Wagons West: Domestics picked up market share in California last year
Filed under: Car Buying, Ford, GM, Honda, Jeep, Kia, Toyota, Earnings/Financials
Most days, California must seem like Kazakhstan for the Big Three. Domestic products aren't so popular out West, where Toyota and Honda have long stood atop the sales charts. But not in 2011.
According to a report in Automotive News, both General Motors and Ford managed to bump Honda from its silver medal position in 2011, though Toyota still holds a commanding market share lead. In a storyline we've heard before, the twin natural disasters in Asia curbed Japanese production, causing a 4.5 point loss of market share. Toyota's market share dropped from 22.8 to 19.2 percent, while GM and Ford tied at 12.6 percent - ahead of Honda at 12.1.
Booming sales in the Golden State helped the domestics to their 1.8 point gain. New vehicle registrations in California were up 9.9 percent, according to the report. The biggest sales gains last year were made by Kia and Jeep, which were up 53 and 49 percent, respectively.
Wagons West: Domestics picked up market share in California last year originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsAnalysts: U.S. automakers will lose marketshare in 2012
Filed under: Car Buying, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota
Domestic automakers have much to be happy about, with Chrysler, Ford and General Motors all gaining market share last year for the first time since 1988. Yet according to Bloomberg, 2012 won't be as good to Detroit. Total sales are projected to grow from 12.8 million vehicles last year to 13.6 million, according to the report, but increasing competition from Korea and a Japanese recovery from the natural disasters of 2011 mean those extra sales aren't likely headed to the Big Three.
The news agency spoke to five analysts, and predictions have the U.S. automakers losing 1.3 percentage points this year. The analysts estimate that GM will drop 0.6 of a percent, Ford will lose 0.5 percent, and Chrysler will be down 0.2 percent. Toyota is seen gaining 0.9 percent, with Honda grabbing an extra 0.5 percent, while Hyundai and Kia are only projected to see their combined market share improve by 0.01.
If all this comes true, GM would have the top market share in the U.S. at 19 percent, with Ford in second at 16.3 percent, followed by Toyota at 13.8 percent, Chrysler at 10.5 percent, and Honda at 9.5 percent.
Analysts: U.S. automakers will lose marketshare in 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsConsumer Reports survey suggests buyers don’t see differences between car companies
Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Toyota
Today's vehicles are more powerful, more efficient and safer than ever before. In fact, today's car buyer would be hard pressed to spend his or her money on a genuinely bad vehicle. But those overall improvements may have also led consumers to believe there are no real differences between the various products offered by the world's major automakers. According to the Consumer Reports 2012 Car-Brand Perception Survey, Toyota, Ford, Honda and Chevrolet have all seen their scores drop by double digits compared to last year.
The survey asks consumers to rate brands across seven categories. Consumer Reports says that by combining those categories, the organization can get a handle on how each brand is perceived in the marketplace.
This year, Toyota continued to lead in the survey, though its persistent recalls saw the brand's perception fall by 17 points this year. Ford, Honda and BMW all saw their perception scores plummet more than 20 points. The results may indicate consumers are seeing fewer differences between automakers as products continue to improve. While that's good news for smaller automakers like Hyundai, Kia and Subaru, larger names in the industry should be worried. Head over to Consumer Reports for the full report.
Consumer Reports survey suggests buyers don't see differences between car companies originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsToyota tops recall list again in 2011, overall number of U.S. recalls down
Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Ford, GM, Toyota
Toyota launched a total of 13 recall campaigns in 2011 covering over 3.5 million vehicles. Those figures put the Japanese automaker at the top of the most-recalled list for the third year in a row, according to Ward's Auto. Between 2009 and 2010, Toyota recalled nearly 11.5 million vehicles in North America for a variety of reasons, including troublesome floor mats and sticky accelerators tied to the company's unintended acceleration woes. The company says that around 85 percent of vehicles involved in the pedal recall have been fixed, with lower volume models continuing to trickle into dealers.
