CANADIAN SALES OF LARGE MAINSTREAM SEDANS (JANUARY 2010)

A way, way back in early February, The Good Car Guy decided to take a look at one somewhat forgotten vehicular segment per month and publish a Graph for both U.S. and Canadian Sales Stats in said segment. Opting for traditional, large, mainstream sedans was thought to be an interesting choice given the onslaught of new product in a category largely ignored for a long time.

The Chrysler 300 is still seen as semi-desirable, even later on in life. At General Motors, the new Buick LaCrosse is gorgeous. Extensively analyzed on GoodCarBadCar.net, the Ford Taurus is handsome and definitively large. Although not well-liked around these parts, the latest Nissan Maxima is striking. Meanwhile, the Hyundai Genesis has made it in to both The Good 12 v2.0 and The Good 12 v3.0, the highest honour at GoodCarBadCar.net.

Which leaves the Toyota Avalon. Nothing really to say about that.

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Large Mainstream Sedan Sales In The USA (January 2010)

Ford Taurus SEL AWD - Driven

Large Sedan Dimensions - Taurus & Its Rivals

New Buicks Make Old Buicks Look Terrible

CANADIAN SALES OF MIDSIZE LUXURY SEDANS (JANUARY 2010)

Compared with 3,824 U.S. sales of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class in January, 210 sold in Canada seems like nothing. Realizing that the Mercedes-Benz E-Class sold at a greater rate than any competitor will help you understand the largesse of these Sales Stats.

The Cadillac STS is nearly nonexistent in Canada. The Acura RL doesn't fare much better. Just as Canadians would rather purchase a Honda Civic than a Honda Accord or a Mazda 3 instead of a Mazda 6, sales of these middle-rung luxury cars pale in comparison to that of their smaller brethren. That being said, this is still serious money-making territory for automakers. Just because these premium automobiles sell for twice as much as standard midsize fare, don't believe they cost twice as much to build.

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Midsize Luxury Car Sales In The USA - January 2010

2009's Year End Comparison Of Entry-Luxury Car Sales In Canada

Top 10 Most Expensive Sedans In The World

CANADIAN SALES OF CUTE-UTES/SMALL CUVs/SOFT ROADERS IN JANUARY 2010

It's not simply a popular segment in which to compete. The small SUV category is where thousands of buyers are spending decent coin each and every month. In fact, some of these small SUVs would rank near the very top of the most popular vehicles in Canada.

Based on the Sales Stats, it seems time we start calling the Ford Escape the venerable Ford Escape. Paired with the Mazda Tribute in a duo (no Mercury Mariner in Canada to make it a trio), the tandem strikes fear in to the more expensive opposition. Although this 16-piece pie features 18 cars and is fairly evenly distributed, the Escape still takes a large bite. More meaningful for the industry is the newfound success of the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. These two have been hits since they first landed in dealerships late last year.

And guess what? Mitsubishi Canada kindly offers up figures for each of their vehicles so the Outlander can appear in this Graph. Let that be a message to Mitsubishi USA.

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U.S. Sales Of Small SUVs - January 2010

2009's Top 5 Best-Selling SUVs in Canada

2009's Best-Selling Small Luxury SUVs In Canada

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TOP 10 BEST-SELLING CARS IN CANADA : JANUARY 2010

Beginning on New Years Day - or more likely the day after when dealerships opened their doors - the Mazda 3 roared out of the gate on to wintry Canadian roads. Tackling the Honda Civic isn't a feat for the lighthearted, especially in Canada where Civic sales reign supreme month-after-month, year-after-year.

This info is coming to you late because it came late to The Good Car Guy. Nevertheless, you can now see the Top 10 Best-Selling Cars in Canada for the month of January 2010, and some of the results are even more surprising than the Mazda 3's position atop the proverbial podium, 604 sales ahead of the Honda Civic. Late in life, with a new generation on the horizon, the Hyundai Accent still rests inside the Top 5. The Nissan Altima handily out-sold its internal competition in January; along with all other midsize sedans.

And once again, the Toyota Venza topped the Toyota Camry (as it should). Though not appearing in the Top 10 for February, a Graph you'll see tomorrow, the Toyota Venza managed to tie the Toyota Camry in the second month of 2010 to maintain its lead over its sedan counterpart.

