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Most sales are down other than the Honda Fit whose sales are still impressive! (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=152896)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2009_Honda_Fit_Sport4.jpgWayne Gerdes - CleanMPG (cleanmpg.com) - Oct. 1, 2008

2009 Honda Fit – 28/35 mpg w/ the AT and 27/33 mpg with the stick.

The Fit starts with a very reasonable $14,550 MSRP and finishes with an even more fun to drive character than its award winning predecessor.

With improved suspension, steering and body rigidity, improved rear Magic Seat®; and a high level of standard equipment including A/C, an AM/FM/CD audio system with four speakers, MP3/WMA playback capability, Radio Data System (RDS), auxiliary audio input jack, power windows, power mirrors and power door locks it comes loaded.

On the safety front. The new Fit includes the addition of the Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure and front seat active head restraints, dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags, dual front-side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS) and side-curtain airbags are standard equipment on all models.
No wonder its sales were up 48.7% vs. the September 07.

Fuel Efficient Non-Hybrids

The Big 5 fuel efficient non-hybrids sales are holding onto a year over year increase of 15% but with Corolla sales in particular off as much as they were, the non-hybrids may be heading towards a break even year if the current sales trends continue. If it is not gas prices, it is the Wall Street Bailout and general consumer confidence that is wreaking havoc in the auto industry and not even the fuel efficient were spared this month.

The Honda Civic edged out the Toyota Corolla for the sales crown with 21,577 units sold, a decrease of 9.2% under the year ago sales period. For the year, the Civic is still up by 12.1% vs. the same 07 YTD sales period.

The Corolla’s sales were right on the heel of the Civic with 21,316 units sold in September but by comparison to last September, sales are off an astounding 24.9% vs. the year-ago period.

The shine in this months report comes from the Honda Fit. Total September sales of 6,515 vehicles was the single best showing of the entire group with an astounding 48.7% increase over September of 2007 sales.

The Toyota Yaris subcompact saw 5,721 units sold yielding an increase of just 0.1% vs. the same period a year ago.

The MINI Cooper saw its first sales decline this year with September sales down 6.7% to 3,762 vehicles compared to 4,031 sold during the same period a year ago.

The Smart Fortwo was purchased by 1,778 new owners but that was a harsh fall off compared to the 2,400 to 2,500 units being sold the previous 3 months.

In Canada, Toyota had a spectacular September with total sales up 14.9% vs. September of 2007. Leading the lineup for our Northern neighbors was the Yaris with combined sales of 3,975, up 85.4% vs. the year ago period, a new all-time sales record. The Corolla saw a jump of 56.7% to 5,457 vehicles, it too a monthly record. The Toyota Prius was taken in by 325 new Canadian owners, an increase of 170.8%.

September 2008 Fuel Efficient Non-Hybrid Sales Summary

||Month to Date|||Year to Date|
Make and Model|September 2008|September 2007|DSR* % Change|September 2008|September 2007|DSR* % Change|
Honda Civic**|21,577|24,752|-09.2%|285,715|230,203|+12.1%
Toyota Corolla|21,316|29,550|-24.9%|279,685|291,981|-4.2%
Toyota Yaris|5,721|5,956|+0.1%|88,495|68,465|+29.3%
Honda Fit|6,515|4,565|+48.7%|63,368|41,085|+54.2%
Mini Cooper|3,762|4,031|-6.7%|40,694|31,936|+27.4%
Smart Fortwo|1,778|NA|NA|18,156|NA|NA
DSR*: Daily Selling Rate - There were 24 selling days for the September 2008 sales period vs. 25 in 2007. There were 230 days 08 YTD vs. 230 days YTD in 2007.
** Honda Civic sales include the HCH-II.

Hybrid’s

Hybrids had another disappointing month due to not just supply constraints with the Toyota and Ford hybrids but with the overall automobile market as it contracted with a vengeance.

The Toyota Prius posted September sales of 10,873, a drop of 9.3% from the September of 2007 sales period. The Prius’ year over year sales are down an uncharacteristic 4.8%. Toyota once again reported “limited availability” for I believe the fourth straight month which will surely bring total 2008 sales under the 181,000 mark the Prius touched last year.

