Small Car Sales, Midsize Car Sales, Large Car Sales In America - March 2012

Mazda was only 415 sales shy of seeing sales of its 6 midsize sedan double in March 2012. One can imagine that a car based on the stunning Takeri Concept would continue to help Mazda gain a share of the midsize sedan market given how willing Americans now seem to Camry and Accord rivals. 

March 2012 Midsize Car Sales Chart
Click Any Chart For A Larger View

The Kia Optima, for example, was America's  eighth-best-selling car last month, and by singing a duet with the Hyundai Sonata, formed half of America's third-best-selling midsize platform. That wasn't a foregone conclusion two or three years ago. Moreover, it's not the Honda Accord that's routinely challenging for best-selling car in America status. Nissan Altima sales were up 27% in March as the soon-to-be-replaced sedan and coupe finished just 1517 sales behind the Toyota. 

Doesn't the success of the two Koreans, the Altima's ascension, and even Chrysler's midsize resurgence the 200 and Dodge Avenger suggest Mazda could do some damage with the next 6? Sure, all those things speak to such possibilities, but Mazda's failure to gain significant market share with the first-generation 6 and the current 6's status as the most stylish Japanese midsize sedan haven't helped. Perhaps this is not Mazda's category to win.

March 2012 Small Car Sales Chart

There are detailed sales figures for dozens of cars - small, midsize, and large - in the tables after the jump. You can click any of the accompanying sales charts for a larger view. As always, monthly and yearly sales figures for these models and more (Caprice PPV and Taurus Interceptor anyone?) can be accessed through the dropdown menu at the top right of this page or at GoodCarBadCar's Sales Stats home. 

First, there are some key figures you need to know that aren't visible in the charts or tables. The Prius Family breakdown is as follows: Toyota sold 4937 Prius V wagons in March and 4837 Prius C hatchbacks and 891 Prius Plug-In hybrids for 28,711 Prii in total. This information was not in Toyota USA's monthly update, and when Toyota provided GoodCarBadCar.net with the data it was not accompanied by year-to-date or year-over-year percentage change figures.

March 2012 Large Car Sales Chart

At Volkswagen, Jetta sedan sales fell 8.4% to 12,947; Jetta SportWagen sales were down 28.9% to 2019. Mini's Convertible and Roadster accounted for 493 and 144 of the Cooper's overall total. The Clubman and Coupe brought in another 497 and 336 sales, respectively. This goes along with 2817 Cooper/Cooper S Hardtops, sales of which were down 7.4% in March and were up 5.4% in Q1 of 2012. Nine of the Chevrolet Sonic/Aveo sales in March were Aveos; that makes 42 so far this year.