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Related From GoodCarBadCar.net

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In Canada - December '09

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In Canada - 2009 Year End

Canada Auto Sales By Brand - January 2010

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In America - January 2010

LOW VOLUME AUTOMAKER SALES IN THE USA (JANUARY 2010)

Establish the context first, The Good Car Dad always says. This is the domain of ultra-low volume automakers. For better understanding, take the number 43 into account. That's how many Audi R8s were sold in January in the USA. 67 people bought a Nissan GT-R in January. 503 people took possession of some version of the Porsche 911. (Porsche USA lists 14 unique 911 variants at present).

The best-selling car in America in the first month of 2010 was the Honda Accord. Honda managed to push 20,759 of those. As far as sales of Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, Maybach, and Rolls-Royce go; their Numbers would be deemed irrelevant if their respective asking prices weren't so high; if their allure wasn't so strong.

And what's Lotus doing in this group, you ask? Supercars, mega-luxury, ultra-luxury, tier two premium, and.... low volume manufacturers fit nicely in this Graph. Low volume means Lotus.

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VW USA Cracks Top 1- But How?

Midsize Luxury Sedan Sales, January

Ferrari 458 Italia In Motion

Top 10 Most Expensive Sedans In The World

VOLKSWAGEN USA CRACKS TOP 10 - HOW'D THEY DO IT?

Not in any month during the second half of 2009 did Volkswagen of America sell enough vehicles to be a Top 10 automaker in the USA. Kia made it onto the list in July, August, September, October, and November. Lexus found its way into the Top 10 from September through to the end of the year. Even Pontiac managed to land inside the Top 10 in the two summer months. Truck-and-SUV manufacturer GMC is a regular. The automaker formerly known as niche, Subaru, routinely topped Volkswagen in 2009.

Yuppers, Volkswagen is Europe's largest automobile manufacturer, one of the planet's biggest overall, but selling cars in the United States? Mucho problemo. Tres difficile...... until January of 2010, at least. Although just a scant loss of sales could have knocked Volkswagen out of contention, the iconic German badge was front and centre on the grilles of 18,019 vehicles registered in the United States last month, a number smaller than that generated by just nine other automakers. Will that trend hold true in February? It remains to be seen. Judging by the year-over-year jump in sales (scroll down for deets) of multiple VW models over the course of January's 31 days, February could be another good month for Volkswagen of America.

But first, how did Volkswagen turn the boat around? The Good Car Guy has been forthright in declaring some Volkswagen importing decisions as poor. In other words, vital additional models haven't been part of VW's method. Pricing? Uh, not so much - most VeeDubs are still in an awkward place between their mainstream rivals and upmarket luxury cars.

Compared with January of 2009, Volkswagen's U.S. sales rose 41.4% to January 2010's total of 18,019. Diesel-powered cars helped out. A rehashed Volkswagen GTI played a part. Sales of the Volkswagen New Bettle hardtop more than trebled. The Volkswagen Passat CC and Volkswagen Tiguan also produced greater Numbers this January than last.

For greater detail, check out all the Sales Stats from Volkswagen of America's report below and check back in a couple weeks to see if VW can pull off the feat again to remain on the Top 10 Best-Selling Auto Brands in America list.

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41.4 - percentage year-over-year increase in Volkswagen of America's February sales, to 18,019 from 12,744

321 - difference in sales between the Volkswagen GTI and the rest of the Volkswagen Rabbit/Volkswagen Golf family with the Volkswagen GTI coming out on top of the Volkswagen Golf with 933 sales in February

43.2 - percentage increase in VW's February U.S. sales of the Volkswagen Jetta sedan

38.9 - percentage increase in VW's February U.S. sales of the Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, totalling 1,324 and helping the Volkswagen Jetta nameplate to 8,893 sales in all

2,167 - total sales of the Volkswagen New Bettle in February, a 172.9% increase over February of 2009's total

3 - total models unable to post increased sales in February with the Volkswagen Eos tumbling 11.9%, the Volkswagen Passat dropping 33.2%, and the Volkswagen Touareg remaining level at 314 sales for the month

1,891 - total sales of the Volkswagen Passat CC, up 76.4% from February of '09

86.9 - percentage increase in sales of the Volkswagen Tiguan, to 1,424 from 762 in the same period last year

6.2 - percentage increase in sales of the Volkswagen Routan, VW's Dodge Grand Caravan-based minivan, to 704 in February

LARGE MAINSTREAM SEDAN SALES IN THE USA (JANUARY 2010)

In the relatively recent past, Toyota discovered how to build the perfect American sedan. They called it the Avalon. Unfortunately, over time the Toyota Avalon became one of the ugliest vehicles on the market.

