SPORTY CAR SALES IN CANADA - JULY 2010

The Good Car Guy's brief analyses on July 2010 auto sales in Canada have, for a change, concentrated on the weakest links. In the case of sporty car sales, however, it's really hard to ignore the Hyundai Genesis Coupe. You could justifiably point out that compared with other Hyundais, Genesis Coupe sales are meaningless. Hyundai sold 1162 Sonatas in Canada in July 2010 along with 2733 Accents and 3223 Elantras. But the whole point of the Graph below is to display the Sales Stats might of certain sporty cars alongside the weakness of others. And here, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe certainly appears mighty.

For the record, GoodCarBadCar.net includes Volkswagen GTI sales when discussing the Volkswagen Golf in the Compact Car Sales chart. In July 2010, Volkswagen Canada sold 173 GTIs, up 66.3% from July 2009.

The BMW 6-Series may have a good July south of the border where the competition was absolutely crushed, but up here in Canada, the tasteless 6-Series is roundly rejected. 6-Series sales have fallen 68% through the first seven months of 2010. Mercedes SL-Class sales are off slightly (down to 172 from 178). Audi has lost 15 R8 sales (down to 71) compared to the first seven months of 2010. Jaguar XK sales are level, GT-R sales have nearly been cut in half at Nissan, and Porsche 911 sales have risen to the tune of 1.5%.
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Monday, August 23, 2010

LARGE CAR SALES AND LARGE LUXURY CAR SALES IN CANADA - JULY 2010

BMW 7-Series sales in Canada have risen 30% compared with the first seven months of 2009. Sales of the big, bad Brit - the all-new 2010 Jaguar XJ - have skyrocketed northward with an improvement of 123% year-to-date compared with 2009. Of course, 89 total sales isn't much to write home about, but an improvement is an improvement. Not to belabour the point, but Canadian sales of the Mercedes S-Class (which includes the CL-Class) are up, as are Porsche Panamera sales (since there were no Panamera sales in 2009). Audi Canada's A8 sales are down so far, and Lexus's LS is off 13%. 

Among mainstream Large Car Sales, the smell of success is wafting by, as well. Buick LaCrosse sales are up (but were down slightly in July). Both year-to-date sales and July 2010 sales of the Buick Lucerne have jumped up nicely. At Chrysler, the 300 is doing better than 2009 by three units, and the Dodge Charger has posted 47% gains.  Up 143%, Chevrolet Impala volume is surely assisted by fleet sales - yearly volume is up scantly. Ford Taurus sales have increased 200% from 2009's 7-month total. Japanese brands have contributed to the increase, as well: both the Nissan Maxima and Toyota Avalon are selling better this year than last. Kia is awaiting the Cadenza; Amanti volume is off by 56%. The disrespected Cadillac DTS and Lincoln Town Car are having off years, as well, no doubt about it.

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MIDSIZE CAR SALES AND MIDSIZE LUXURY CAR SALES IN CANADA - JULY 2010

Having been on sale for since June, sales of the exciting 2011 Buick Regal are lackluster, at best. Availability might be low, yes, but one way or another that's GM's fault; not the fault of Canadian clientele. Oh, and another curious General Motors decision, to be altered later on, has the 2011 Buick Regal priced at $31,990. The larger, more spacious, and generally more powerful Buick LaCrosse is currently available for $29,713 with price adjustments. Lucerne sales, as you'll see in the Large Car Sales chart for July 2010, reached 400 in Canada last month.

By the way, if Regal sales seem low to you, do take into account the fact that Regal sales will rise. Mitsubishi Galant sales, on the other hand, were at 14 in June, 13 in May, 9 in April, and 93 in March. Recovery does not appear to be inevitable.

Not long ago, a specific Cadillac STS model was in The Bad 8 v2.0. Only three Canadians seated themselves in an STS last month. That's bad, too. To be out-sold by the Acura RL must be a dreadful thing. The Hyundai Genesis, seen only as a sedan in the Graph below, doesn't really belong in any category. Built as a large midsizer, priced like an entry-luxury car, badged like a mainstream large car, the Genesis makes it hard to adequately analyze its sales figures. Nevertheless, fending off the Lincoln MKS is a symbol that the Genesis is at least moderately successful.
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COMPACT LUXURY CAR SALES AND ENTRY LUXURY CAR SALES IN CANADA - JULY 2010

Last week, Autoblog's review of the 2010 Lexus HS250h was halfway to scathing. In that light, should we be surprised to see Toyota Canada only sold three Lexus HS hybrids in July 2010? Well, actually, we should be a little surprised. Lexus sold 63 the month before, 59 in May, 92 in April, and 73 in March. Is there another explanation besides the HS's horrible ugliness starting, relatively underwhelming fuel efficiency, mildly anemic powertrain, and bloated base price? Did Lexus fail to notify GoodCarBadCar.net that they'd stopped importing the HS250h? Hmm?

Imagine Saab's return to the Canadian market brought about 184 sales of the 9-3 in July. Then, combine the 9-3's sales with those of the Volvo S40 and V50, as well as the Acura TSX, Cadillac CTS, Lexus IS, and Lincoln MKZ. BMW's 3-Series would still be more successful. And guess what? Saab ain't about to sell 184 9-3s a month in Canada. Saab Canada sold 627 in Canada in 2009. The Graphs below record July 2010 sales volume of every small luxury car. 

