Drivers downshift to smaller vehicles...!?

[SSrevolution]

The top 10 biggest gainers and losers based on percents reported by cars.com are...

Gainers
1.) Toyota Prius
2.) Hummer H3
3.) Volkswagen Passat
4.) Volkswagen Jetta
5.) Toyota Echo
6.) Toyota Corrola
7.) Honda Civic
8.) Scion xA
9.) Scion xB
10.) Nissan Sentra

Losers
1.) GMC Envoy
2.) Chevrolet Corvette
3.) Chevrolet Tahoe
4.) Ford Expedition
5.) Chevrolet Trailblazer
6.) Dodge Caravan
7.) GMC Yukon
8.) GMC Sierra
9.) Saab 9-2x
10.) Mitsubishi Eclipse

[surferdude00711]

This is retarded; how are Eclipse, 9-2 and Vette large?

[SSrevolution]

I think this list is truth telling by showing the trend, however it is poorly done.

The Corvette??? It shouldn't be included on this list. And besides it gets 26-28mpg!

Yeah, the Envoy, TB, and other vehicles are on here because only a short time ago they were selling like hotcakes. Of course the sales would slump off because of the high sales. Same thing goes for the cars on the gainers list.
Anyone notice what all of these have in common? They are all new. Of course they would post big gains when they have only been out for a year or so.

[paul8488]

I think the list is just a recap of sales... the author just saw a general trend, but it's not 100% solid. The H3 is up, which is against the logic here. I'd expect the 9-2x up too, but alas, no such luck.

As for being new... the Corolla isn't very fresh. Neither are the Sentra, Echo or Civic, unless the new one has hit dealers down south.

[Ming]

Originally Posted by paul8488

I think the list is just a recap of sales... the author just saw a general trend, but it's not 100% solid. The H3 is up, which is against the logic here.

Not if you are the kind of guy who would've bought an H2, but you go for an H3 instead. The H3 is also said by mags I've read to be a better off-road performer, so a true off-road enthusiast might choose it over the H2 on that point alone. And get a boost in fuel economy; best of both worlds.

True on the Saab, though. I like that car, too bad it isn't selling well.

...Back to my hurricane watch!

[cyboexpo2002]

uhh, they're out of 05 9-2x's and the 06s aren't here yet
hence the huge drop off.

[Kong Got Nuthin on Me!]

i think the new eclipse looks good, surprised it wouldn't sell well. the previous gen eclipse was vomit-inducing. then again, i've only seen a few on the road.

[mbukukanyau]

well, one would think the 9-2X is a relatively small car.. But not so.... for this dude..
What about cobalt? Last time I checked it was closing in on Civic and corolla

[uujjj]

Originally Posted by surferdude00711

This is retarded; how are Eclipse, 9-2 and Vette large?

They are not large. The given list is not a list of large cars. It's a list of cars that are being researched less on cars.com than they were last month.

From the list quite clearly small cars are being researched more and large cars are being researched less, overall. There are exceptions, of course, like the H3 and the Corvette.

[asim]

9-2x isn't big, i'd consider it midsize, maybe big compact.

[Squachy]

Originally Posted by mbukukanyau

well, one would think the 9-2X is a relatively small car.. But not so.... for this dude..
What about cobalt? Last time I checked it was closing in on Civic and corolla

As far as i remember reading somewhere on this site, Cobalt was catching up to the CURRENT civic (not sure what the sales figures will show once the new one comes out) but there was a pretty sizable lead by the corolla.

[tgagneguam]

Originally Posted by Squachy

As far as i remember reading somewhere on this site, Cobalt was catching up to the CURRENT civic (not sure what the sales figures will show once the new one comes out) but there was a pretty sizable lead by the corolla.

YTD Sales:
Cobalt: 148,831 (**.*)
Corolla: 235,980 (4.0)
Civic: 203,673 (-6.6)

Maybe it'll be a fight between the relatively well-established and the ramping up Cobalt... maybe.

[tgagneguam]

I'm not so sure how to interpret the usefulness of these charts. As one example, am I surprised that vehicles like the Passat, Jetta, xA, and xB are big gainers when they seem to have not-so-tough year-on-year comparisons to overcome? Of course, my theory doesn't hold true consistently, either, as the new Eclipse seems to still be struggling despite its renewal. But I definitely don't think the author's observation and cause-effect analysis really holds, either.

[SSrevolution]

Originally Posted by tgagneguam

I'm not so sure how to interpret the usefulness of these charts. As one example, am I surprised that vehicles like the Passat, Jetta, xA, and xB are big gainers when they seem to have not-so-tough year-on-year comparisons to overcome? Of course, my theory doesn't hold true consistently, either, as the new Eclipse seems to still be struggling despite its renewal. But I definitely don't think the author's observation and cause-effect analysis really holds, either.

My point exactly.

[desmo9]

One thing's certain ... slice and dice this as you will, but the underlying trend is irrefutable: the domestics are in the same boat as 1973: fewer options than the imports now that gas is expensive. Don't bother with the individual models ...

Try this instead:

Gainers:

Toyota
Honda


Losers:

GM
Ford
Chrysler