The Toyota Camry Hybrid achieved sales of 2,785, down a sizable 30.9% vs. the September 2007 sales period. Year over year sales sent negative to the tune of – 3.6% compared to the 2007 cumulative sales totals.

The Honda Civic Hybrid saw total sales of 2,020 sold, up 0.6% compared to the September 2007 sales period. The HCH-II is showing a 15.8% increase year to date however.

The HiHy sold 921 units, up 397.1% for the September 2008 vs. September 2007 comparison period. September of 2007 was a very poor sales month for an unknown reason however? Year over year, the SUV based hybrid is still up 3.0%.

The FEH/MMH twins' had a dismal September with only 990 units sold, a drop of 37.6% vs. September of 2007. For the year, the twins are off 19% which also tops the Big 6 Hybrid list in the percentage sales decline.

The Lexus RX 400h hybrid reported sales of 744 units for the month, down 20.8% vs. the year ago sales period. For the year, sales are still up by 2.5% vs. 2007.

The Breakout of GM’s hybrids have yet to be released.

Overall sales for 5 of the Big 6 Hybrid’s listed above are down for the year by 1.5% and decelerating.

September 2008 Hybrid Sales Summary

||Month to Date|||Year to Date|
Make and Model|September 2008|September 2007|DSR* % Change|September 2008|September 2007|DSR* % Change|
Toyota Prius|10,873|12,494|-9.3%|130,561|137,114|-4.8%
Toyota Camry Hybrid|2,785|4,196|-30.9%|39,418|40,879|-3.6%
Honda Civic Hybrid|2,020|2,092|-0.6%|27,597|23,828|+15.8%
Toyota Highlander Hybrid|921|193|+397.1%|16,575|16,088|+3.0%
Ford Escape Hybrid/Mercury Mariner Hybrid|990|1,652|-37.6%|15,015|18,535|19.0%
Lexus RX400h|744|979|-20.8%|12,498|12,193|+2.5%
DSR*: Daily Selling Rate - There were 24 selling days for the September 2008 sales period vs. 25 in 2007. There were 230 days 08 YTD vs. 230 days YTD in 2007.

Big 5 Manufacturers Overall

For the Monthly comparison, Chrysler sales were off 32.8%, Ford, Mercury and Lincoln combined sales were off 34.5%, GM sales were down 15.6%, Toyota was down an uncharacteristic 32.3%. Even Honda had a haircut this month with a monthly sales decline of 20.9%. Honda’s Acura division was responsible for a large portion of the sales fall off showing a loss of 27.5%.

Y'know... the thing I haven't figured out about the Fit is this: How the heck did Honda design a car where the manual transmission gets worse mileage than the automatic?

I wonder how the Hyundai Accent and the Kia Rio did. You know, the actually cheap fuel efficient cars.

This car with the stick has the exact EPA ratings as my 17 year old Stylus! Why haven't we moved forward yet? :eyebrow:

In Canada, Toyota had a spectacular September with total sales up 14.9% vs. September of 2007. Leading the lineup for our Northern neighbors was the Yaris with combined sales of 3,975, up 85.4% vs. the year ago period, a new all-time sales record. The Corolla saw a jump of 56.7% to 5,457 vehicles, it too a monthly record. The Toyota Prius was taken in by 325 new Canadian owners, an increase of 170.8%.

My Father sold 40 cars in August. Not bad for a small town with only 700,000 people. I don't know how it did in September, but over 30 for sure. He works for Toyota.

The reason a few more Prius sold, is they lowered the price again. It's now only about 5-6 grand over priced up here vs 10 grand + less than a year ago.

The Canadian government's eco rebate comes to an end with the 2008 models, so people are probably scrambling to get that extra 1-2 grand back from the Feds.

I'd rather have one of these than a Fit:

http://www.foxnews.com/images/445853/1_61_h320.jpg

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,431612,00.html

PARIS — Honda unveiled a new "affordable" hybrid family car at the Paris Motor Show on Thursday to challenge the success of rival Toyota Motor Corp.



