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USA February 2013: Is it the end of the tunnel for US sedans?

March 9th, 2013 Leave a comment Go to comments

Ford Fusion February 2013Can the Ford Fusion break a 16 year-draught for US passenger cars at home?

* NOW UPDATED with the Top 260 best-selling models! Click on title to see *

The US new car market slows down its crazy growth in February: up just 4% year-on-year to 1,192,249 registrations, which brings the year-to-date total after 2 months to 2,235,352 units, still up a very healthy 8% on 2012. 19th consecutive month of year-on-year growth for the Ford F-Series, still impressive at +15% and 54,489 sales and still followed by the Chevrolet Silverado at 41,643 units (+29%), the Toyota Camry at 31,270 (-9%) and the Honda Accord at 27,999, up a robust 35% year-on-year. But the big news is below…

Ford Taurus USA 1996The 1996 Ford Taurus is the last US sedan to have topped the Passenger Car ranking.

Have US carmakers (or at least Ford) finally cracked their own Passenger Car market again? In February, the Ford Fusion is up one spot to #5 with 27,875 sales, up 28% on February 2012. This is the Fusion’s 2nd highest monthly volume ever in the US below the 28,562 it hit in March 2012. It is refreshing to see an American sedan in the Top 5 at home (last ones were the Chevrolet Malibu in June 2012 and Cruze in June 2011). It’s hard to believe, but since the Ford Taurus in 1996, none of them has managed to top the US Passenger Cars rankings, giving away this title to the Toyota Camry 15 times and the Honda Accord once (in 2001). Can the Fusion manage the impossible in 2013 and beat the Camry?

Acura ILX USA February 2013Acura RLX

Other notable performances in February include the Ford Escape up two spots on January to #8 with 24,110 sales (also its best-ever February), the Ford Explorer up 67% to #16, Dodge Charger up 23 ranks to #30, Dodge Dart stable at #48, Buick Encore up 72 spots to #141 at 1,597 units. We welcome one new model in the US ranking this month: the Acura RLX, landing at a modest #251 spot with 16 sales.

Previous month: USA January 2013: Ford Fusion at highest in almost 2 years

One year ago: USA February 2012: Ford Focus and Toyota Prius shine

Full February 2013 Top 260 Ranking Table below.

USA February 2013:

Pos Model Feb /12 Jan 2013 /12 Pos 2012
1 Ford F-Series 54,489 15% 1 101,330 18% 1 1
2 Chevrolet Silverado 41,643 29% 2 77,088 30% 2 2
3 Toyota Camry 31,270 -9% 3 63,167 0% 3 3
4 Honda Accord 27,999 35% 4 51,923 51% 4 4
5 Ford Fusion 27,875 28% 6 50,274 42% 5 12
6 Nissan Altima 27,725 -16% 8 49,189 -11% 6 6
7 Toyota Corolla 24,999 13% 5 48,821 22% 7 8
8 Ford Escape 24,110 29% 10 44,049 23% 9 10
9 Dodge Ram 23,289 3% 9 43,763 8% 10 7
10 Honda Civic 22,713 -16% 7 44,594 -9% 8 5
11 Ford Focus 20,808 -11% 13 36,969 -2% 13 11
12 Honda CR-V 20,668 -16% 11 38,477 -12% 11 9
13 Chevrolet Equinox 20,649 16% 12 37,872 20% 12 16
14 Chevrolet Cruze 17,947 -12% 16 32,471 -8% 14 13
15 Ford Explorer 16,586 59% 15 31,140 53% 15 22
16 Hyundai Elantra 16,219 17% 20 28,393 15% 19 18
17 Hyundai Sonata 16,007 -8% 18 29,254 -8% 18 15
18 Chevrolet Impala 15,424 1% 17 29,577 -6% 17 21
19 Chevrolet Malibu 14,817 -26% 14 30,640 -12% 16 17
20 GMC Sierra 14,133 17% 19 26,979 15% 20 23
21 Toyota RAV4 13,329 5% 22 24,939 11% 21 19
22 Kia Optima 13,195 14% 23 24,447 20% 22 25
23 Nissan Versa 13,100 29% 27 23,370 19% 24 42
24 Toyota Tacoma 12,644 18% 21 24,266 24% 23 29
25 Toyota Prius 12,121 -27% 25 22,680 -13% 25 14
26 VW Jetta 11,968 -7% 26 22,490 -5% 26 20
27 Chrysler 200 11,446 18% 34 20,292 21% 28 32
28 Mazda3 10,554 -6% 39 18,628 -9% 34 33
29 Dodge Caravan 10,415 -18% 65 15,380 -26% 47 28
30 Dodge Charger 10,301 41% 53 16,712 30% 41 53
31 Jeep Wrangler 10,091 8% 33 18,945 10% 32 27
32 Nissan Sentra 10,058 -5% 30 19,037 8% 31 44
33 Dodge Avenger 9,980 52% 28 19,608 60% 29 48
34 Nissan Rogue 9,964 -26% 31 18,915 -19% 33 26
35 GMC Terrain 9,802 21% 37 18,352 34% 35 47
36 Ford Edge 9,683 -8% 29 19,297 2% 30 30
37 Honda Pilot 9,614 8% 43 17,019 12% 38 40
38 Kia Soul 9,551 -12% 44 16,933 -11% 40 39
39 Jeep Grand Cherokee 9,439 -26% 24 20,504 -12% 27 24
40 Toyota Highlander 9,310 14% 35 18,141 21% 36 35
41 Toyota Sienna 9,209 20% 42 16,990 22% 39 41
42 Subaru Outback 9,016 3% 36 17,648 9% 37 37
43 Chevrolet Traverse 8,698 9% 49 15,468 6% 46 50
44 Chrysler Town & Country 8,614 -10% 52 15,139 -1% 49 43
45 Honda Odyssey 8,550 -11% 50 15,310 -7% 48 31
46 Ford Econoline 8,336 -17% 41 16,323 -3% 43 34
47 Kia Sorento 7,945 -5% 40 15,950 1% 44 36
48 Dodge Dart 7,720 new 47 14,874 new 50 125
49 VW Passat 7,532 -8% 32 16,388 13% 42 38
50 Dodge Journey 7,530 20% 38 15,709 50% 45 57
51 Toyota Tundra 7,306 15% 48 14,310 21% 52 45
52 Mercedes C Class 7,302 39% 45 14,516 23% 51 55
53 Nissan Pathfinder 7,014 146% 54 13,295 169% 53 93
54 BMW 3 Series 6,973 -14% 69 11,804 -20% 60 46
55 Lexus RX 6,938 20% 59 12,332 14% 55 49
56 GMC Acadia 6,628 0% 63 11,816 3% 59 58
57 Hyundai Santa Fe 6,339 64% 55 12,330 42% 56 63
58 Jeep Patriot 6,329 24% 61 11,577 27% 61 68
59 Chevrolet Camaro 6,171 -11% 66 11,096 -12% 62 51
60 Chevrolet Sonic 6,025 -24% 46 13,202 -3% 54 56
61 Ford Mustang 6,024 -18% 79 9,632 -13% 70 52
62 Subaru Impreza 6,001 -17% 56 11,897 -16% 58 54
63 Toyota Avalon 5,703 63% 68 10,543 57% 64 114
64 Subaru Forester 5,529 -1% 51 12,094 13% 57 60
65 Chevrolet Express 5,504 5% 75 9,466 -3% 71 59
