The month of September 2013 gave pause to even the strongest segments of the automotive industry – the pickup trucks. The mid-size sedan market showed signs of slowing car sales last month. There were just three nameplates that posted monthly year-over-year growth in September: Mazda6, Ford Fusion, and Chevrolet Malibu. The redesigned 2014 Mazda6 continues to catchup with the pack by more than doubling sales over the same month last year.
However, not all is lost for 2013. Only the Hyundai Sonata and Chevrolet Malibu see sales declines year-to-date. Ford Fusion and Honda Accord are enjoying healthy double-digit growth so far this year, while others are not far behind.
The Japanese big-three are still in the lead. Camry, Accord, and Altima have a firm grip on the top three spots. Ford Fusion is knocking on the door, but still has a significant deficit. Chevrolet Malibu is fighting for fifth place against the Hyundai Sonata.
| Sep 2013 # | Sep ’13 / ’12 % | YTD 2013 # | YTD ’13 / ’12 % | |
| Toyota Camry | 31,871 | -7.0% | 318,990 | 1.3% |
| Honda Accord | 25,176 | -13.7% | 282,102 | 13.8% |
| Nissan Altima | 21,221 | -13.2% | 249,518 | 6.6% |
| Ford Fusion | 19,972 | 62.4% | 226,293 | 16.5% |
| Chevrolet Malibu | 14,487 | 29.5% | 154,950 | -13.7% |
| Hyundai Sonata | 13,872 | -24.9% | 152,702 | -14.8% |
| KIA Optima | 11,647 | -22.8% | 124,056 | 7.5% |
| Chrysler 200 | 9,583 | -3.0% | 102,859 | 3.0% |
| VW Passat | 7,900 | -16.8% | 84,264 | 0.7% |
| Dodge Avenger | 5,099 | -41.0% | 78,599 | 5.0% |
| Mazda6 | 3,168 | 125.8% | 32,532 | 9.7% |
Take a look at this fun TFLcar Mashup video involving the 2013 Ford Fusion and 2013 Nissan Altima:
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 simply ‘going for a drive’.