Harry

Beautiful! Interesting that they show the large wheels and low profile tires which are supposedly less fuel-efficient than narrower tires. Wonder if there's enough ground clearance to get through 6-8 inches of snow?

"Small town" with only 700,000 people????


WTF?

Wayne--

I am curious as to how the Chevy Aveo and Ford Focus have done in recent months since they're the most fuel-efficient offerings the Big 3 have here in the States? I've certainly seen a lot of Ford Focuses tooling around campus these days.

haha small town of 700,000 people.. thats more that the city of seattle... with tons of microsoft and boeing workers

I agree. Its not a very comprehensive list and at some point it needs be updated.

Wayne--

I am curious as to how the Chevy Aveo and Ford Focus have done in recent months since they're the most fuel-efficient offerings the Big 3 have here in the States? I've certainly seen a lot of Ford Focuses tooling around campus these days.

Beautiful! Interesting that they show the large wheels and low profile tires which are supposedly less fuel-efficient than narrower tires. Wonder if there's enough ground clearance to get through 6-8 inches of snow?

I've already got a deposit on one and I'm wondering the same thing...did they give the Insight more clearance and switch over from the God-forsaken Dunlops on my current HCH II?

I'd rather not brush with death again this winter....

haha small town of 700,000 people.. thats more that the city of seattle... with tons of microsoft and boeing workers

:) I've been poisoned by much larger cities. Even places of a few million like Toronto seem like small towns compared to places like Tokyo.

My HCHII came with bridgestones if I'm not mistaken

Hi Indigo:

___Honda placed a manual tranny in the Fit that can pull stumps out of the ground I guess? God only knows Honda needed to add that capability to the Fit which is purchased by growing families with lots of tree stumps in their front yards ;)

___Eheath, the Hyundai media access site does not list their US sales as of this writing? Info on 6-new Hyundai’s they released at the Paris show this morning but not US sales from yesterday unfortunately.

___Juglo-j, the EPA specs have changed with all 08 and newer vehicles tagged with the lower FE ratings achieved from the 3-extra FE tests factored in.

___Voodoo22, thanks for the info. I read Toyota Canada’s numbers and I could not explain it given the hair cut they took here in the US in September. It wasn’t the Prius so much but the Yaris and Corolla sales are really taking off big in Canada!

___Auston, here is the Ford Focus numbers… Besides a small uptick in Crown Vic and Town Car sales (a minimal amount of total vehicle sales accountable to those two), the Focus was literally the only vehicle in the entire model lineup including Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo that saw a small sales increase. There was blood all over Ford’s September sales and I suspect their next quarterly earnings report is going to be the worst ever :(

||Month to Date|||Year to Date|
Make and Model|September 2008|September 2007|DSR* % Change|September 2008|September 2007|DSR* % Change|
Ford Focus|10,346|9,885|+4.7%|165,382|133,043|+24.3

___I still do not have the GM breakdown but will post it when I see it shows up. I am still waiting on Ford for the FEH sales and of course Smart for the Fortwo’s.

___Kacey, right thread?

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Wayne...

I've already got a deposit on one and I'm wondering the same thing...did they give the Insight more clearance and switch over from the God-forsaken Dunlops on my current HCH II?

I'd rather not brush with death again this winter....

My HCHII came with bridgestones if I'm not mistaken

Hi Andrew:

___Thanks.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Well the Fit may have sold more year-to-date than the Yaris, but the Yaris is still selling more than the Fit, and without all those funky gear ratios either! Nyah nyah nyah! :p

I've already got a deposit on one and I'm wondering the same thing...did they give the Insight more clearance and switch over from the God-forsaken Dunlops on my current HCH II?

I'd rather not brush with death again this winter....

After reading Kacey's post I had to run outside.

Bridgestone Insignia's on the car 2008 <----

I just bought a 09 Fit 5MT.

my dash gauge showed 49.3 mpg after a 50 mile trip yesterday.
80% of the trip= 55mph roads (i drove 50-55, and coasted in neutral down 2-3 hills)
20% stop and go 35-45 mph
blasted the a/c 90% of the trip


initial reports on another forum indicate that the in-dash fuel gauge could be as much as 10% optimistic

i hope to report on the actual mpg and sg-II data soon.

my route to work doesnt allow much hypermiling (out of courtesy) but i will see what i can wring out of this this eventually.

so far, i am pleased, but i may trade it if the new honda hybrid is actually affordable. i drive on two lane hwys for work where 55 if the max speed. if i was on the interstate more, i might not be so happy.

