And the Best-Selling Automobile of 2009 was…
…the Ford F series pickup…again.
The honored F was redone for ‘09. But once the shining child of the American auto market, the F is far from its prime. The pickup achieved its high-point in ‘04 with almost 940,000 units sold. The number for ‘09? Well under 414,000. With all the cash, advertising, and labor put into it, the F couldn’t break out of the recession’s pull. The Chevrolet Silverado (#3) was well behind it with 317,000, and Dodge Ram (#10) came in with a rather weak 177,000 units.
The big truck losers? The GMC Sierra came nowhere near the Silverado’s numbers (112,000), making the argument for us that it’s time to assimilate the damn thing into the Chevy line. The Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan, Honda Ridgeline, and Ford Explorer were nowhere to be seen. The smaller Tacoma, Escape, and RAV4 all did well, however.
The Toyota Camry was the top car and #2 overall. The sale decline with the Camry was small, as the sedan managed to push out 357,000 units. Behind it were the Corolla with 297,000, the Honda Accord with 290,000, and Civic with 260,000. The only American car to break into the top ten was Ford’s Fusion. That came in at #9 with 181,000.
Honda to Build the CR-Z, Fit Hybrid to Follow
Honda will be continuing its hybrid path with full steam, despite the poor reception to its Insight sedan. The CR-Z, a sport hatch designed in the spirit of the old CRX, will be the attention-grabber. The CR-Z will utilize lightweight materials, a streamlined form, and possibly a reworked version of the Inisght powertrain to create the greenest sport compact in the market. Honda will also be producing a gas-electric version of its Fit subcompact, said to be targeting a $19,000 starting price range. Both are reportedly scheduled for the 2011 model year and may premiere in the upcoming LA auto show.
Video: British Mugen Civic Type R
Here’s a new promo video for the British-spec Mugen Civic Type R. Mugen, Honda’s “official” tuner, has revamped the Japanese sport hatch. The new tuner work comes with a new front spoiler, a giant rear wing, a busty exhaust, Mugen exclusive eighteen-inchers, hood vents, and a souped-up four-banger pushing up to 237 hp.
We may not get this, but we still have the Insight…
Soul, Forte Mark New Era for Kia
Official pricing and specs for the Kia Forte sedan have been released. The Forte will have a starting price of $13,700; a total of two engines, four transmissions, and three trim levels will be offered, with a coupe bodystyle soon to follow. The Forte replaces the Spectra as Kia’s primary compact vehicle. The Forte is the second model of a new generation of Kias to reach North America. Kia management is hoping to recondition the brand to appeal to young buyers as an alternative to Toyota’s Scion. Borrowing a Scion cue with the tC, the new Kia line will drop innovation and instead offer stylish designs inspired from existing products. (The tC was formulated from research that found young buyers wanting something akin to a BMW in aesthetics.)
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