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CLICK ANY CHART FOR LARGER VIEW |
If the Versa is the story of the small car category, the Nissan Altima's 22% improvement and 24,356 September sales makes it a candidate for top newsmaker in the midsize class. Sure, the Toyota Camry found more buyers - it almost always does - but while we wait for the 2012 model to bring Camry sales back up to par, September's 5918-unit loss doesn't merit the Camry greater attention.
The brand new Kia Optima is beginning to have a more serious impact on the category. Sales jumped 206% in September, although the month-to-month gains from August measured just 34 units. The Optima accounted for 17% of all Kia U.S. sales last month. It was the brand's third-best-selling model.
Sales of the Optima's platform-mate, the Hyundai Sonata, slid 12% in September. It's not crazy to think that the Optima's success comes at the expense of falling Sonata sales, though the theory may prove inaccurate. Moreover, the Sonata remains Hyundai's best-selling model and was responsible for nearly one-third of the brand's September sales.
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THE ABOVE CHART MAY SAY AUGUST, BUT IT REFERS TO SEPTEMBER SALES |
A very negative picture could be painted in regards to mainstream large cars and their suffering September sales. Ignore the premium-badged and defunct Cadillac DTS and Lincoln Town Car for now. Set aside the dying Buick Lucerne and the police-only Chevrolet Caprice, as well.
Buick LaCrosse sales were down 8.5% in September. The Ford Taurus was off by 38%. Toyota Avalon sales slid slightly, down 1.2% from September 2010 levels. Dodge reported a 23% decline.
That leaves the Chrysler 300 - and its impressive 50% jump - and the Nissan Maxima's 26% improvement. Thing is, the 300 is down 20% year-to-date. The Maxima is down 7% this year.