CLICK GRAPH FOR LARGER VIEW
CLICK GRAPH FOR LARGER VIEW

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
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COMPACT CAR SALES AND SUBCOMPACT CAR SALES IN CANADA - JULY 2010

Very few people would argue with the man who makes a point about the 2010 Honda Fit being superior to the 2010 Hyundai Accent. More refined, more fun to drive, roomier, and at least as fuel efficient, the Fit is by no means handsome but stands out from the pack. The Accent, a car The Good Car Guy recommends with alarming frequency, is pleasant enough and warrantied up to the hilt. Plus, it's ridiculously inexpensive and frequently available with low, low, low financing. 

The Good Car Guy would go so far as to say that, barring a little more knowledge of the Ford Fiesta and Mazda 2, the Honda Fit is best-in-class. Yet over the 31 days of last month, July 2010, Canadians acquired 2733 Hyundai Accents and only 477 Honda Fits. There is but one explanation for this frequent phenomenon: price. To find a Honda Fit with air-conditioning and an automatic transmission, you must spend at least $16,980. Over at the local Hyundai dealership, you can have air-con and an auto trans for $13,949. Hyundai will finance that car interest-free for five years or at 0.99% for six or seven years. At Honda, you're more likely to be charged 5.9% interest.

Why are we making this point? There are no automotive categories more price-sensitive than the subcompact segment. Dearborn's Blue Oval, like Honda, has priced their car, the 2011 Ford Fiesta, far beyond the best-selling car in the class. Air-conditioning isn't even an option on the base sedan. Will Ford's Canadian sales volume of the Fiesta rise beyond this early hurricane-afflicted, basement-dwelling 386? For sure, but it won't be up in Versa/Accent territory until Ford drops the price.

As for compacts, the sway of price isn't quite as substantial. Deeply discounted Chevrolet Cobalts and Ford Focuses sold well in July 2010, but the best cars in the class, Honda's Civic and the Mazda 3, continued to sell well with weaker promotions. Details on every single subcompact and compact car competing in the Canadian marketplace are in the Graphs below.
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Sunday, August 22, 2010

NICHE CAR SALES AND NICHE SUV AND TRUCK SALES IN CANADA - JULY 2010

We're down to a very few new Chrysler PT Cruisers in Canada. Production is over. Only three were sold in Canada in July. That fact doesn't make the Chevrolet HHR's lackluster showing in Canada look all that good. The HHR, a fair earner for General Motors south of the border, is deemed undesirable by the Canadian auto-buying populace. Despite possessing 1/10th the population, Canadians registered only 1/55th the HHRs in July 2010. In fact, Americans made the HHR more popular than the Kia Soul in July. Kia Canada should be pleased to know that their Soul out-sold (out-Souled?) the Chevrolet HHR by more than 7-to-1 in July. 

There are 257 Acura ZDXs on Canadian roads now, not counting the odd American tourist visiting Niagara Falls from Manhattan. By odd I don't mean "rare" or "more or less". No, I mean odd as in "peculiar" or "eccentric". To be driving an Acura ZDX, chances are you're odd: at least your car-buying habits are unique. ZDX owners formerly drove either an Isuzu VehiCross or Cadillac Allante.

I disparage so. It's just a curious thing, the purchase of an Acura ZDX. What was wrong with the less-expensive, more practical, better-looking Acura MDX? And BMW X6 owners, I ask you this: what was wrong with the less-expensive, more practical, better-looking BMW X5? 270 people made the correct choice in BMW's Canadian dealerships in July; 497 at Canadian Acura dealers. The 133 of y'all walked to the wrong corner of the showroom.

Details on niche cars, SUVs, and trucks of all kinds are in the Graphs below.
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Friday, August 20, 2010

CHEVROLET vs FORD, BOWTIE vs BLUE OVAL - JULY 2010 IN CANADA

Chevrolet and Ford aren't even direct rivals in Canada. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement since, as you can see in the Graph below, there are plenty of Chevrolets and Ford just meant to be cross-shopped. But unlike the United States Marketplace, Chevrolet and Ford sales volumes have little to do with one another. It's not uncommon to see similar Chevrolet and Ford sales levels south of the border. In Canada, the Blue Oval's most easily marked rival would General Motors as a whole, not GM's Chevy division.

Even at that, General Motors only sold 23,902 vehicles in July 2010 in Canada. Ford, without aid from its luxury Lincoln division, beat GM's total by 2,849 vehicles. The Good Car Guy doesn't even bother to show Ford Canada's utter domination in certain segments (such as pickup trucks), not because of the insult it would be to Chevrolet, but because we all know the outcome in advance.

Anyway, the Chevrolet Cobalt did beat the Ford Focus in Canada in July. The real contest in that segment comes once the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and 2012 Ford Focus arrive. Once Ford Fiesta stock creeps up to appropriate levels, expect the Chevrolet Aveo's bar to falter. Details on other segments are in the Graph, so check it out.
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