2009 New Car Sales: Carmageddon

December sales up, 2009 sales down

Jan 6, 2010

New vehicle sales were up 17.8 percent in December 2009 compared with 2008, but sales for all of 2009 were down 10.7 percent compared to the year before, according to a report by industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers.
There were 1,460,581 passenger cars and light trucks sold in 2009, the lowest since 1998, when sales were 1.427 million units. The decline of 10.7 percent was the largest since 1990, when sales declined by 11.4 percent.

“A very unique situation developed in 2009 with four of the top five (companies) seeing significant sales declines,” DesRosiers said. “This has never happened before.”

General Motors, Chrysler, Honda and Toyota all showed declines for 2009. Only Ford showed an increase, and with four of the top five struggling, it leaves a lot of room for others to do well, DesRosiers said.

Several companies were up, including Kia, Subaru, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Hyundai, which broke the 100,000 vehicle mark for the first time in Canada, with a total of 103,233 units sold in 2009.
Sales for December and final percentages for 2009 are after the jump.

Winners in December

BMW: 1,848 units (up 5.9%)
Chrysler: 13,739 units (up 12.9%)
Ford: 17,902 units (up 25.4%)
Honda: 10,830 units (up 20.9%)
Hyundai: 5,154 units (up 37.4%)
Infiniti: 489 units (up 1.0%)
Jaguar: 57 units (up 50.0%)
Kia: 2,645 units (up 61.1%)
Land Rover: 243 units (up 62.0%)
Lexus: 1,235 units (up 36.3%)
Mercedes-Benz: 1,819 units (up 14.5%)
Mitsubishi: 1,609 units (up 8.0%)
Nissan: 4,652 units (up 15.1%)
Porsche: 114 units (up 20.0%)
smart: 226 units (up 50.7%)
Subaru: 1,945 units (up 27.2%)
Suzuki: 707 units (up 0.4%)
Toyota: 16,472 units (up 86.2%)
Volvo: 625 units (up 133.2%)

Losers in December

Acura: 1,533 units (down 4.0%)
Audi: 701 units (down 5.1%)
General Motors: 18,825 units (down 9.3%)
Mazda: 4,261 units (down 5.5%)
MINI: 297 units (down 1.0%)
Saab: 53 units (down 45.9%)
Volkswagen: 3,205 units (down 10.9%)

2009 Totals:

Winners in 2009

Audi up 22.0%
BMW up 6.4%
Ford up 6.8%
Hyundai up 28.0%
Kia up 22.9%
Lexus up 5.3%
Mercedes-Benz up 19.2%
Mitsubishi up 6.2%
Porsche up 0.4%
Subaru up 15.8%
Volkswagen up 0.1%
Volvo up 0.5%

Losers

Acura down 11.8%
Chrysler down 26.7%
General Motors down 29.1%
Honda down 19.1%
Infiniti down 13.2%
Jaguar down 13.5%
Land Rover down 12.5%
Mazda down 13.3%
MINI down 13.3%
Nissan down 4.5%
Saab down 50.4%
smart down 28.9%
Suzuki down 8.5%
Toyota down 9.5%

2010 Volvo S60 To Introduce Collision Avoidance System

The new S60 with Full Auto Brake and Pedestrian Collision Avoidance.

Subaru 216a Coupe Photoshop

Click the headline for rumours about the Subaru version of the Toyobaru!

2010 Motor Trend Sport/Utility Of The Year: Subaru Outback

Find the Hidden SUV: An Act So Good, Even if You Know How It's Done You Can't See It
October 16, 2009

Click below for the YouTube vid clip showing how the Outback conquered contenders like the Toyota 4Runner, Audi Q5, Cadillac SRX, Volvo XC60, Mercedes GLK, Lexus RX 350, Acura ZDX, Lincoln MKT, Chev Equinox, GMC Terrain, both on and off road:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FCEn2CtS-Y

Click to view Gallery
It's right there in the photo: a spacious, tough, thoroughly modern, exceedingly capable sport/utility vehicle. You're forgiven if all you can see is a svelte station wagon. There's magic at work here.
For the first time since any of us can recall, an automaker has claimed the Motor Trend Sport/Utility of the Year title two years in a row. Last fall, deftly balancing efficiency and size, the all-new 2009 Subaru Forester went home with the Golden Calipers trophy.

Hyundai - Kia Opens Another North American Assembly Plant

Hyundai and Kia increased 26% in September even as industry sales overall softened after the cash-for-clunkers program ended. Click on the headline for this recent Time Magazine story about the new Kia plant near the Hyundai plant and the engine plant in the Alabama / Georgia area.

Report: Volvo to Bring Diesel and Hybrid-Diesel Cars to North America

Volvo will bring diesel engines as well as diesel-hybrids to North America in the future says the company’s North American CEO. click the headline for the rest of the story.

the Incredibly Satirical Subaru Outback Informercial

This infomercial is currently running nationally in the US. An incredibly unique spoof on all that is wrong with tv! Click the headline to go to the YouTube link

More on the Subaru Hybrid Tourer

The car on the left is the new concept hybrid tourer debuting @ the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show. The car on the right is the B11S which hit the show circuit in 2003 and was referrered to as, "a far-reaching look into Subaru's future styling direction"

SEMA Time

The next few weeks will feature an onslaught of wild new vehicles as pictures and stories are released about cars and trucks that will debut at SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association). It takes place early in November at Las Vegas

Is this the Subaru Version of the Toyobaru

The sketches of Subaru's version of the "Toyobaru" are highly reminiscent of the B111 Concept Car from a few years ago. Click on the headline for more leaked sketches.

Is Toyota Getting Back On The Right Track

Struggling automaker Toyota has unveiled the concept of it's first true sports car that is a real performance car at an affordable price. What's so special about it other than the swoopy sheet metal? It will be built by Subaru on a Rear Wheel Drive platform featuring Subaru's 2 liter boxing engine. Expect to see it in 2011 around $20k USD. Subaru will be launching it's concept version of this car later in the year. Could we see the next generation STi in a 300+ HP, AWD 2 door?

Click the headline for the rest of the story

Subaru at the Tokyo Motor Show

Subaru will debut a new concept car next week at the Tokyo Motor Show.
Among the highlights of the Subaru Hybrid Tourer include the gullwing doors, leather seats and a 2.0 litre turbocharged boxer engine paired with electric motors. Also watch for the "Toyobaru", the Toyota AE86 successor with the Subaru powertrain.

Ford concerned by intellectual property issues in sale of Volvo

What doe's 2 billion buy you in a car company nowadays? Click the headline to go to the latest news on the sale of Volvo by Ford.

US Hyundai Chief, John Krafcik talks about the Future

Q : How does the U.S. market look to you?
A : For the fourth quarter, it's looking like 9 million to 10 million (vehicle sales) on a seasonally adjusted, annualized rate, a little bit closer to 10. The forecast for next year isn't looking a whole lot better -- maybe a little bit over 11 million units. Click the headline for the rest of the interview

What the Others Have to Say

This how Hyundai is regarded by some of the leaders of the auto industry:

Honda CEO Takanobu Ito minced no words when he told the Associated Press (July 13,2009):
"Hyundai is awesome. They are undoubtedly a threat"

Nissan Motor Co. Senior Vice President Shiro Nakamura (Oct. 1, 2009):
"Hyundai is the biggest threat for the Japanese automakers, they have the technology"

Toyota CEO, Akio Toyoda said (Oct. 2, 2009):
“We have to make better cars, we are grasping for salvation”

Record Month Again for Subaru and Hyundai

Subaru leads the industry with a whopping increase of 68% and Hyundai follows suit with 30% increase, Volvo sales are relatively flat over last year -6%.

Winners
Audi: 1,111 units (up 17.1%)
BMW: 2,402 units (up 50.1%)
Ford: 16,140 units (up 24.4%)
Hyundai: 9,282 units (up 30.8%)
Kia: 4,515 units (up 19.7%)
Lexus: 1,504 units (up 11.3%)
Mercedes-Benz: 2,248 units (up 24.9%)
Mitsubishi: 1,735 units (up 18.5%)
Porsche: 114 units (up 14.0%)
smart: 312 units (up 3.7%)
Subaru: 2,544 units (up 68.4%)
Suzuki: 1,351 units (up 3.6%) Losers
Acura: 1,127 units (down 45.0%)
Chrysler: 15,804 units (down 7.1%)
General Motors: 23,568 units (down 23.4%)
Honda: 11,272 units (down 12.2%)
Infiniti: 639 units (down 14.3%)
Jaguar: 62 units (down 24.4%)
Land Rover: 179 units (down 8.2%)
Mazda: 6,520 units (down 3.6%)
MINI: 340 units (down 16.9%)
Nissan: 6,594 units (down 0.9%)
Saab: 59 units (down 48.2%)
Toyota: 16,065 units (down 11.1%)
Volkswagen: 3,508 units (down 4.2%)
Volvo: 508 units (down 6.4%)

