FocusCanada Forums

Frost__2001,Aug 6 2009, 07:26 AM Wrote:U.S. Department of Transportation release most purchased, most traded vehicles under CARS program
08/05/2009


Although the future of the United State’s cash for clunker program is still up in the air, the CARS program managed to move 250,000 vehicles during the week it was up and running. Now that the final tallies are in, the U.S. Department of Transportation has released the most purchased and most traded-in vehicles under the program.

As previously reported, the Ford Focus currently owns the title of most purchased vehicle under the CARS program. The Toyota Corolla follows the Focus in the number 2 spot, with the Honda Civic rounding out the top 3.

The Toyota Prius is currently in the fourth spot but could have been ranked higher had it not been for a supplier issue. The fuel-efficient Prius remains in hot demand – with wait lists now extending for months – but a battery supply issue has put a cap on total output. The Camry is Toyota’s third and final nameplate on the top 10 list, checking in at the 5th spot.

The Ford Escape is holding on to the #6 spot and is the only SUV to make the CARS’ top 10 list. The Hyundai Elantra, Dodge Caliber, Honda Fit and Chevrolet Cobalt fill out the rest of the top 10 list.

Not surprisingly, trucks and SUVs dominate the most traded list, with the only exceptions being two minivans. The four-wheel drive version of the Ford Explorer topped the clunkers list, with its two-wheel drive counterpart filling the #7 spot. The two-wheel drive Ford F-150 captured the 2nd spot, with its four-wheel drive counterpart taking the #8 spot.

No other repeats made the list, but Jeep managed back-to-back spots with the four-wheel drive Grand Cherokee at #3 and the four-wheel drive Cherokee at #4.

The Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan checks in as the first minivan on the list at the #5 spot, with the only other minivan on the list – the four-wheel drive Ford Windstar – ranking 10th on the most traded list.

Chevrolet models fill the last two spots on the list, with the four-wheel drive Blazer in the 6th spot and the two-wheel drive C1500 pickup ranking 9th.

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Interesting that there's such a huge shift (for Americans) to smaller cars ... but there's no such thing as a four-wheel drive Windstar - - they must mean Aerostar.

ZTW,

Given the reality of gas prices going nowhere but higher in the foreseeable future and an uncertain economy going forward, a refocusing (pardon the pun) on smaller cars is inevitable, even for the Americans.

Now whether that means the Focus is doomed to "economical commuter car" status or can be revived again as a "hot hatch" is yet to be determined :unsure:

NefCanuck

NefCanuck,Aug 6 2009, 10:36 AM Wrote:ZTW,

Given the reality of gas prices going nowhere but higher in the foreseeable future and an uncertain economy going forward, a refocusing (pardon the pun) on smaller cars is inevitable, even for the Americans.

Now whether that means the Focus is doomed to "economical commuter car" status or can be revived again as a "hot hatch" is yet to be determined :unsure:

NefCanuck
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True ... but in the past the American love affair with small cars was very fleeting and only when record high gas prices were in effect ... once gas prices started to go down their old buying habits reasserted themselves.

Relatively speaking gas is much cheaper in the US than it was last year (for example) ... and so perhaps this is a signal of some sort of longer-term sea change that Americans are truly looking at smaller cars as their first choice like it is here and in Europe.

OTH - this could also be simply a matter of the people who are turning in the clunkers don't have a lot of money and except for the clunker rebate would otherwise be used-car shoppers.

Call me a pessimist when it comes to American consumerism - but I think it's more the latter.

ZTWsquared,Aug 6 2009, 10:37 AM Wrote:

NefCanuck,Aug 6 2009, 10:36 AM Wrote:ZTW,

Given the reality of gas prices going nowhere but higher in the foreseeable future and an uncertain economy going forward, a refocusing (pardon the pun) on smaller cars is inevitable, even for the Americans.

Now whether that means the Focus is doomed to "economical commuter car" status or can be revived again as a "hot hatch" is yet to be determined :unsure:

NefCanuck
[right][snapback]292125[/snapback][/right]

True ... but in the past the American love affair with small cars was very fleeting and only when record high gas prices were in effect ... once gas prices started to go down their old buying habits reasserted themselves.

OTH - this could also be simply a matter of the people who are turning in the clunkers don't have a lot of money and except for the clunker rebate would otherwise be used-car shoppers.

Call me a pessimist when it comes to American consumerism - but I think it's more the latter.
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Hrm,

You raise several valid points, but another factor at play here is how much better small cars are today than they were during the last major price spike (Oil crisis of the '70's) that saw cars produced that were rushed to market, screamed "cheap" in glowing neon letters and were not very good vehicles overall as manufacturers scrimped on them.

Although the "cash for clunkers" program is also a large variable that wasn't in place back then either (Last I heard they committed an additional 2B USD to it as well) :huh:

NefCanuck