But Toyota wasn't the only automaker with recall woes in 2011. Ford found itself in second place for the number of vehicles recalled this year with 10 campaigns covering 3.2 million vehicles. For its part, General Motors issued a total of 21 recalls, but the fixes involved far fewer vehicles: 455,901. All told, Ward's says automakers issued 130 recalls in 2011, down from 136 campaigns in the U.S. last year.
Toyota tops recall list again in 2011, overall number of U.S. recalls down originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord suing former exec over new Toyota-related job
Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Ford, Toyota
Ford is suing former marketing executive Martin Collins as the result of a job he took with a Toyota distributor. The Detroit Free Press reports that Collins took a position as president of Gulf States Toyota; an apparent violation of his employment contract with Ford. Collins had been the general sales manager of the Ford and Lincoln brands since May.Ford is seeking $25,000 in damages for the alleged employment contract breach and the automaker is also looking to ban Collins from taking the job. Ford said in the suit that the company is concerned that Collins could supply "confidential or proprietary information and/or trade secrets that is valuable and gives a competitive advantage to the company."
Collins' attorney, William John Bux, counters that the former Ford employee is actually employed by the Friedkin Group - not Gulf States Toyota. Bux adds that Collins will not interact with Gulf States Toyota until after the non-compete clause ends.
Ford suing former exec over new Toyota-related job originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsKBB 2012 Best Resale Value awards dominated by Toyota
Filed under: Car Buying, Audi, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Jeep, Lexus, Toyota
Kelley Blue Book has announced the company's 2012 Best Resale Value Awards. The honors are handed out based on projections crafted by the KBB staff of automotive analysts for cars and trucks expected to retain the largest percentage of their original list price after five years.
For 2012, KBB has named Toyota as the best resale brand with Lexus taking the top honor in the luxury brand category. There aren't any surprises there, and the list of individual winners isn't likely to shake anyone's tree either. Toyota brands earned five category awards, while Honda alone took four categories, including sub-compact car, compact car, hybrid and van.
The Ford F-150, meanwhile, took home the full-size pickup nod and the only award for the Blue Ovals brands, while the Chevrolet Camaro V6 and SS snagged the sports car and high-performance car categories, respectively. There were a few surprises in the mix, however. The Jeep Wrangler brought home the only win in the compact SUV category and the only nod for Chrysler this year. The Audi A5 snagged the gold in the luxury car category and the Chevy Volt beat out the Nissan Leaf in the electric car category.
Kelly Blue Book says that residual value should be at the top of car buyers concerns when it comes time to bringing home a new model as depreciation represents the largest potential new-car expense. Hit the jump for the full press release.
Continue reading KBB 2012 Best Resale Value awards dominated by Toyota
KBB 2012 Best Resale Value awards dominated by Toyota originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord and GM think new vehicle sales will increase in 2012
Filed under: Car Buying, Ford, GM, Honda, Toyota
Auto sales have grown steadily since the U.S. and its auto industry performed a synchronized swan dive. But, unfortunately for automakers, those numbers have risen at a painfully slow pace.
The 'slow and steady' trend is likely to continue for the foreseeable future, but The Detroit News reports that both Ford and General Motors see continued sales increases in 2012. Ford economist Jenny Lin thinks that sales should progress beyond the 12.5 million to 13.5 million units forecasted for 2011. Lin added that a lack of new car sales over the last few years has led to a quickly aging fleet of vehicles on U.S. roads. In fact, the average vehicle on our roads is 10.6 years old, an all-time high.
GM chief economist Mustafa Mohatarem seems to agree, adding that demand is high and sales would be higher if Honda and Toyota could ramp up production. Mohatarem says the two Japanese automakers are still struggling to fill dealer lots in the wake of Japan's March earthquake and tsunami. As a consequence, he believes some buyers are sitting on the sidelines until they can pick up the Toyota or Honda of their choosing.
As for what the new yearly sales figure is projected to be, Mohatarem sees U.S. new vehicle sales hitting 16 million units as soon as 2014 or 2015.
