| It's not the crime of the century, but the arrest of a California man on suspicion that he stole $4500 worth of gas from a Shell station last month is a peculiar affair. Gas in the Golden state is nearly five bucks per gallon, but this theft of 1100 gallons gives one wonder if there's a black market where bashful Escalade drivers ask around for "the good stuff"—93 octane. High fuel prices across the U.S. are just one of several reasons the new car market should be lagging. Automotive incentive spending actually went down in September, too. Yet, here we are: September sales were up 13 percent versus last year. It's the automotive credit market that's driving growth. Interest rates are down, and banks are lending to people with lower credit than they would have a few years ago. Below, we explore the strength of the mid-size family-car market, check in with younger shoppers, track the new segment of compact premium cars, and finish with a look at the astonishing success of exotic supercars.
Mid-Size Cars, Massive PerformanceSales of the Kia Optima during the first nine months of 2012: 114,728 Percent increase this represents over the first nine months of last year: 106 Sales of the Honda Accord during the first nine months of 2012: 247,847 Sales of the Nissan Altima during this time: 234,040 Sales of the Toyota Camry during this time: 314,788 Percentage of new car sales from January to July of 2007 that were mid-size sedans: 13.85 Percentage of new cars sales from January to July 2012 that were mid-size sedans, according to Polk: 18.45 Rank of the mid-size segment in the U.S. automotive market from January to July 2012: 1 What the numbers reveal: A slew of new mid-size sedans hit the market in the past year, including the Nissan Altima, the Toyota Camry, and the Chevy Malibu. They're all posting tremendous sales numbers, as are their competitors. But these cars aren't stealing sales from each other. Mid-size sedans account for an increasingly large part of the new car market. Our friends at Polk, an automotive analysis and consulting firm, think many customers are coming over from mid-size crossovers. Perhaps it's the fuel prices, or perhaps it's just the fading of a fad, but we've got no gripes. Will Small Car Sales Match the Hype?Sales of the Acura ILX in September 2012: 1737 Sales of the Buick Verano in September 2012: 4042 Sales of the Buick Regal during this time: 1839 Sales of the BMW 1-series during this time: 515 Sales of the Audi A3 during this time: 806 What the Numbers Reveal: When describing the Acura ILX before the model's launch, a company exec told us that the car was pitched especially to younger buyers, who wanted a premium nameplate and some upscale features but, frankly, couldn't afford most of the luxury cars on the market. The ILX is still ramping up, but we're none too impressed by the smallness of the small-premium-car market. The two German entries extant are getting old, and Audi is working its way around the globe with the brand-new A3. It's a dim prospect nonetheless for Benz's compact CLA, set to arrive in 2013. The Buick Verano had a smashing September, but without a fleet or demographic breakdown, we're not confident these cars ended up with anyone but Avis and retirees. Meanwhile, the Regal is truly languishing; even the Volt outsold it by 1000 units in September.
 Exotic Sports Cars Fire Back
Percentage by which sales increased during the first nine months of 2012 versus the previous year for Lamborghini: 42 Percentage by which sales increased during the first nine months of 2012 versus the previous year for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG: 56 Percentage by which sales increased during the first nine months of 2012 versus the previous year for Ferrari: 6 Number of Ferraris sold in the first nine months of 2012: 1350 Ferrari's rank among other exotic sports car brands in U.S. sales so far this year: 1 Ratio of cars sold by Ferrari to cars sold by Aston Martin, the second-largest sports-car brand in the U.S.: 2:1 What the Numbers Reveal: The recession put a damper on sales of flashy supercars over the past few years, but the segment is roaring back to strength. The American Lamborghini operation has asked the Europeans to allocate more Aventadors, and the Gallardo still is selling strong despite its age. Read full story » from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com | |||
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