GOOD CAR STATISTICS

Statistics posted here yesterday were, as I remember, discouraging; depressing; and disgusting. You can read the bad car statistics with clicks here or here. But all this negativity... man, it's getting me down. It's past time that we improve the mood. Focus on the positive. Embrace that which is right, strong, and good. 

Considering the lofty numbers that AutoEnergy has been posting recently - where owners of relatively normal cars are forced to spend hundreds more than expected just for commuting - it's not surprising to discover that cars with 4-cylinder engines are selling rapily while the V8 trucks and SUVs you read about yesterday sit on dealer lots with hundreds of identical models. Here are the Numbers you need to know.

-----

40 - percentage of General Motors cars sold in June of 2008 with 4-cylinder engines, up from 22% in June of 2007

70 - percentage of Ford Fusions sold with the 4-cylinder engine option in June, rather than the V6 that found homes 43% of the time in June of 2007

28 - estimated percentage increase in Ford Focus production for 2008 

45.6 - percentage increase in the sales of Chevrolet's Malibu for the first half of this year compared with the first half of 2007

39 - percentage jump in Toyota Yaris sales comparing the first half of '08 with the first half of '07

61,978 - total sales for the Hyundai Elantra from January through June of this year, up from 49,932 in the first half of '07

14,620 - total June/2008 sales of the Pontiac G6, up 32.4% compared with June/2007

5.1 - percentage drop in Chevrolet Cobalt sales in 2007 compared with 2006, before jumping 18.5% through the first six months of '08

204,961 - total Honda Civic sales during the first half of 2008, up from 173,800 during 2007.5

16.9 - percentage increase in the sales of the Ford Edge, the only exclusively V6-engined vehicle in this article

25,369 - increase in sales of the Honda Accord comparing 2007.5 with 2008.5, while still trailing the Toyota Camry by 34,000 conquests

12.7 - percentage increase in Nissan Altima sales in the first half of 2008, driving its total to 158,006

NISSAN SENTRA RECALL

Nissan Sentras from model years 2007 and 2008 face a NHTSA recall. 169,202 could suffer from irregularities in the machining of the internal seal groove of the body of some brake master cylinders. Eventually this could lead to a leak of brake fluid.

An ignored warning lamp that's meant to signify a brake problem and actually is signifying a brake problem is a dangerous.... er... umm, problem. So, get it taken care of. Officially, Nissan begins their Sentra Recall in a week or so.

PORSCHE'S PDK IN MOTION

Unless you're working inside a Porsche factory, marketing department, or undergoing training at a Porsche sales consultants meeting, "doppelkupplung" is not a word you'll continue to hear today. Ah, but what a word.

To learn about how it affects the speed of a Porsche 911, click here. That GCBC link is for the readers. Below, the YouTube clip is PDK for the watchers. 

BEST NEW MAZDA 6 PICTORAL ANGLES

As Mazda readies the new 6, a few things that are being said of the previous 6 began to come to mind. Remember all the talk of dynamic styling? Finally, "they" said, Mazda brings a real competitor to the Camry/Accord sector. The 626 always needed power, and finally, Mazda lets the 6 use a competitive engine. Mazda, the critics figured, brought zoom-zoom to the dull midsize segment always dominated by the Toyota Camry, a car that lacked fun and excitement.

Indeed, the first-generation 6 improved Mazda's image. You now recognize it in a way that was never true of the 626. Recommending the 6 as a decent used car buy wouldn't be unusual for you. 

Nonetheless, the irony that surrounds the second-generation Mazda 6 is humorous, considering the statements made in the earlier part of this decade are being repeated now. Let's hope this good-looking car represents a more applicable use of the aforementioned statements. Some if the 6's best angles can be seen below. The first 6 is also pictured.

MORE BAD CAR STATISTICS

So the F-150, Toyota Tundra, and some General Motors vehicles are struggling to escape dealer lots. That's not news to you. The actual statistics surrounding vague statements like that mentioned two sentences prior could strike fear into the hurt of a vehicle sales consultant, statistics available for the reading with a click on this link. But it's not news; not in the traditional sense.