Nissan never decided to build the perfect Buick, but its Maxima has steadily gained weight and lost appeal, despite fond memories of the old 4-door sports car. Hyundai is competing with Lexus and Mercedes-Benz, in one measure or another, with a rear-wheel drive luxury sedan. Nevertheless, "Hyundai" is a terrifically mainstream name and will be so long as every other car in its lineup competes with Ford instead of Lincoln.

Which leaves the quintessential American sedans. The new Buick LaCrosse is wonderfully executed, and consumers are agreeing with their wallets. Over at Chrysler, the 300 isn't as appealing as it was a few years back but still looks like nothing else. Then there's the Ford Taurus, covered more than adequately here on GoodCarBadCar.net. This is likely the surplus Sales Stats Graph for the month - the goal is to cover a semi-forgotten category along with the midsize luxury sedans and small SUVs.

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MIDSIZE LUXURY CAR SALES - JANUARY 2010

Last year, The Good Car Guy provided extensive coverage of small luxury car sales in the United States and in Canada. With the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Audi A4, Germany was, and will remain, the dominant player. Move up a category to "midsize" luxury cars - midsize only because there's one size class above - and Mercedes-Benz takes over from BMW as the preeminent mover and shaker.... at least in January of 2010 in the United States.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is the brand's bread & butter automobile. Customers pay huge money for an E-Class sedan, wagon, coupe or cabriolet; perhaps optioning up further to the AMG version. Even in relatively small Numbers, the Benz E-Class earns monstrous sums for Daimler AG and isn't about to slow down. As for the competition, the BMW 5-Series remains a decent seller even with a new generation on the horizon. Honda's Acura TL is on the low-end side of the segment but never seemed a fitting member of the small entry-luxury club, so here it be. And as can be clearly deciphered in the Graph below, the new Lincoln MKS is doing alright, thanks.

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U.S. SALES OF SMALL SUVs - JANUARY 2010

Qualifying statements first, shall we? Yes, we shall. The GMC Terrain and Chevrolet Equinox are all but identical vehicles. For the sake of brevity, their sales are combined in the Graph below. Although the profits for the Mazda Tribute don't return to Ford Motor Company, the Mercury Mariner and Ford Escape join the Tribute in what's labelled below as the Ford Escape Trio.

Based on the less expensive naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder now available, the Mazda CX-7 makes an appearance here, too. Reintroduced as a completely new model, the Kia Sorento is viewed as a direct competitor for the likes of the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 as a result of its low price. That puts the Sorento in the sights of Kia Sportage customers, to boot.

Anything missing? Anybody with sales info on the Mitsubishi Outlander ought to share. Graphs just like this one should be displayed all year on GoodCarBadCar.net; Mitsubishi shouldn't leave itself out. Here now are the U.S. sales of cute-utes, aka small CUVs, aka soft-roaders for the month of January.

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CHEVROLET vs FORD : BOWTIE vs BLUE OVAL : JANUARY 2010 IN THE USofA

You've already scrolled down to the Graph to see the comparison of January Sales Stats from America's two strongest automotive brands. In the first month of 2009, no brand - not even Toyota - came close to touching the selling force of these two Michigan-based behemoths in U.S. sales. Inspired, The Good Car Guy has decided to showcase select groupings of Chevrolet and Ford vehicles throughout 2010. You can see this as the end of CubeSoul comparisons. You should see this as evidence of the rebirth at both Ford and Chevrolet. Good product sells. In some cases, so does bad inexpensive product.

Before long, the Chevrolet Cobalt (seen below in comparison with the Ford Focus) will be replaced by the Chevrolet Cruze. Ford will deliver to us the new and improved Focus, as well. Inserted somewhere in the Graph will be the Ford Fiesta and Chevrolet Aveo. Sometimes, room will be afforded to Chevrolet's Silverado and the Ford F-150. And perhaps GoodCarBadCar.net will even display this Graph in a prettier finish. (Any ideas? Leave a comment.)

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TOP 10 BEST-SELLING CARS IN AMERICA (JANUARY 2010)

Shrinking Toyota Camry sales paved the way for rival automakers to sell their midsize sedans in huge Numbers last month in the United States. Taking over the top spot was Honda's Accord. Both the Nissan Altima and Chevrolet Malibu surged past the Toyota Camry, as well. Toyota lists the Corolla and Matrix as a single nameplate in Sales Stats info - their combined status may be exposed to more suffering when we look back on February a month from now. Be ye mindful, Honda Accord figures below include the Accord Crosstour.

