Even With A Tough March, US Car Sales Looked Worse In April Amid The Coronavirus Pandemic

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May 2, 2020

*Some smaller automakers are really feeling the strain as their sales fall by nearly half in April. [Photo: Mazda]*

Auto sales for the month of April look grim in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic — even more so in some respects than they did in March. Dealers have either been forced to close their sales departments to customers, or buyers have been staying at home while many more have lost their jobs, hammering dealer prospects to try and turn their fortunes around. Mazda, as a medium-sized automaker here in the U.S., reported total April 2020 sales at 10,940 vehicles, a bleak figure compared to 19,702 last year.

While April was a rough month, we won’t have a full picture of the impact until July, as several automakers report quarterly. All American automakers — Fiat Chrysler, Ford, General Motors and Tesla — won’t release their next round of complete sales figures until the current quarter ends on June 30.

While large automakers can stem the flow of slumping sales, the impact on smaller companies like Mazda is even more profound, judging by the sales picture above. *[Data: Mazda]*

Sticking with Mazda for a moment, the MX-5 saw the lowest percentage change, from an already low volume of 782 cars in April of 2019, to 552 this year. Cars such as the Mazda3 and Mazda6 saw the largest drop, despite the Mazda3’s recent redesign, whereas SUVs and crossovers fared better overall. Currently, the Mazda CX-5 is the company’s cash cow, while the CX-30 will also play a crucial role in its fortunes throughout the coming months of sales reports.

Other manufacturers reported similarly slumped sales.

*New product launches are slated for later this year, though whether they’ll spur sales depends on how we make it through the next few months of the coronavirus pandemic. [Photo: Hyundai]*

Automotive sales have slowed to a point that hasn’t been reached since the 2008 financial crisis, at least. Until a couple years ago, automakers across the spectrum have achieved record sales. Now, Hyundai is down by 39 percent (33,968 units), while Kia reported a 38 percent drop (31,705 units), and Subaru was down by 47 percent (30,620).

Though some regions are close to lifting restrictions on business, the damage will certainly take time to heal. With unemployment soaring and new cars piling up at ports (some manufacturers like Hyundai did not significantly slow down their production), manufacturers are launching massive incentive campaigns to try and stabilize their sales.

*Some models like the Subaru Forester fared better than others, though its sales still fell significantly as stay-at-home orders kept buyers away. [Photo: Subaru]*

Hyundai, for example, is offering six months of payment deferral for any customer who loses their job because of COVID-19. American automakers are offering zero-percent financing and long periods of payment deferrals on their new vehicles to qualified customers, while most are also offering sanitizing services should you bring your car in as well.

Overland Expo Is Going Virtual, With Physical Events Rescheduled For Later This Year

By

Zach Butler

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May 1, 2020

With so many high-profile events being cancelled this year like Easter Jeep Safari, it’s no surprise that Overland Expo has been affected as well. As it stands, Overland Expo West, which was scheduled to take place in Flagstaff, Arizona on the weekend of May 16th, is now set to kick off on July 24. That doesn’t mean enthusiasts will have to wait things out between now and then though, as a Virtual Overland Expo is happening on May 16th instead.

Check out more on that in the teaser below:

In bringing the Overland Expo to you, the first all-virtual event includes educational seminars, video showcases, show specials from exhibitors and a happy hour “ask me anything” segment with the Overland Expo staff.

You can see more on the full schedule from the Virtual Overland Expo here.

Donate to Overland Expo to help local organizations with COVID-19 pandemic

Apart from attending the Virtual Overland Expo, donations made to the Overland Expo Foundation (more on that here) will go to local first responders and shelters in Flagstaff who are combating the coronavirus pandemic.

As for the physical Overland Expo events, here’s when they’re now scheduled to take place. Bear in mind that, live everything else so far, the dates are subject to change based on the circumstances surrounding the pandemic:

Overland Expo West (Flagstaff, AZ): July 24 – 26, 2020
Overland Expo Mountain West (Loveland, CO): August 28 – 30, 2020
Overland Expo East (Arrington, VA): October 9 – 11, 2020

Depending on the situation later this summer, TFL does plan to attend the Overland Expo, so stay tuned for more updates!