66 Mazda CX-5 5,451 1427% 62 10,695 2896% 63 90
67 Chevrolet Tahoe 5,316 26% 78 8,935 9% 74 65
68 Buick Enclave 5,241 26% 67 10,136 39% 66 76
69 Ford Taurus 5,047 17% 57 9,981 28% 68 66
70 Chrysler 300 5,023 -34% 60 10,348 -18% 65 64
71 Ford Fiesta 5,015 -9% 73 9,300 3% 73 75
72 Kia Forte 5,003 -12% 71 9,411 -7% 72 61
73 Nissan Maxima 4,927 -25% 91 7,919 -25% 81 71
74 Dodge Challenger 4,911 34% 81 8,408 35% 77 91
75 Lexus ES 4,817 61% 64 10,003 85% 67 77
76 Hyundai Accent 4,750 -18% 82 8,245 -19% 78 69
77 Dodge Durango 4,749 38% 84 8,129 26% 79 94
78 Infiniti G 4,529 -18% 94 7,344 -21% 84 70
79 BMW 5 Series 4,248 5% 102 6,833 -6% 92 74
80 Mercedes E Class 4,211 0% 58 9,680 17% 69 67
81 Buick Verano 4,171 147% 77 7,831 215% 82 95
82 Cadillac SRX 4,108 -18% 72 8,488 -7% 75 72
83 Nissan Murano 3,987 -21% 90 6,983 -22% 87 79
84 Toyota 4Runner 3,979 30% 70 8,464 41% 76 83
85 BMW X5 3,931 22% 74 8,015 37% 80 88
86 Chevrolet Captiva Sport 3,867 69% 76 7,803 71% 83 102
87 Jeep Compass 3,776 36% 89 6,892 35% 91 98
88 Honda Fit 3,775 -11% 88 6,931 -14% 89 81
89 Toyota Venza 3,745 40% 85 7,116 39% 86 92
90 Subaru Legacy 3,745 4% 86 6,929 3% 90 85
91 Chevrolet Suburban 3,745 13% 116 6,037 -3% 95 84
92 VW Beetle 3,696 184% 118 5,928 119% 97 117
93 Buick LaCrosse 3,667 -30% 80 7,215 -22% 85 73
94 Ford Transit Connect 3,610 57% 87 6,771 52% 93 106
95 Hyundai Tucson 3,444 -8% 83 6,937 1% 88 82
96 Cadillac ATS 3,382 new 95 6,163 new 94 212
97 Kia Rio 3,339 -7% 110 5,809 -6% 101 97
98 Fiat 500 3,302 2% 106 5,805 13% 102 89
99 Subaru XV Crosstrek 3,258 new 96 6,022 new 96 205
100 Ford C-Max 3,183 new 98 5,908 new 98 164
101 Toyota Prius C 3,148 new 99 5,839 new 100 107
102 Audi A4 3,089 14% 97 5,844 8% 99 99
103 VW Golf 3,020 10% 100 5,669 5% 103 96
104 Acura MDX 2,946 -18% 103 5,521 -14% 105 80
105 Chevrolet Spark 2,836 new 112 5,244 new 108 169
106 Nissan Juke 2,829 -4% 114 5,190 -2% 109 104
107 Mercedes GL Class 2,800 78% 124 4,815 51% 119 124
108 Acura RDX 2,795 178% 108 5,284 179% 107 115
109 Audi Q5 2,753 57% 115 5,097 36% 110 119
110 Nissan Frontier 2,736 -35% 101 5,360 -33% 106 78
111 Mercedes M Class 2,733 -20% 92 5,661 -24% 104 100
112 Mazda6 2,702 -47% 120 4,849 -52% 117 110
113 Mini 2,640 -28% 117 4,906 -15% 115 87
114 Mazda CX-9 2,594 28% 121 4,710 14% 121 128
115 GMC Yukon 2,572 21% 133 4,262 3% 125 122
116 Cadillac CTS 2,566 -44% 105 5,071 -33% 111 86
117 Toyota Prius V 2,543 -38% 104 5,065 -29% 112 97
118 VW Tiguan 2,533 11% 122 4,647 1% 122 112
119 Hyundai Genesis 2,517 0% 109 4,989 4% 113 109
120 Mercedes GLK 2,420 48% 113 4,816 34% 118 116
121 Mitsubishi Lancer 2,420 67% 119 4,616 87% 123 156
122 Ford Expedition 2,366 -22% 107 4,858 -10% 116 101
123 Kia Sportage 2,334 -32% 111 4,756 -24% 120 105
124 Infiniti JX35 2,300 new 126 4,270 new 124 136
125 Chevrolet Avalanche 2,263 26% 128 4,202 23% 126 129
126 Mazda5 2,260 49% 130 4,140 54% 128 160
127 Acura TL 2,216 -31% 140 3,713 -32% 131 111
128 BMW X3 2,175 -23% 125 4,180 -7% 127 107
129 Cadillac XTS 2,169 new 129 4,069 new 129 159
130 Toyota Yaris 2,045 -43% 93 4,942 -25% 114 113
