Sales Trends

It has been said that Americans are suckers for lists, and I'll admit I'm as guilty as anyone. The lists below showing the 10 most popular new vehicles with U.S. consumers (private individuals, not fleet) illustrate some industry trends that, coincidentally or not, also exist in the broader U.S. new vehicle market that includes over 400 models.

2005 #1 Ford F-Series #2 Chevrolet Silverado #3 Toyota Camry #4 Honda Accord #5 Dodge Ram #6 Honda Civic #7 Toyota Corolla #8 Nissan Altima #9 GMC Sierra #10 Honda Odyssey	2006 #1 Ford F-Series #2 Chevrolet Silverado #3 Toyota Camry #4 Honda Accord #5 Toyota Corolla #6 Honda Civic #7 Dodge Ram #8 Nissan Altima #9 GMC Sierra #10 Honda Odyssey	2007 #1 Chevrolet Silverado #2 Ford F-Series #3 Toyota Camry #4 Honda Accord #5 Honda Civic #6 Toyota Corolla #7 Dodge Ram #8 Nissan Altima #9 Honda CR-V #10 Toyota Tundra
2008 #1 Chevrolet Silverado #2 Toyota Camry #3 Honda Accord #4 Honda Civic #5 Ford F-Series #6 Toyota Corolla #7 Nissan Altima #8 Honda CR-V #9 Dodge Ram #10 Ford Focus	2009 #1 Toyota Camry #2 Ford F-Series #3 Honda Accord #4 Chevrolet Silverado #5 Honda Civic #6 Toyota Corolla #7 Honda CR-V #8 Nissan Altima #9 Toyota RAV4 #10 Dodge Ram	2010 April CYTD #1 Ford F-Series #2 Honda Accord #3 Toyota Camry #4 Chevrolet Silverado #5 Honda Civic #6 Toyota Corolla #7 Nissan Altima #8 Toyota RAV4 #9 Honda CR-V #10 Chevrolet Malibu Source: Polk

The number of compact vehicles on the top 10 lists doubled from 2 to 4 during the 6-year time frame, consistent with the move towards smaller vehicles after the spring 2008 temporary gas price explosion. Crossovers were not on the list at all in 2005, but 2 made the top 10 by 2009, and they remain there this year.

The midsize sedan segment remains formidable and the Japanese continue to thrive there, as witnessed by the fact that 3, and then 4 of these models ranked among the top 10 (including the Camry, Accord and Altima every year). Similarly, the lists point out the ongoing strength of the large pickup category, though it has lost some of its luster since the 2008 gas price spike; the domestics still dominate this segment, with the Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge models making the top 10 every year except 2010. The re-designed and larger Tundra made the list in its inaugural year, 2007, but it has not re-appeared. There was one minivan on the list in 2005, but none since as that segment has retreated.

There are no truck-based SUVs on the list in any year, again in keeping with the broader overall industry where these vehicles have rapidly been replaced by crossovers.

The domestic OEMs' weaknesses in cars are supported by the fact that only 2 of the 50 entries on the table are domestic cars, and the Chrysler Corporation does not have any cars on the list. Finally, though the Ford F-Series has been the most popular vehicle in the U.S. for many years on a total sales basis, it has not always been at the top of the chart on a retail basis. It was the retail leader in 2005 and 2006 and is out in front again this year, but it trailed the Silverado in 2007, four vehicles in 2008, and the Camry in 2009.

Posted by Tom Libby, PolkInsight Advisor, Polk (07.23.2010)