Report: The 2021 Nissan Rogue Should Make A Bit More Power And Get Better Fuel Economy

By

Zach Butler

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May 1, 2020

In a few months’ time, the 2021 Nissan Rogue is set to get the substantial makeover it needs to stay competitive. Behind the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, it’s often been the third most popular crossover in the country. We have a pretty good idea what the car will look like thanks to earlier leaked photos, but one question mark that floated in the air was whether it would get any more power.

Now, CarsDirect has the tentative answer, thanks to some newly discovered documents for fleet customers. In short: Don’t expect the company’s variable compression turbo engine to make an appearance here, but the redesigned Rogue will get slightly more power than before. It’s about time as well, since it hasn’t gotten a power bump since it first debuted back in 2008. The fleet documents show Nissan has bumped up output to 180 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque, up 10 horsepower and 9 lb-ft, respectively.

Granted, any increase in horsepower is good in the case of the 2021 Nissan Rogue. So far as we can tell, the 2.5-liter inline-four will remain, since the power bump doesn’t suggest a completely new powertrain. If that’s the case, the CVT will most likely remain as well, so the 2021 Nissan Rogue was never going to be a rocket ship. While its power is certainly adequate for most everyday conditions, it doesn’t pull ahead of the pack. In fact, it simply matches the four-cylinder Jeep Cherokee at 180 horsepower. The Volkswagen Tiguan manages 184 horsepower (and much more torque, at 221 lb-ft), while the naturally-aspirated Mazda CX-5 manages 187 horsepower and the Honda CR-V is pegged at 190 horsepower. For its part, the Toyota RAV4 makes 203 horsepower from its 2.5-liter “Dynamic Force” engine.

The 2021 Nissan Rogue reportedly gets better fuel economy

Those fleet documents also mentioned fuel economy, where the 2021 Nissan Rogue will also see a 1 mpg increase, in addition to the extra power. Again, getting both power and efficiency is a nice touch. If that shakes out in the official EPA figures, then the new model should get 30 mpg combined. That puts it out ahead of most of its rivals, and brings the Rogue on par with both the CR-V and RAV4.

We should know more about the 2021 Nissan Rogue within the next few months, as Nissan plans to launch the model this fall. With new looks, better power and fuel efficiency and the vast array of tech the Japanese automaker brings to their vehicles, the new Rogue will likely help stem the flow from months of falling sales, especially in amid the current crunch. Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more updates!

2020 Hyundai Santa Fe vs. Mazda CX-5 Buddy Review: Can Either Really Beat The Toyota RAV4?

By

Zach Butler

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May 1, 2020

How do these two turbo crossovers stack up to America’s best-selling car?

These days, crossovers are king. If you’re an automaker looking to really rack up some sales, pooling your resources and investing toward a strong offering between $25,000 and $40,000 is exactly where you need to be. The Toyota RAV4 is strong evidence of that on its sales alone — in 2019, the redesigned model shifted some 450,000 units in the United States. This is the hottest automotive segment, so if the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe or Mazda CX-5 really want to play ball, they need to bring their A game.

The Mazda CX-5 is the best car to drive in its class, but it’s not the roomiest nor is it the strongest seller.

So, do they? In this video, Roman and Tommy take a look at two of Hyundai and Mazda’s strongest offerings, both with turbocharged engines and fresh, modern designs. These two compete in roughly the same space — though Hyundai also pitches their compact, soon to be revamped Tucson in this space as well. On price, however, these two are nearly identical. The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited with all-wheel drive runs up to $40,430, while the Mazda CX-5 Signature rings in at $38,925.