131 Volvo S60 2,036 5% 127 3,990 19% 130 132
132 Acura ILX 1,997 new 136 3,555 new 135 170
133 Hyundai Veloster 1,905 -41% 132 3,664 -26% 133 108
134 Lincoln MKX 1,883 -13% 131 3,712 -3% 132 126
135 Ford Flex 1,662 -17% 134 3,277 -6% 136 120
136 Mini Countryman 1,662 28% 142 3,078 21% 138 139
137 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 1,644 20% 145 2,994 20% 141 149
138 Nissan Titan 1,634 20% 143 3,028 5% 140 138
139 Chevrolet Volt 1,626 59% 162 2,766 70% 146 130
140 Cadillac Escalade 1,619 -12% 137 3,166 -9% 137 134
141 Buick Encore 1,597 new 213 1,950 new 171  -
142 GMC Yukon XL 1,577 27% 156 2,773 23% 145 131
143 Lexus IS 1,532 -27% 144 2,918 -25% 142 123
144 Jeep Liberty 1,529 -79% 123 3,564 -75% 134 62
145 Scion xB 1,512 -6% 148 2,779 -1% 144 143
146 Volvo XC60 1,496 20% 135 3,062 33% 139 146
147 BMW X1 1,482 new 160 2,647 new 149 187
148 Buick Regal 1,474 -44% 167 2,479 -45% 158 127
149 Mitsubishi Outlander 1,423 92% 189 2,036 51% 167 201
150 Nissan Armada 1,401 -22% 155 2,599 -19% 151 150
151 Audi A6 1,370 41% 150 2,629 25% 150 147
152 Scion FR-S 1,369 new 141 2,812 new 143 172
153 Acura TSX 1,358 -60% 146 2,684 -52% 147 118
154 Toyota FJ Cruiser 1,355 29% 153 2,587 47% 152 163
155 Honda Ridgeline 1,301 -5% 151 2,553 -2% 154 162
156 Range Rover Sport 1,261 16% 152 2,512 13% 155 155
157 Nissan NV 1,252 55% 181 1,995 28% 168 181
158 Scion tC 1,244 -25% 149 2,508 -15% 156 133
159 Honda Crosstour 1,234 15% 147 2,507 26% 157 141
160 Mercedes Sprinter 1,228 48% 165 2,305 31% 161 140
161 Porsche Cayenne 1,173 78% 139 2,673 62% 148 157
162 Audi A5 1,173 5% 154 2,373 19% 159 153
163 Nissan Quest 1,131 -6% 170 2,109 -12% 166 148
164 VW CC 1,123 -20% 157 2,315 -18% 160 137
165 Lexus CT 1,123 -20% 168 2,183 -18% 165 151
166 Lexus GS 1,108 -54% 163 2,207 -11% 164 135
167 Toyota Sequoia 1,064 2% 158 2,244 6% 162 166
168 Infiniti QX56 1,059 -9% 159 2,227 2% 163 158
169 Mazda2 1,028 -62% 138 2,571 -55% 153 145
170 Range Rover Evoque 981 37% 173 1,910 37% 173 188
171 Nissan Xterra 980 -33% 169 1,977 -32% 170 154
172 Chevrolet Corvette 980 6% 175 1,888 21% 174 161
173 Lincoln MKZ 945 -62% 203 1,398 -66% 186 121
174 Mercedes S Class 923 16% 172 1,861 18% 176 171
175 Lincoln MKS 922 8% 174 1,831 15% 177 168
176 Audi Q7 920 147% 176 1,809 46% 178 176
177 GMC Savana 886 -58% 166 1,930 -35% 172 142
178 Porsche 911 855 0% 177 1,732 12% 180 192
179 VW Touareg 836 16% 171 1,798 16% 179 178
180 Chevrolet Colorado 828 -77% 179 1,650 -74% 181 103
181 Ford Police Interceptor Sedan 828 new 183 1,532 new 183 196
182 Range Rover 825 38% 161 1,981 63% 169 200
183 Ford Police Interceptor Utility 805 new 185 1,458 new 185 217
184 Lexus LS 803 55% 164 1,880 72% 175 195
185 Hyundai Azera 795 6015% 180 1,592 5035% 182 193
186 Smart Fortwo 783 2% 201 1,264 0% 191 183
187 BMW 6 Series 770 46% 204 1,194 27% 194 198
188 BMW 7 Series 709 -37% 193 1,292 -38% 189 174
189 Suzuki SX4 695 -43% 178 1,521 -23% 184 167
190 Nissan LEAF 653 37% 186 1,303 13% 188 184
191 Lexus GX 628 -11% 182 1,361 -14% 187 175
192 Lincoln Navigator 622 -24% 191 1,211 -18% 193 194
