Sales: Sad Story for Chrysler 300 and other Full Size Sedans in April 2013

2013 chrysler 300 S sedan

While crossovers and trucks are generally enjoying a very successful sales year (see most successful three-row crossovers), the same cannot be said for the full size sedan segment.  One explanation could be that most of the sedans are in the middle or at the end of their life cycles.  Of course, the other guess is that the public interest is shifting towards more capable and versatile trucks and all wheel drive crossovers.

The 2014 Chevrolet Impala has just recently hit the dealers, so we should see a significant uptick on this big American sedan soon.  The redesigned 2013 Toyota Avalon has hit the ground running and is enjoying huge gains, it more than doubled in April and grew by 84.5% so far this year.  Otherwise, the full size sedan trend is pointing downward.  The vehicle that is suffering the most is the Chrysler 300.  It’s still a solid all-round sedan and the 300 just gained a new sophisticated AWD system.

Full-Size Sedan April 2013 Sales Chart

April 2013 # April ’13 / ’12 % YTD 2013 # YTD ’13 / ’12 %
2013 Chevrolet Impala 10,943 -26.9%  55,286 -15.4%
2013 Chrysler 300 4,120 -47.0% 20,154 -27.0%
2013 Dodge Charger 7,801 -2.0% 33,899 11.0%
2013 Ford Taurus 5,887 -11.7% 22,871 6.1%
2013 Hyundai Genesis  2,584 -37.3% 10,697 -10.1%
2013 Nissan Maxima 2,678 -22.2%  16,685 -20.3%
2013 Toyota Avalon 6,321 119.4%  23,846 84.5%

Perhaps, the most likely reason for the suffering full size sedan, is its smaller sibling?  The mid-size sedan keeps getting bigger, better, and more affordable.  It’s getting more and more difficult for the full sizers to compete with other sedans within their own brands.  Take a look at the table below.  Yes, some of the bread-n-butter sedans are also struggling, but redesigned 2013 Ford Fusion and 2013 Nissan Altima are enjoying large gains.  There is also a new kid on the block, the all new 2014 Mazda6.  The Mazda is finally getting ramped up and will pose a large threat to competitors.  If that wasn’t enough, the littler guys are piling on the pressure.  2013 Ford Focus, 2013 Chevrolet Cruze, and 2013 Nissan Sentra are all posting double digit growth.

Mid-size Sedan April 2013 Sales Chart

April 2013 # April ’13 / ’12 % YTD 2013 # YTD ’13 / ’12 %
2013 Chevrolet Malibu 21,734 -0.8% 70,913 -11.9%
2013 Chrysler 200 12,492 -6.0% 49,377 10.0%
2013 Dodge Avenger 10,698 -4.0%  42,795 30.0%
2013 Ford Fusion 26,722 23.7% 107,280 25.4%
2013 Hyundai Sonata 16,077 -27.6% 63,362 -19.5%
2013 Nissan Altima 21,991 35.4% 108,943 -3.2%
2013 Toyota Camry 31,710 -13.9%  132,540 -6.8%

It’s getting tougher and tougher to be a main-stream large sedan.  Should the full-size sedan get even larger, focus on value, turn more luxurious, or all of the above?  Are we experiencing a temporary popularity shift or the demise of the large sedan?  We will have to watch how the rest of this year unfolds.

Check out this TFLcar mashup between the 2013 Ford Taurus and the Chrysler 300

Andre Smirnov
Andre Smirnov

Andre Smirnov is a life-long automotive enthusiast, software engineer, writer, and reporter. He has been writing and reporting at TFLcar since 2011. When not working or spending time with the family – you can find him tinkering in the garage or scouring the internet and other media for various automotive, mechanical, and computer related information.