Movers and Losers: January 2012

As we move forward into 2012, there is more reason to be optimistic about car sales. The amount of time it took for a new 2012 model to be sold went from 35 days in December to 34 days in January, keeping a breakneck pace versus last January's 40-day pace. Leading the list of fast sellers were the overly practical, somewhat boring group of crossovers and compacts as well as luxury nameplates, again almost all SUVs and crossovers. Car buyers were snatching up something as mundane as a Hyundai Elantra sedan in 13 days, the same amount of time it took to sell a Lexus GX 460 SUV. The seven luxury cars on the list matched the seven compact cars, while five other SUVs and just two sedans rounded out the 21 vehicles that made our movers list. If you thought luxury buyers were helping the count, they also hurt it. Seven out of the 10 losers were all luxury brands. For our picks of slow-selling cars that you might be able to pick up at a bargain, we gave a broad array of small cars, sporty cars, a luxury pick and a plug-in hybrid you might have heard about. Movers 2012 Toyota RAV4: 6 days 2012 Subaru Impreza hatchback: 7 days 2012 Audi Q7: 8 days 2012 Honda CR-V: 8 days 2012 Toyota 4Runner: 10 days 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid: 10 days 2012 Audi Q5: 11 days 2012 BMW X3: 11 days 2012 Land Rover Range Rover: 11 days 2012 Porsche Cayenne: 11 days 2012 Subaru Impreza sedan: 11 days 2012 Toyota Venza: 11 days 2012 Buick Verano: 12 days 2012 Kia Rio sedan: 12 days 2012 Hyundai Elantra: 13 days 2012 Hyundai Veloster: 13 days 2012 Kia Soul: 13 days 2012 Lexus GX 460: 13 days 2012 Toyota Corolla: 13 days 2012 BMW 528i: 14 days 2012 Honda Pilot: 14 days 2012 Subaru Forester: 14 days Losers 2012 Porsche Boxster: 118 days 2012 BMW X6 M: 111 days 2012 Infiniti M35h: 106 days 2012 BMW 650i convertible: 98 days 2012 BMW X5 M: 94 days 2012 Suzuki Equator extended cab: 88 days 2012 Mercedes-Benz S350 Bluetec: 83 days 2012 Fiat 500 hatchback: 80 days 2012 Infiniti EX35: 75 days 2012 Suzuki Kizashi: 73 days Cars.com Picks 2012 Fiat 500c convertible: 59 days 2012 Infiniti M56: 59 days 2012 Mazda3 sedan: 59 days 2012 Chevrolet Volt: 64 days 2012 Chevrolet Camaro convertible: 73 days About the Lists The Movers and Losers list reports the average number of days it takes to sell models from the day they arrive on the lot until the final paperwork is signed by a buyer. This is not a days-of-inventory list like you may find on other sites. We're now focusing on only 2012 model years. For Movers, we only list vehicles that pass a certain threshold of sales in order to weed out limited editions, ultra-high-performance cars and others that might skew the numbers or otherwise inaccurately portray popularity. For Losers, we have removed any threshold to reflect 2012 models that may have the greatest incentives. from KickingTires http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/

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