2012 Year End Top 10 Worst-Selling Vehicles In America

The New Verano Made Too Many American Car
Buyers Forget About The Handsome Regal In 2012

The worst-selling cars in America in 2012 were an eclectic bunch. We're not talking about cancelled vehicles which still managed to find some buyers in the last twelve months, cars like the Mazda RX-8 and Dodge Nitro and Mercedes-Benz CLK. Many different types of vehicles which are still actively marketed by their makers sell rarely. 

There's the all-electric Mitsubishi i MiEV, the fleet-friendly Hyundai Azera, the pricey Mazda MX-5-rivalling Volkswagen Eos, the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class jumbo coupe, and the boxy Nissan Cube. Come one, come all: you needn't be a supercar to sell infrequently.

U.S. Sales Of The Honda
CR-Z Fell 63% In 2012

Compiling a worst-selling vehicles list requires some discernment. Cars that are no longer in production are bound to sell rarely, so we exclude them, along with cars that manufacturers have already given up on. Even then, numbers can be skewed depending on the message the statistic compiler wants to send out. In order to cover all the bases, GoodCarBadCar ranks the worst-selling vehicles in America three different ways.

First, you'll see the depth of the decline. How have the mighty fallen. Remember the days when it wasn't so bad. Yesterday, all our troubles seemed so far away. In other words, 2012 volume is contrasted with 2011 volume. The volume achieved by one car is relative to the volume that car achieved last year. The ten worst declines are posted in the table below.

All 266 Vehicles Ranked By 2012 Year End U.S. Sales

But you can be a fairly successful car before suffering a significant decline. This results in fairly decent volume even after that decline. The Buick Regal and Mazda CX-9, for example, still sell with a measure of frequency. And to some observers, it will seem unfair to call them worst sellers.

The Mitsubishi I Was Wisely Rejected
By 99.996% Of The Car-Buying Public

So we also rank cars by total 2012 volume. (The Subaru BRZ and Subaru XV Crosstrek would be on this list, too, but weren't on sale for the full year. It would be unfair to include them.) Of course, high-end premium machines are bound to sell rarely. Therefore, we create a list that takes all vehicles into account and another list that excludes premium brand vehicles and cars like the Chevrolet Corvette and Nissan GT-R.

The results are below. These were America's ten worst-selling vehicles in the year 2012. Any vehicle you expected to see here but don't? Find its historical monthly and yearly sales figures by selecting a make and model at GCBC's Sales Stats home.

Rank	Worst-Selling Car  By Percentage Decline	% Change	2012 Year End	2011 Year End
#1	Porsche Cayman	- 66.0%	462	1377
#2	Acura RL	- 65.4%	379	1096
#3	Honda CR-Z	- 63.0%	4192	11,330
#4	Honda Insight	- 62.4%	5846	15,549
#5	Nissan Cube	- 47.0%	7667	14,459
#6	Infiniti EX	- 42.0%	3495	6030
#7	Buick Regal	- 38.7%	24,616	40,144
#8	Volvo S80	- 30.8%	3277	4735
#9	Audi R8	- 30.0%	802	1145
#10	Mazda CX-9	- 29.0%	24,442	34,421

Rank	Worst-Selling Car  By Volume	2012 Year End	2011 Year End	% Change
#1	Mitsubishi i MiEV	588	80	+ 635%
#2	Subaru Tribeca	2075	2791	- 25.7%
#3	Honda CR-Z	4192	11,330	- 63.0%
#4	Honda Insight	5846	15,549	- 62.4%
#5	Volkswagen Eos	6214	7533	- 17.5%
#6	Mazda MX-5 Miata	6305	5674	+ 11.1%
#7	Nissan 370Z	7338	7328	+ 0.1%
#8	Nissan Cube	7667	14,459	- 47.0%
#9	Mitsubishi Outlander	7750	9788	- 20.8%
#10	Hyundai Azera	8431	1524	+ 453%

Rank	Worst-Selling Car  By Volume (All Vehicles)	2012 Year End	2011  Year End	% Change
#1	Acura RL	379	1096	- 65.4%
#2	Porsche Cayman	462	1377	- 66.0%
#3	Mitsubishi i MiEV	588	80	+ 635%
#4	Mercedes-Benz CL-Class	723	943	- 23.3%
#5	Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG	800	722	+ 10.8%
#6	Audi R8	802	1145	- 30.0%
#7	Nissan GT-R	1188	1294	- 8.2%
#8	Jaguar XK	1633	1738	- 6.0%
#9	Subaru Tribeca	2075	2791	- 25.7%
#10	Audi TT	2226	2236	- 0.4%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC 
Vehicle must have been on sale throughout 2012, must not have been officially cancelled by its manufacturer, and must have been showcased on manufacturer's website through 2012. Chevrolet's Caprice PPV, Lexus LFA, Honda FCX are no longer considered eligible. The Acura RL is, however, on the basis that the RLX will be a name-changed predecessor.

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Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In America - December 2012
Top 30 Best-Selling Vehicles In America - 2012 Year End
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