Ford and GM think new vehicle sales will increase in 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsCars.com $37,000 SUV shootout yields unexpected results [w/poll]
Filed under: Car Buying, SUV, Crossover, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Kia, Mazda, Toyota
Cars.com recently lined up seven new vehicles for a $37,000 SUV shootout. The 2012 Chevrolet Traverse, 2012 Dodge Durango, 2012 Ford Explorer, 2012 Honda Pilot, 2012 Kia Sorento, 2011 Mazda CX-9 and 2011 Toyota Highlander all squared off against one another in a range of evaluations, including a one-day highway drive and family testing.
If you happen to be the deductive type, you may have noticed that the list above includes a fair number of genuine crossovers. Vehicles like the Chevrolet Traverse and Mazda CX-9 bear little resemblance to the body-on-frame bruisers of old, and even models like the 2012 Explorer and 2012 Durango have evolved out of their traditional shells.
But when the dust settled, it was Honda's 2012 Pilot that took top honors thanks to its high level of amenities, spacious interior and clever storage solutions, despite the fact that reviewers found issue with road noise and exterior styling. Perhaps most surprising is the fact that the 2012 Explorer tied for sixth place with the 2012 Sorento. Ouch. Head over to Cars.com to see the full evaluation, and vote for your favorite in our poll.
Cars.com $37,000 SUV shootout yields unexpected results [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsConsumer Reports investigates who builds most models in U.S.
Filed under: Etc., Chevrolet, Ford, GM, GMC, Honda, Toyota
Consumer Reports make/model table - Click above to see entire article
Thanks to its countless hours of research and testing, Consumer Reports is able to provide detailed and accurate assessments of pretty much every new car out there. Some of the data they compile results in the all-important reliability and safety ratings.
On the other hand, some of the stuff they come up with is a little more trivial. Like how many American-made individual models each automaker produces. Not important, but kind of a fun fact to flex your car knowledge muscles with. The list was compiled by counting each automaker's list of individual models. In other words, the Honda Civic counts toward Honda's total, but the Civic Si does not.
For 2011, Ford and Chevrolet top the list with 12 each, followed by Toyota at nine and Honda and GMC at eight. General Motors topped the corporate ladder with 21, followed by FoMoCo with 14 and Chrysler with 12.
Consumer Reports investigates who builds most models in U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsMotor Trend crowns new compact sedan king in eight-way comparo [w/poll]
Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Sedan, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Toyota, Volkswagen, Reviews
2012 Hyundai Elantra - Click above for high-res image gallery
With a raft of newly redesigned compact sedans hitting the streets this year, Motor Trend decided it was high time to crown a new king among the diminutive four-door masses. The editors gathered eight of the most popular models in the segment and pitted them against each other, battle royale style.
The magazine started by selecting the three best-selling Japanese compact sedans, the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Mazda3, which, combined, accounted for 700,000 sales last year amid fears fostered by a weakened economy. Those were joined by America's two best sellers, the Ford Focus and Chevrolet Cruze. Korea added the Kia Forte and the Hyundai Elantra, and the Volkswagen Jetta TDI from Germany rounded out the list.
MT tried to get the cars as closely matched as possible; all the cars were front-drive, four-cylinder automatics with alloy wheels and stability control, all stickering somewhere in the low-$20,000 range. Still, despite its efforts, there wound up being a fair amount of variance among each of the cars, which helped shape the results of the test.
In the end, the 2011 Hyundai Elantra came out on top, thanks to radical new styling, a raft of standard features and a new found sense of sophistication. The 2012 Honda Civic EX brought up the next spot in the line, followed by the 2011 Mazda3 Touring. The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI snagged fourth, followed by the 2012 Ford Focus Titanium and the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze LTZ RS. The 2011 Kia Forte EX edged out the 2011 Toyota Corolla to take seventh place.
Which one would take your top honors? Let us know in the poll, and head over to Motor Trend to read the full results.
Motor Trend crowns new compact sedan king in eight-way comparo [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 May 2011 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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