193 Nissan Cube 622 -9% 196 1,158 1% 196 203
194 Scion xD 596 -27% 188 1,220 -17% 192 177
195 Infiniti FX 595 -46% 190 1,187 -42% 195 180
196 Audi A7 588 1% 184 1,286 5% 190 191
197 Jaguar XF 588 22% 198 1,099 17% 200 220
198 Mercedes CLS Class 579 27% 195 1,132 9% 198 199
199 Land Rover LR4 565 -11% 194 1,129 0% 199 207
200 Dodge Cargo Van 538 -2% 197 1,051 10% 201 211
201 Infiniti M 514 -55% 205 927 -50% 204 186
202 Ford Heavy Trucks 512 8% 187 1,150 29% 197 209
203 Lincoln MKT 511 21% 206 922 32% 205 210
204 Volvo XC90 504 -45% 199 1,010 -37% 202 185
205 BMW X6 474 -6% 210 854 9% 208 213
206 Mercedes SL Class 435 353% 209 825 321% 209 224
207 VW Routan 424 -36% 229 665 -59% 218 179
208 Subaru BRZ 420 new 202 883 new 207 230
209 Jaguar XJ 404 22% 207 805 14% 210 225
210 Audi A8 395 22% 200 899 39% 206 216
211 BMW 1 Series 393 -35% 220 697 -32% 215 202
212 Audi A3 392 -16% 232 623 -41% 222 208
213 Porsche Boxster 391 1017% 208 783 843% 211 238
214 Honda Insight 388 -50% 218 707 -44% 214 218
215 Porsche Panamera 385 -25% 192 973 -20% 203 204
216 Honda CR-Z 381 -18% 212 739 -11% 212 229
217 Nissan 370Z 378 -32% 216 709 -27% 213 206
218 Mercedes SLK 356 24% 217 681 30% 217 226
219 Volvo XC70 355 -21% 214 689 -23% 216 221
220 Mazda MX-5 347 -20% 219 662 -10% 219 214
221 Mitsubishi i-MiEV 337 666% 226 594 643% 223 256
222 Scion iQ 331 -62% 223 626 -49% 221 189
223 Lexus LX 328 -14% 215 660 -2% 220 222
224 VW Eos 324 -23% 228 574 -27% 224 215
225 Land Rover LR2 273 28% 222 573 14% 225 236
226 Hyundai Equus 270 -5% 227 523 -9% 227 231
227 Suzuki Kizashi 241 -61% 224 527 -40% 226 219
228 Toyota Land Cruiser 216 77% 225 493 105% 229 237
229 Mitsubishi Galant 209 -77% 233 433 -83% 232 165
230 Chevrolet Caprice PPV 201 30% 230 438 77% 231 232
231 Suzuki Grand Vitara 197 -55% 231 431 -47% 233 223
232 Subaru Tribeca 194 10% 239 353 -13% 235 242
233 Mercedes G Class 186 138% 235 362 109% 234 246
234 GMC Canyon 180 -83% 221 482 -77% 230 190
235 Volvo C70 168 -36% 236 341 -39% 236 227
236 Volvo C30 157 -29% 238 323 -37% 238 239
237 BMW Z4 156 -36% 240 308 -12% 240 240
238 Jaguar XK 156 -26% 243 273 -25% 242 244
239 Volvo S80 151 -36% 234 327 -27% 237 234
240 Infiniti EX 150 -52% 237 318 -50% 239 233
241 Audi TT 147 2% 242 274 -16% 241 241
242 Kia Sedona 138 -91% 211 501 -83% 228 152
243 Suzuki Equator 118 -22% 241 258 0% 243 243
244 Nissan GT-R 98 46% 246 146 68% 244 247
245 Hyundai Veracruz 65 -86% 248 97 -92% 247 197
246 Audi R8 50 -32% 245 99 -35% 246 251
247 Mercedes CL Class 48 -39% 244 102 -30% 245 254
248 Mercedes SLS AMG 39 -45% 247 75 -54% 248 252
249 Dodge Caliber 32 -98% 251 45 -98% 250 182
250 Acura ZDX 25 -55% 249 56 -49% 249 253
251 Acura RLX 16 new  - 16 new 253  -
252 Mitsubishi Eclipse 13 -89% 250 27 -88% 251 248
253 Acura RL 11 -61% 252 24 -61% 252 262
254 Mercedes R Class 8 -95% 253 15 -95% 254 245
255 Mitsubishi Endeavor 5 -95% 254 10 -95% 255 258
256 Lexus LFA 2 -67% 255 5 -50% 256 267
257 Porsche Cayman 1 -99% 258 2 -99% 259 261
258 Cadillac STS 1 -97%  - 1 -98% 261 263
259 Lexus HS 1 -99%  - 1 -100% 262 255
260 Dodge Viper 1 n/a  - 1 -95% 263 270