After reading Kacey's post I had to run outside.

Bridgestone Insignia's on the car 2008 <----

Spoke with a tech on the way home tonight and he says given a choice between Bridgestones and Dunlops he'd pick the Bridge's. (He was certifying an HCHII and I gestured at its tires so the conversation was in the right context.. That car had nearly bald Dunlops on it.)

My only experience with Dunlop anything to date has been golf balls.

Crappy golf balls, at that.

I've had a set of Dunlop Sport A2s on the Elantra, and my LeBaron. They gripped like glue when they were new, but were no fun at all after about 20k miles in the rain and snow. Now, this was before I aired tires up to their sidewell max, so I can't really say how the newer sets fair.

Hi Auston:

___GM’s sales data wasn’t where I expected it but it was there the whole time :( Here you go…

||Month to Date|||Year to Date|
Make and Model|September 2008|September 2007|DSR* % Change|September 2008|September 2007|DSR* % Change|
Chevrolet Aveo|4,006|5,733|-30.1%|46,620|49,147|-5.1%
DSR*: Daily Selling Rate - There were 24 selling days for the September 2008 sales period vs. 25 in 2007.
There were 230 days in both the 07 and 08 YTD sales calculations.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Wow. So even the most fuel-efficient option GM is offering is in the tank... I have not had the chance to drive an Aveo though so I am not sure what it is capable of but "just drive it" should be mid thirties at least?

Hi Auston:

___It was a bad month for just about everybody and every single vehicle :(

___When the Saturn Aura was dropped off, the two drivers left in a brand new Red Aveo5 with a stick. I asked if I could take that instead ;) They said it was already promised to somebody else.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Wayne--

I am curious as to how much extra work it would be to include the following in every month's reports:?

Chevy Aveo
Ford Focus (these two already mentioned)
Hyundai Accent
Kia Rio
Volkswagen TDI's (do they still sell the Golf TDI? At least the Jetta though if possible)

That's just off the top of my head but it'd be worth it to put up all the fuel-efficient offerings especially if someone is considering buying one of the above-mentioned vehicles.

Hi Auston:

___IIRC, their FE cutoffs are below 29 mpgUS combined???

___This is a 6 to 8-hour write-up and I am trying not to place to much more time into them given the minimal amount of members views for the hours these reports take to put together :(

___If I were to get you access to some numbers from VW, Kia and Hyundai, would you be willing to build upon my own updates every month? Before you say yes, the first through the fourth of each month can be a real headache. You need to maintain two separate spreadsheets because some manufacturers do not include DSR’s and Percentages on certain models so you have to back build and maintain the previous 12-months of sales data let alone updating the Monthly and YTD DSR calc’s each and every month.

___As of this writing, VW is not breaking out the Jetta TDI vs. the Jetta models so I will have to make some calls and receive an E-Mail from the manager in charge of the monthly sales reports. Ford does not post the FEH/MMH breakout and I had to ask for the monthly breakout from the person in charge there too. If they forget or if the monthly sales figures are FUBAR, you end up building the numbers and than sending back a note so they can fix them prior to the next months sales.

___Trust me, these can be real pain although I do love peering deep inside the manufacturers sales numbers to try and get a feeling forwhat they will be doing next on a given model or lineup.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I like that I don't have to go searching all over the web and manufacturer's press pages to get this information. Thanks for taking time out of your day to get all this info and compile it.

Hi Kacey:

___Thank you :)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Wayne--

On paper it doesn't seem to be too bad. Perhaps if we get a chance you can show me this weekend exactly what I'd be getting myself into? I am thinking though that even 29 MPG combined on the '08 EPA is the equivalent of ~35 combined on the previous EPA test cycles and the CleanMPG fuel economy numbers for such vehicles could easily be in the 50's. Especially when you consider the low upfront cost of the economy cars they could indeed be a worthwhile investment for many people.