Be thankful you’re reading this now. In the United States, gas prices are low, the stock market has recovered, and there are more freakishly incredible sports coupes on sale than when the Mitsubishi 3000GT tore up the scene in the mid-1990s. Even in a year of record recalls, times are good. To witness, we’ve picked out some worthy automotive-sales highlights from the past year, some of which are keeping us puzzled into 2015.
Car Sales Are the Best in Eight Years
The last time the U.S. car market cracked 16.5 million in annual light-vehicle sales was 2006. Eight years later, the industry finally matched that total, up about 927,000 from 2013. It’s been an agonizingly slow climb from the 2009 recession, when car sales sunk to 10.4 million, but there’s no looking back. With average national gasoline prices well below $3 per gallon and even $2 per gallon in some parts, auto executives can continue popping the Clicquot or whatever overpriced champagne their marketing departments order. Job well done.
The Banks Are Happier Than Ever
Americans are taking out larger car loans than ever, according to the credit bureau Experian. The average note on a new car was $27,799 during the third quarter of 2014, while used cars hit a high of $18,576. Both amounts are roughly four-percent higher than the previous year. On average, we’re willing to part with $470 each month for a new car and $358 for a used one. Even crazier, new-car loans ranging between 73 and 84 months spiked by 24 percent. Seriously, if you can’t pay off a car in four years, spare yourself the ungodly interest and remote engine shutdowns and get a bike.
Sometimes Luxury Labels Pay, Sometimes They Don’t
How much is that shiny new Benz worth after a year? If you bought a 2014 CLA250, bring your beer stein to the nearest tap. The National Automobile Dealers Association, in a study of one-year-old luxury cars, found that the Mercedes CLA250 retained an average 81.4 percent of its original sticker price, a huge number for a new car and well above the 67.0-percent average for its segment. The association tracked trade-in prices and typical MSRPs to make the comparisons. Among the best were the 2014 Acura MDX with the Technology package (79.8 percent versus 72.0 percent for luxury SUVs), the 2014 BMW X5 xDrive35i (80.8 percent), and the 2014 Jaguar F-type V-8 S (76.7 percent versus 71.8 percent among high-end sports cars). Two of Cadillac’s choicest models, the 2014 CTS Luxury and the 2014 ELR, retained just 60.9 and 59.7 percent of their respective values. Both were several points below average. So, too, was the 2014 Acura RLX, at 61.3 percent.
Audi 48, Chrysler 57 (and Jeep Totally Owned 2014)
As far as consecutive monthly sales increases go, Audi and Chrysler have no competition. December marked Audi’s 48th month of year-over-year records, at 19,238, while Chrysler hit month 57, at 193,261. Both are underdogs in their respective segments, yet Chrysler is kicking the hardest. Of the roughly 927,000 additional cars sold by all manufacturers in the U.S. last year, 22 percent of them were Jeeps. We’ll rephrase for emphasis: Nearly one of every four new cars that contributed to the industry’s eight-year sales record was a Jeep (and the Cherokee, despite our initial reservations about its squinted eyes, is the hottest-selling Jeep right now). Among Fiat Chrysler, Jeep posted a 41-percent U.S. sales gain (more than 1 million were sold worldwide) and accounted for two-thirds of FCA’s 17-percent jump in year-over-year sales. Among 10-cylinder supercars, Chrysler even beat Audi. A total of 760 Dodge Vipers graced lucky American garages through December, 25 more than the R8. Guess that $15,000 price cut helped.
How Many Cars Can A Smart ForTwo Outsell?
We still see no point to driving an upsized Power Wheels toy on American roads, but enough people disagreed last year to make the Smart ForTwo outsell several dozen other models—and not just ultrapricey large luxury sedans and SUVs. At 10,453 sales, the ForTwo edged past models such as the Volkswagen CC (9995), toppled the Lincoln MKS (8160), squashed the Subaru BRZ (7504), beat the BMW i3 (6092), and killed the Kia K900 (1330). Its only direct Micro Machine competitor, the Scion iQ, squeaked by with 2040 sales. Whatever their vehicular orientation, ForTwo owners are indeed giant slayers.
You Can Still Buy a Brand-New Lexus LFA
When we saw the Lexus LFA at the L.A. auto show in November, we joked—halfheartedly, because no one wants to diss a V-10 supercar—about its ancientness. After the final 2012 Nürburgring package, we thought the LFA’s 500-unit worldwide run was supposedly gobbled up. Even Lexus says so on its website. But it’s false. In the U.S., Lexus sold 17 new LFAs last year, compared with 23 in 2013. A quick search on Cars.com shows 17 more LFAs listed as new, all from 2012 and a few with demo miles. Before you question the $380,000 price tag on many of these models, know that Ferrari buyers plop the same on secondhand 458s with several thousand miles. Does anyone not want the most reliable 10-cylinder car ever made?
- Low Gas Prices Haven’t Resuscitated Sales of Massive SUVs, Despite What You’ve Read
- Wuling the World: How Are Global Auto Sales Distributed? [Infographic]
- All About the Toyota Camry, 2014’s Top-Selling Non–Pickup Truck
The New (Old) Q40 is Kicking Strongly for Infiniti
No one squeezes more dollars out of old cars like Volkswagen, which only twelve or so months ago sold the final (and original) Kombi bus in Brazil. But Nissan is also doing brisk business selling two popular models alongside what should have been their replacements. The Infiniti Q40 (the old G37) is a more reliable and less aggravating luxury car than the new Q50 and is $3200 cheaper—with the same powertrain. In 2014, 15,590 of them left showrooms, making the Q40 the brand’s third-most-popular model (behind the Q50 and the QX60). Nissan didn’t break out sales for its Rogue Select, available at a $2640 discount versus the new Rogue, but a fair chunk of those combined 199,199 sales belongs to the predecessor.
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via Agya