More distressing Numbers are available below.

-----

38.3 - percentage drop in U.S. sales of the Chrysler PT Cruiser (recently tested for fuel efficiency at AutoEnergy) during the first half of this year, compared with the first half of 2007

40,014 - total Chrysler 300 sales from January-June of this year; 22,981 fewer than the same six months in 2007

19,500 - total number of Ford Expeditions in stock as of June 1st

28.2 - jump in sales posted by the Chevrolet TrailBlazer in June of 2008, not doing much to help the overall trend its posted of lowering sales to the tune of a 35% drop for the first six months of 2008

24,769 - fewer Ford Explorers sold in the first half of 2008 compared with the first half of '07, down to 49,935

30.4 - percentage drop in sales of the Dodge Ram in 2008.5 compared with 2007.5

39.1 - percentage fall in sales for the Jeep Wrangler in June compared with the previous June

42,793 - total Jeep Grand Cherokee sales in the six months ending June 30th, 17,668 lower than the same period of last year

5,118 - gap in sales between the better-selling Ford Mustang (even with its 28.8% drop in 2008.5) and the Ford Explorer

26.8 - percentage drop in sales in the first half of this year for the Dodge Grand Caravan while the minivan market is down about 19% and the small Mazda 5 is up 44.1% over the first six months of '08

7.6 - average number of cylinders under the hood of a Chevrolet Silverado, accounting for all five engines available; a large reason its sales are down 26.8% in the first half of the year

53.5 - percentage drop in Chevrolet Impala sales in June, compared with June of '07

226,000 - supply of F-series pickups held by Ford Motor Company as of June 1st

18.4 - percentage drop in sales of the Jeep Liberty in the six months ending June 30th

59,908 - total BMW 3-series sales in the first half of 2008, continuing its reign of sales leader in its class but trending downward 17.9% compared with the same period of 2007 while Mercedes-Benz's C-class posted a sales gain of 36.7%

17.9 - percentage drop in sales of the Toyota RAV4 from January-June of '08, still resulting in 71,516 RAV4 sales, 21,581 higher than the iconic top-seller known as the Ford Explorer

BAD CAR STATISTICS

Recession-like circumstances in the United States is a hard issue to get one's head around, even with Issue #1 on CNN every afternoon and constant depressing numbers related to the housing market. Yes, it's obvious that the automotive market is, in personal terms, discouraged and disgusting. North of the border, Canada's economic situation is increasingly worrying but isn't displaying obvious signs in the way American struggles are obvious.

Some Numbers help describe the atmosphere all too adequately. They're below.

------

73 - average number of days for a complete turnover of new-car inventory at a U.S. dealership at present

9 - estimated percentage drop in total American car sales this year

900,000 - drop in production by General Motors in Canada, Mexico, and the United States in the third quarter of 2008 

25 - percentage drop in planned production for the third quarter of this year by Ford Motor Company compared with the third quarter of 2007

215,000 - total inventory of Ford F-series pickups as of July 1st

3 - months of stopped production of the Toyota Tundra and Toyota Sequoia beginning in early August

10,238 - total sales of the Toyota Tundra in June of 2008, a drop of 52.9% compared with June of 2007

90 - average days of supply of trucks

41 - average days of supply of cars

NISSAN CUBE MICROSITE

Cubes are coming in the spring of 2009. Nissan USA's new page devoted to the Cube shows a countdown on the right side of the page which is ticking at 115 days, 12 hours, and 8 minutes as The Good Car Guy types. Other sections on the Cube page include "cube press", "cube is coming", and somewhat ironically, "go tell it to your blog".

Follow this link or remember this url: NissanUSA.com/Cube

Speaking of cubes, check out this post on potential competitors for the Kia Soul; one of which will most definitely be Nissan's urban runabout. While not pre-declaring the Nissan Cube a good car, it's more than obvious that GoodCarBadCar is fully behind the concept of small but practical vehicles that happen to possess some measure of fun and a dose of modern style. See Skoda Roomster, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Matrix, and the Soul link above.