As if to underscore the time-honored notion in the automotive business that “new cars sell,” most of the models that showed the biggest sales gains over the first half of the year were those that either premiered or have been redesigned for 2011.
Tom Libby, an advisor with the market research firm R.L. Polk & Co, in Southfield, Mich., recently identified what are the five “most successful” models each in the premium and non-premium new-car segments. This is based largely on their increases in retail registrations this year through the end of June compared to the same period a year earlier. In addition to being among the year’s top sellers, Libby cites each model as “helping the make move forward” by boosting the brand’s aggregate sales and/or elevating its market perception.
While at one time the movers and shakers among mainstream models would have certainly been big and burly sport-utility vehicles, four out of five are now passenger cars, including two domestic-branded autos. Of these, two are family cars Hyundai Sonata and Volkswagen Jetta, one is a compact Chevrolet Cruze and one a subcompact Ford Fiesta. The former are helping their respective brands make significant inroads into the midsize sedan market, while the latter two are riding a wave of popularity stirred by a strong undercurrent of stinging gas prices.
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