How the CX-5 and Santa Fe compare

On the design front, Mazda has clearly been going for a more upscale, up-market approach over the past few years, and its ambitions show in the CX-5. A more minimalist design with sharper, arguably more delicate control surfaces make the mainstream crossover punch above its weight. Not only that, but the Signature’s 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine is punchy as well, putting out 227 horsepower (on regular fuel) and 310 lb-ft of torque. It comes mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, and the top-end trim is strictly available with all-wheel drive. Front-wheel drive is available down the rest of the CX-5 lineup. While you do get a partially digital instrument cluster and all the latest driver assistance technology, the infotainment system in its current iteration — unlike what’s in the new Mazda3 and CX-30 — is dated compared to the competition.

2019 Santa Fe — The most recent Hyundai Santa Fe sports a much bolder design than previous generations, and it comes with a good amount of technology to boot.

The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe, on the other hand, is more thoroughly modern with its exterior design and available tech. Its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine manages 235 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. Unlike the Mazda, you can get the Santa Fe Limited with front-wheel drive, as well as a less powerful 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. No matter which version you buy, you’ll get an eight-speed automatic transmission.

On the inside, the Hyundai Santa Fe makes more of its technology available to the driver through buttons on the center stack, and it packs a more up-to-date infotainment system. Both cars support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, however. The Hyundai Santa Fe is also much roomier than the CX-5, making it a choice for families who need to make use of more space and aren’t necessarily focused on a sharper drive.

When it comes to speed, the Mazda CX-5 manages a 0-60 sprint in 8.22 seconds, while the Santa Fe takes 10.31 seconds at a mile above sea level.

Despite each car’s strengths, they sell less than half what the Toyota RAV4 manages each year. Both are solid choices, but Toyota also has strengths that play well in the segment, like their reputation for reliability and available hybrid options.

Bored At Home? Give Infiniti “Carigami” A Try

By

Nathan Adlen

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April 30, 2020

Infiniti Carigami is Free!

Origami is the Japanese art of folding paper into decorative shapes and figures, and Infiniti Carigami is folding paper to make nifty cars. Our friends at Infiniti provided the foll templates for three vehicles that you can make from the comfort of your home. The coolest part – it’s all free.

This is what the Infiniti Carigami product *can* look like.
(Image: Infiniti)

This endeavor is part of Infiniti’s Park it For Now campaign which encourages people to stay at home to contain the spread of COVID-19, “by providing a free creative outlet for customers and fans.”

All you need is a printer, glue, scissors and a little bit of patience.

The upcoming video tutorial shows you the results of this project. It took me about three hours to make, and fix, this paper car. (Image: TFLcar)

“In this unprecedented time where citizens of the world are doing their part to fight COVID-19 by staying at home, we wanted to develop something that will help ease the boredom, while having a bit of fun” said Phil York, General Manager of Infiniti Global Brand and Marketing. He continued, “Our hope is that lovers of cars and crafts alike, will enjoy Carigami.”

Right now, the Infiniti Q50 is available for download. Soon, we’ll see a few additional models hit their press site. Head over to the Infiniti press site (here) to download your Carigami today!

The TFL Studio team likes a good laugh. As such, and based on my the epic modeling skills, I was nominated to do a video tutorial. That’s right, a Nathan Adlen Infiniti Carigami master class. This tutorial is mostly filled with suggestions for future Carigami modelers of what NOT to do.

When you complete your Carigami creations, send us a photo! You can add the hashtags #ParkitforNow #Carigami if you post it on your own social media.

This Is The Quirky, Small ’70s Subaru Wagon That Led To Today’s Outback

By

Zach Butler

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April 30, 2020

Back in the 1970s, Americans weren’t all driving around in high-riding, car-like pseudo-SUVs with all-wheel drive and a plethora of modern technology to keep them on the road. When winter rolled through, you essentially tackled the weather in a boxy, body-on-frame SUV or you managed in two-wheel drive sedan or station wagon. All-wheel drive just wasn’t a thing in passenger cars — at least until Subaru came along.

Now, we have a whole host of Subaru models from the Legacy to the Outback and the Forester, but where did all that start? For most markets, at least, it started with the unassuming wagon you see above.

