Mazda‘s excellent sedan, the Mazda6, is not really on the radar of most North American consumers, even though it’s a worthy competitor in the segment. That’s not to say that the car is a flop, but it’s not as strong a seller as, say the Hyundai Sonata or Ford Fusion, let alone the Toyota Camry...
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Jonathan Browning will replace Stefan Jacoby as Volkswagen Group of America’s CEO starting next month. A veteran of Ford and General Motors, Browning joined VW in June of this year, and is expected to oversee major developments in Volkswagen’s North American operations, including their new Tennessee factory and their aim of selling 800,000 VW brand...
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Lexus may be the perennial number 1 luxury car maker in America, but BMW has been on top of them in the sales charts for the third straight month, leading to speculation that the German auto company could overtake Lexus by year’s end. With sales of their 1 Series up 53 percent, BMW is cautiously...
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Year-to-date sales for August 2010 may look poor, but the numbers are actually much closer to reality now that the Cash for Clunkers scheme has wrapped up. Cash for Clunkers, which offered rebates ranging from $3,000-$4,000 on the purchase of a new car and trade-in of a used car, sent sales skyrocketing in 2009, and...
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The Japanese auto industry has always had a well-defined hierarchy, with Toyota, Honda and Nissan locked in a firmly established pecking order. But Toyota’s recent streak of quality problems has caused it to shed sales, causing a disruption in the marketplace. Customers fleeing Toyota are helping to propel the sales numbers of both Nissan and...
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Porsche was the big winner for July 2010 sales, moving 75% more cars than in July 2009, with Hyundai/Kia, Jaguar/Land Rover and the Big Three all making solid gains. Japanese auto makers bore the brunt of the market, with Toyota and Honda losing a bit of market share, while Suzuki took the dubious title of...
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The taste of irony must be bitter for Ford Motor Co, as its dying Mercury division outsold Lincoln, Ford’s luxury division, in the month of June. Mercury sales were up 26.2% compared to June, 2009, while Lincoln sales dropped 11% in that same time period. Leading the charge was the Mariner SUV, which reported a...
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Nissan‘s oddball Juke crossover is beating sales projecting in Japan by 300%, moving 1300 units in its first week. The turbocharged Juke is certainly unique looking, and its compact proportions and relatively low price should help make it an attractive proposition in a land where novelty and quirkiness are highly sought after traits in an...
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China is the world’s biggest auto market in the world, so it might not be so surprising that China is also Hyundai‘s new biggest market, after the automaker sold more cars in China than Korea for the second straight month. Buoyed by the success of the Yuedong (aka our Elantra) and the Tuscon crossover, Hyundai...
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A raft of new engines has helped Ford‘s Mustang leapfrog the Chevrolet Camaro in the pony car sales race, the first victory for the Blue Oval since the Camaro’s release last summer. Ford managed to sell 10,225 Mustangs, while Chevy only moved 8,931 ‘Maros in the month of May. While most critics considered the Mustang...
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Porsche‘s decision to sell a four-door sedan, over the loud objections of “diluting the brand,” appears to have been vindicated, as the Panamera climbed to the top spot in the Porsche sales race, moving an impressive 678 units in April. The fact that the Panamera is a pretty expensive car, and not an entry level...
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April sales numbers are beginning to trickle in, and two companies largely written off by the media turned out to be the biggest gainers. Chrysler and Toyota, two companies who were earlier maligned for their dated product and recall scandals saw sales increases of 25 and 24 percent respectively, while current industry darlings Ford and...
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