Source: Wall Street Journal

Categories: USA
  1. ronnie
    March 10th, 2013 at 12:16 | #1
    Reply | Quote

    hi matt!!!! YES FORD FUSION can break the 16 yrs drought as americas best selling sedan with right advertising,effective promotions considering that the car is at par if not the best among its competitor,feature by feature …….

  2. mikey
    March 5th, 2013 at 05:17 | #2
    Reply | Quote

    Does anyone have fleet sales figures (especially rental car sales) for sedans?
    I’m guessing that will be the biggest factor in where the Fusion ends up for 2013.

    Does Ford want to devalue trade-in prices in exchange for sales increase?
    However, if the Fusion sales increase is due to private sales and they will be running both plants at planned capacity, there is no need to discuss that point.

  3. jlind
    March 3rd, 2013 at 07:50 | #3
    Reply | Quote

    I think there’s a possibility that or the Accord or the Fusion could beat the Camry this year in USA, but the Altima, since the restyling, lost it’s potential to do it.

    Did anyone noticed that the small economic cars lost sales this month? It’s because the gas prices are cheaper than last year?

  4. mfabio83
    March 2nd, 2013 at 21:56 | #4
    Reply | Quote

    “Is it the end of the tunnel for US sedans?”

    not for all, there is a very good Fusion but not a Chevy with the same good sales, the Impala is now waiting the new 2014 model while Malibu sales don’t growing.

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