3 Commercials for the All New 2011 Sonata

"Art of Technology" is the theme of these 3 new commercials for the launch of the incredibly styled 2011 Sonata. Expect to see this car on our lot around March 2010.

Yet Another Volvo First For Safety

The next generation of preventive safety technology from Volvo can detect a pedestrian who has walked out in front of the car. Click the headline for the rest of the story....

Whats next for Volvo

Chinese auto maker Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd said on Sept. 14 that its parent company Geely Holding Group Co. is bidding for Ford Motor's Swedish car brand Volvo.
"Volvo is a good brand, but Ford will sell it in order to shift its main focus on developing the Ford brand," said Mulally.
Sources close to the takeover said the two parties have signed a confidentiality agreement, which forbids disclosure of the negotiation details from either of the parties. Click on the Headline for the complete story

440' Jump on a Motorcycle Goes Very Very Bad

Click on the headline to see the most amazing motorcycle jump ever!

It's a guy called Moto-Bird who attempts to set a world record motorcycle jump. Broken jaw, cheekbones, and several other bones in his face. Also, a major artery in his face was severed, causing extensive blood loss. His left arm was broken, as were both legs. He is also now equipped with a trachea tube and can't talk, eat, or swallow. He plans on jumping again.

300 HP Subaru STi ATV- From the Sublime to the Ridiculous!

Just click on the headline and watch the YouTube video.

Engine: Subaru 2.0l intercooled turbo STi – V5 EJ20
Transmission: 5-Speed manual with (left) foot “H” pattern shift
Rear diff: 4.11:1 LSD
Axles: Shortened to give wheel track of 1220mm 48”
Drive shaft: Rebuilt to suit wheel base of 1800mm 71”
Cooling: Radiator mounted (almost horizontal) under rear panel with the water flowing back down the right lower chassis rail and back up the left rail
Steering: Non assisted
Body: GRP – Fibre glass, produced from my own plugs and moulds, finished in Subaru Rally Blue
Clutch: Left hand operated, with a large lever
Brakes: Twin master cylinders with bias adjuster, right foot pedal

Hyundai Goes From 11th to 4th in Less than 10 Years

An article in The New York Times about South Korea's Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group includes a graphic that shows its annual U.S. sales now equal Nissan's and are fast approaching Chrysler's.
Indeed, the company is likely to overtake Chrysler in the near future as the troubled Italian-owned American auto maker's sales line is down, down, down.
Consider this: Hyundai's August sales topped were up 47 percent from last year while total industry sales were up only 1 percent, according to the NYT. And its 8 percent of the new vehicle market share last month was more than Chrysler's 7.4 percent.
Last year, it became the fourth-largest automaker in the world behind Toyota, General Motors and Volkswagen. That compares with a ranking of 11th less than a decade ago, according to the NYT.

First Drive: the 2014 Volvo C30 BEV Electric Car

The company that invented the oxygen sensor and the 3 point seat belt has done more for clean emmissions and safety than any other car company in history. Now they are getting their first electric car ready for production (think of the safety liabilities and threats of an electric car during a catastrophic accident). Click the headline for a driving test of Volvo's prototype C30 fully electric car.

An Aussie Review of the Subaru Boxer Turbo Diesels

In 2007, Subaru launched the world's first Horizontally Opposed Turbo Diesel Intercooled production car engine in Europe. Click the headline for an Aussie review of the diesel Subaru's and their incredible efficiency.

Hyundai Extends It's Lead Over Lexus In Overall Brand Value For 2009

"Thanks to eye-catching products like Genesis and innovative marketing such as the Assurance program, Hyundai is making a big splash in the world market," Interbrand said. Click the headline for more on Hyundai's rapid rise in the automotive world.