Chevy Malibu Surprises, Toyota Camry Still Ahead in Midsize Sedan Sales [Sales Report]

2016 Chevrolet Malibu
2016 Chevrolet Malibu

A surprisingly strong October boosted the Chevrolet Malibu into third place in midsize sedan sales as the Toyota Camry strengthened its position at the top of the chart.

The Malibu’s sales were up nearly 45 percent from September and 122 percent more than October 2015, as it leapfrogged over the Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima to take the last podium spot.

The Camry still led the category with a strong month, posting a 4.9 percent gain over last year. It’s yearly total is nearly insurmountable this late in the game, with a strong lead over the Honda Accord.

The Accord had a good sales month as well, but it was down more than 10 percent from last month. However, sales are stronger than in October 2014, even though yearly sales are still down 11 percent.

The Fusion and Altima, normally the ones fighting for third place, fall to fourth and fifth respectively. The Fusion didn’t necessarily have a bad month, but the Altima did, dropping more than 13 percent from September and 11 percent from October of last year.

The next big gainer is the Kia Optima, which boasted a 22.7 percent increase from last month and a 21.5 percent increase from 2014. It’s the closest it’s been to it’s sister car, the Hyundai Sonata, which posted a strong sales month as well.

The diesel emissions scandal doesn’t seem to have hurt the Volkswagen Passat’s sales, as it posted a 12.3 percent gain from last month and a 24.6 percent gain over last year.

For the year, though, the Altima still has a lock on third place overall, only 11,000 shy of the Accord.

Midsize Sedan Sales – October 2015

Oct 2015 # Oct ’15/Sept ’15 % Oct ’15/’14 % YTD 2015 # YTD ’15/’14 %
Toyota Camry 34,781 0.9% 4.9% 361,111 -1.9%
Honda Accord 30,121 -10.5% 11.0% 294,935 -11.0%
Chevrolet Malibu 24,725 44.9% 122.1% 171,866 7.6%
Ford Fusion 23,668 -5.1% 3.6% 255,143 -3.1%
Nissan Altima 20,948 -13.5% -11.0% 283,372 1.0%
Hyundai Sonata 16,071 -0.3% 3.3% 209,830 10.9%
Kia Optima 14,381 22.7% 21.5% 132,684 -1.3%
Chrysler 200 11,905 4.8% 2.0% 158,978 83.0%
VW Passat 8,116 12.3% 24.6% 71,852 -11.8%
Subaru Legacy 5,688 -9.4% -10.6% 49,919 21.5%
Mazda Mazda6 3,563 -21.3% 13.1% 50,640 12.5%

Check out this TFLcar video of the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu’s debut at the New York Auto Show: