Auto Trends

MSN Autos released some interesting statistic recently, looking at the most popular vehicles driven in the various areas around the US. Let’s breakdown these findings, and explain what makes these vehicles so popular in their areas.

Boulder, Colorado Loves their Subaru Outback
The Subaru is a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll… a little bit Toyota Land Cruiser and a little cit Toyota Camry. The folks in Boulder Colorado aren’t exactly roughing it, but they do live around the mountains, and they do see their fair share of snow. Coloradoans in general like their SUV’s, with the Toyota Land Cruiser being one of the more popular in the mountain towns, but they also consider themselves pro-environment, which makes these big gas guzzlers a bit of a deterrent in some areas.

Henderson, Nevada Prefers their Toyota Camry LE
Toyota Camry’s are popular nearly everywhere in the US, but particularly in Henderson, Nevada, just a few hops away from Las Vegas. The Camry offers just the right amount of flash, with more importantly, an even greater amount of affordability, practicality, and dependability. Despite all the fancy vehicles you see in downtown Las Vegas, there are also a predominant amount of Toyota Camry’s, often taking the local folks to their favorite hot spots in the Sin City. While Vegas may exude money and flash, those in Henderson are the typical working folks, trying to keep it together one day at a time.

Glendale, Arizona Says they Need their Ford F-150 Platinum
The folks in Glendale are a down-home, all-American, country bunch, who also like to have a little comfort and class mixed in with their vehicles. The F-150 Platinum offers the typical functionality of moderate sized truck, with the extra touches of comfort that you would normally find in a mid-line luxury vehicle. In an area that is considered much more country than city, the folks around these parts occasionally need to  haul ranch supplies (farm, animals, etc.), toys (motorcycles, boats, etc.), and yard equipment (year-round growing season).

Santa Monica Prefers the Emission Conscious Toyota Prius
Santa Monica is a haven of environmentally friendly folks who recycle, reduce, and reuse, while driving their Toyota Prius in the process. It is not uncommon for resident consumers to wait on long lists before getting their Prius, especially considering its worldwide demand. Drivers of the Prius also receive a free car-pool-lane pass, which is reason enough for many long-distance daily commuters. Interestingly, 51 miles South, the residents of Newport Beach much prefer their Mercedes-Benz E350, which offers a more luxurious image for those who prefer to be seen, rather than drive efficiently.

Source: MSN Autos

[Photos via woodleywonderworks, PanMike1, Stradablog, Pete’s Photo Magic, and Kathleen_A]

2010 Honda Insight Hybrid Badge, originally uploaded by Lithia Life

Well, this isn’t exactly surprising news. Every giant must fall eventually. After holding a 78% share of all hybrids sold in 2008, Toyota has finally started to decline as competition from other automotive manufacturers gets steeper.

History Behind the Toyota Prius
The Toyota Prius was on the cutting edge of technology when they announced the Earth Charter on January 16^th, 1992. This was 1992, so gas was still fairly affordable, and most people had not even heard about the “green” movement.

It wasn’t until 1995 that the Prius Hybrid Concept made its debut at the 31^st Tokyo Motor Show. In October of 1997, Toyota unveiled the Prius to media for the first time, and then went on sale later in December in Japan. Then in 2001, the Prius was launched in the US, at a price tag of just $19,995. By 2002, worldwide sales for the Prius had topped 100,000 units.

Over the next eight years it became obvious that hybrid/electric motor technology was much more than just a passing fad. Honda tested the waters in 2004 with the Civic, followed by other hybrid models released by Nissan, Mazda, Ford, GM, Dodge, Chrysler, and Saturn.

A Turning of the Tides
Toyota is still by far the king of the hybrid, holding onto 65% of all hybrid sales, but there have been some interesting events that have taken place over this past year. Due to such a high worldwide demand for the Prius, Toyota has had to cut U.S. supply, leaving the demand much greater.

Consumers have the choice to either get in line and wait, or head over to the competition, which is getting more fierce by the month. Currently for the 2009 market there are over 20 different hybrid vehicles to choose from, including the Nissan Altima, Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute, Mercury Mariner, Toyota Camry, Toyota Highlander, Saturn Vue (extinct), Saturn Aura (extinct), Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra, GMC Yukon, Lexus GS 450h, Lexus LS 600h, Dodge Durango, Chrysler Aspen, and the Cadillac Escalade.

Ford has stolen away the most of those customers, having increased by 73% in sales, placing them just below Honda. Here is a breakdown of the total volume of hybrids that have been sold (by manufacturer) for 2009:

Manufacturer                          Total Sales Volume 2009
1. Toyota                                                 65%
2. Honda                                                  14%
3. Ford                                                     12%
4. GM                                                        6%
5. Nissan                                                   3%

[Source: Auto News]

originally uploaded by daniel.gene

Bob Lutz: “What’s that you say?”
Customer: “I would like to turn in this truck.”
Bob:  “No, no… we don’t sell any duck.”
Customer: “No, I don’t like this vehicle. I want to turn it in.”
Bob: “A pickle?”
Customer: “Nevermind… nevermind!”

Several weeks ago, we reported on the GM 60-Day Guarantee, which is their newest program guaranteeing customer satisfaction with their product. It basically states, anytime within the first 60 days of purchase, if a customer is not completely satisfied with their GM vehicle, they can return it for a full refund. Well, it has been over a month, and GM’s Vice Chairman, Bob Lutz, has already come out to gloat.

Out of 150,000 vehicles sold, only one has chosen to return the vehicle in exchange for a different one. The black sheep of the group was a guy who had purchased a manual transmission Corvette. He later discovered over the course of this month that he did not like the shifting. So… he simply turned it in for an automatic. Most customers thus far have chosen to taken the bribe, err I should rather say $500 cash-back incentive, instead of the 60-Day guarantee.

How GM is interpreting these results, is that consumers have absolute confidence in their vehicles, and therefore have no need for their guarantee. But before GM gets out their party hats and parties like it 2099, if I recall correctly, the program began on September 14^th. I also recall that in order to qualify for a return, a customer had to wait at least 30 days.

So, in other words, yesterday was the first day a customer was even eligible to make a return. I admit that GM has a good product, but let’s not jump the gun here. Let’s see where things are in November, and then we can celebrate.