Small Car	March 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Buick Verano	2497	-----	4980	-----
Chevrolet Sonic/Aveo	8260	+ 204%	21,905	+ 167%
Chevrolet Cruze	21,607	+ 19.9%	57,083	+ 13.7%
Chevrolet HHR	4	- 99.9%	9	- 99.96%
Dodge Caliber	2242	- 40.2%	5238	- 45.5%
Fiat 500	3712	+ 642%	8850	+ 1670%
Ford Fiesta	6502	- 33.6%	15,522	- 23.6%
Ford Focus	28,293	+ 64.7%	66,043	+ 78.2%
Honda Civic	28,199	- 9.7%	77,169	+ 18.8%
Honda Fit	4559	- 34.5%	12,625	- 18.4%
Hyundai Accent	8337	+ 45.3%	18,484	+ 27.6%
Hyundai Elantra	19,681	+ 2.2%	44,401	+ 7.8%
Kia Forte	8381	+ 11.3%	18,504	+ 1.9%
Kia Rio	4509	+ 118%	10,703	+ 119%
Kia Soul	13,607	+ 35.7%	32,574	+ 47.7%
Mazda 2	1533	- 38.7%	7264	+ 88.7%
Mazda 3	13,235	+ 6.2%	33,710	+ 31.9%
Mini Cooper	4287	- 1.6%	10,048	+ 11.2%
Mitsubishi i MiEV	56	----	136	-----
Mitsubishi Lancer	1698	- 12.7%	4165	- 3.6%
Nissan Cube	929	- 69.4%	2077	- 70.1%
Nissan Sentra	14,092	- 21.1%	31,763	- 20.6%
Nissan Versa	15,587	+ 40.7%	35,195	+ 16.0%
Scion iQ	1285	-----	2523	-----
Scion xB	2054	+ 4.3%	4865	+ 2.6%
Scion xD	1080	- 0.8%	2550	+ 1.1%
smart fortwo	999	+ 135%	2264	+ 78.7%
Subaru Impreza	9742	+ 138%	23,929	+ 111%
Suzuki SX4	1368	+ 27.9%	3341	+ 17.8%
Toyota Corolla/Matrix	28,289	- 6.4%	68,428	- 10.8%
Toyota Yaris	3547	+ 25.6%	10,169	+ 53.8%
Volkswagen Beetle	1969	+ 294%	4673	+ 355%
Volkswagen Golf	3633	+ 17.0%	9036	+ 19.2%
Volkswagen Jetta	14,966	- 11.8%	38,766	- 5.5%

Midsize Car	March 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Buick Regal	2609	- 28.4%	7100	- 26.7%
Chevrolet Malibu	23,887	+ 53.6%	58,550	+ 20.1%
Chevrolet Volt	2289	+ 277%	3915	+ 224%
Chrysler 200	14,914	+ 93.1%	31,638	+ 159%
Dodge Avenger	9362	+ 57.2%	21,629	+ 84.1%
Ford Fusion	28,562	+ 3.6%	63,949	- 1.7%
Honda Accord	26,771	- 15.1%	61,132	- 7.6%
Honda Crosstour	1362	- 34.6%	3353	- 37.3%
Honda Insight	1032	- 62.9%	2297	- 62.1%
Hyundai Sonata	23,281	+ 1.7%	55,195	+ 6.4%
Kia Optima	15,008	+ 118%	35,380	+ 128%
Mazda 6	7855	+ 90.0%	17,885	+ 93.7%
Mitsubishi Galant	2753	+ 60.5%	5385	- 28.3%
Nissan Altima	41,050	+ 27.1%	96,360	+ 38.5%
Nissan LEAF	579	+ 94.3%	1733	+ 283%
Subaru Legacy	5384	+ 21.0%	12,117	+ 18.6%
Subaru Outback	10,886	+ 3.7%	27,060	+ 6.4%
Suzuki Kizashi	558	- 20.6%	1431	- 28.2%
Toyota Camry	42,567	+ 35.3%	105,405	+ 37.2%
Toyota Prius Family	28,711	+ 54.3%	60,859	+ 42.3%
Toyota Venza	3503	+ 10.3%	8634	+ 6.4%
Volkswagen Passat	10,032	+ 26,300%	24,539	+ 11,208%
Volkswagen CC	1327	- 43.1%	4155	- 31.2%

Large Car	March 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Buick LaCrosse	4237	- 12.4%	13,478	+ 4.2%
Buick Lucerne	103	- 95.5%	828	- 89.2%
Chevrolet Impala	19,035	+ 5.4%	50,377	+ 1.7%
Chrysler 300	7336	+ 169%	19,966	+ 271%
Dodge Charger	9644	+ 7.3%	22,505	+ 57.3%
Ford Taurus	7123	+ 19.6%	14,899	+ 3.0%
Hyundai Azera	128	- 35.7%	159	- 69.5%
Nissan Maxima	6892	+ 18.5%	17,490	+ 22.4%
Toyota Avalon	3327	+ 25.3%	10,043	+ 55.1%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC 
Chrysler 200 sales are compared, year-over-year, with the 200 and Sebring.

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