Take your pick from one of the two following scenarios: by March or April, Toyota Camry manufacturing returns to normal and sales pick up where they left off in 2009, in which the Camry was once again the best-selling car in America. Or, consider the possibility that the February Graph has no mention of Toyota in the Top 5 and Toyota searches for recovery for the next five years. For now, the incentives provided by competing automakers generate unanticipated sales glory.

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BEST-SELLING LUXURY AUTO BRANDS IN AMERICA - JANUARY 2010

Lexus was nowhere nearly as harmed by the Toyota fiasco in January as Toyota itself. Sales of Lexus cars and SUVs were actually up 5.4% compared with January of 2009. Perhaps more telling is the fact that Lexus remains atop the luxury heap even in a month where Mercedes-Benz was too close for comfort. Traditional players like Cadillac and Lincoln are consistently out of contention. Check all the details in the Graph below. 2009 Year End figures are here. You'll find December's Sales Stats on luxury brands here.

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING AUTO BRANDS IN AMERICA (JANUARY 2010)

Large recalls are disastrous. No surprise there. Somewhat alarmingly, Toyota can't know what the long-term impact will be on the minds of North American (or global) buyers for Toyotas of any stripe, regardless of whether they were involved in the latest recall or not. What's more, Toyota is also forced to watch as consumers hear smatterings of the story - Toyota, recall, unintended, acceleration, floormats - yet understand little of its seriousness, or lack thereof.

Regardless, Toyota took a whipping in auto sales this past month. Much of this is due to the sales suspension of some of the brand's most popular models. The Good Car Guy has already gone in-depth to explain how much this recall affects Toyota day-by-day. The brand's placement below Chevrolet and Ford, way below Chevy and Ford, is a sure sign of what's going on in Toyota showrooms right now.

Volkswagen makes a strong surge in to the Top 10 this month. Hyundai's push continues but can be seen more clearly in the Canada Auto Sales post from yesterday where Honda fell behind the Korean giant. Take a look at the Graph below for full Numbers. Check out December's figures here or the 2009 Year End Sales Stats here. Keep in mind, this is the first month where "Ram" was listed separately from "Dodge". Ram was responsible for 11,032 sales in January.

CANADA AUTO SALES JANUARY 2010

*Updated February 9th @ 9:01pm*

Passenger car sales in Canada were steady as she goes in January, down just a tenth of a percentage point over January of 2009. Sales of light trucks rose slightly, from 41,107 in January of 2008 to 45,885 last month. Detroit's three automakers posted higher sales than at the same time last year; Toyota and Honda saw a drop.

Canadian dealerships sold over 81,000 vehicles in the 31 days of January. In January of 2002, that figure was around 93,500. A breakdown of Detroit's brands should come in a couple weeks. Ford will likely be sitting on top with Fiat's Chrysler brand way down. Click here for December's Canada Auto Sales figures or here for 2009 Year End totals.

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Ford: +4.8% to 11,177

Chevrolet: +26.8% to 8,563

Toyota: -14.8% to 8,246

Hyundai: +32.1% to 6,084

Dodge: +0.5% to 5,703

Honda: -12.1% to 5,677

Nissan: +17.6% to 4,547

GMC: +54.6% to 4,260

Mazda: +0.5% to 4,171

Ram: +42.1% to 3227

Kia: +32.4% to 2,416

Volkswagen: +23.2% to 2,332

Jeep: +39% to 2326

Subaru: +45.8% to 1,729

Mercedes-Benz: +36.2% to 1,605

Mitsubishi: -1.1% to 1,087

BMW: +18.3% to 1,041

Pontiac: -66.2% to 1,015

Lexus: +62.1% to 953

Audi: +127.8% to 884

Acura: -34.8% to 716

Chrysler: -36.4% to 684

Suzuki: -14.3% to 516

Buick: +1.8% to 511

Cadillac: +56.9% to 444

Infiniti: +9.2% to 428

Volvo: +38.5% to 396

Lincoln: +58.5% to 363

Land Rover: +20.7% to 175

Mini: +78.4% to 157

Porsche: +6.8% to 94

smart: -2.2% to 88

Jaguar: -12.5% to 35

Hummer: -68.4% to to 24
Ferrari: -12.5% to 7
Lamborghini: +25% to 5
Maserati: -16.7 to 5
Bentley: -33.4% to 2

Saab: -100% to 0