Taking a different approach

With its shift-on-the-fly “four-wheel drive” system, the first generation of the Subaru Leone, otherwise known by its trim names like DL or GL here in the United States, took a different approach. Now instead of having to rely on a tall, heavy, SUV, you could get power to all four wheels in a smaller, more economical package. No longer did you have to get out and lock the hubs, and you could send power to the rear end on slippery surfaces only when needed. The rest of the time, it was just a typical, front-wheel drive wagon.

Not only did it change the game for all-wheel drive passenger cars, but it also gave you the practicality we enjoy in modern crossovers in a small package. Putting it up against the modern “Mini” Cooper SE, you can in fact see that the Subaru DL packs tons of space into roughly the same footprint.

Under the hood, its 1.6-liter boxer engine produced just over 60 horsepower when new. That’s nothing by modern standards, but bear in mind that older cars are much lighter and the engine’s diminutive size made the car a cinch to work on.

Over the course of the next several weeks, we’ll do plenty more with this old Subaru. We’ll show just how far we’ve come in the past forty years and just how well the Japanese automaker set the template for its own brand on an epic road trip through Canyonlands National Park.

Sales Have Slowed To A Crawl For These 15 Used Cars, According To A New Study

By

Zach Butler

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April 29, 2020

Tesla Model 3 — The current situation has chilled used car sales, with certain models hit harder than others. *[Photo: TFLcar.com]*

Right now, buyers aren’t necessarily in the mindset to buy a new car, or even a used one. The researchers over at iSeeCars.com published a new study analyzing 1.8 million used cars up for sale in February and March 2020. The goal here isn’t to look at how many cars were actually sold, but what percentage of certain models were sold within 30 days of being listed for sale. Overall, the amount of cars sold within 30 days of their original listing dropped 9.8 percent between February and March 2020, which means used models are sitting around longer than usual until they actually find a buyer.

That’s not great news for used car dealers, but it is a short-window opportunity for buyers. While sales have been bleak in both new and used car markets amid the coronavirus pandemic, buyers will regain confidence and auto sales will likely rebound in the coming months. But right now, dealers are in a pinch trying to move inventory, and going after certain slow-selling models could land you a great deal, if you’re in the market for a used car right now.

April 2018 Sales Report: Toyota RAV4 — If you’re looking for a strong used buy, the Toyota RAV4 has slowed down in recent weeks due to the coronavirus, meaning you could land a deal on a last-gen model (or even some early 2019s). *[Photo: Toyota]*

The 15 slowest-selling used cars due to COVID-19

Unlike some of iSeeCars’ other studies, looking at this used car market actually resulted in a mixed bag, according to those 1.8 million sales listings. You’d expect a certain kind of car to dominate the list — perhaps sedans, since they’ve been historically slow sellers on the new car market — but there are a mix of electric cars, crossovers, big SUVs and small sedans for your consideration. In short, you’re likely to find something that fits the bill no matter what sort of car you need.

Again, this information breaks down the percentage of cars that sell within 30 days. As a result, the difference between February and March 2020 shows how much sales have slowed down for a particular model. At the top was the Tesla Model 3, which saw used sales drop 24.2 percent from February to March. Tesla’s volume seller has been a hit in terms of new sales, but there’s also been a strong second-hand demand as people are looking for the best deals they can get, even if the Model 3’s resale value is remarkably high.

Other notable inclusions here include the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, which was a strong used buy as there was a supply shortage for the new model for some months. Now that the new RAV4 Hybrid is here en masse (as is the standard RAV4) and Toyota has killer deals on brand new RAV4s right now, that could be weakening the used market at the moment.

iSeeCars.com Study Results:

Average 30-day sale rate from listing: –9.8% from February 2020

Rank		% Sold w/i 30 Days: March	+/- From Feb 2020
1	Tesla Model 3	47.4%	-24.2%
2	Toyota RAV4 Hybrid	41.3%	-20.9%
3	Volkswagen Atlas	45.3%	-19.4%
4	Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross	34.9%	-19.0%
5	Tesla Model X	40.4%	-17.5%
6	Chevrolet Spark	45.4%	-17.1%
7	Toyota RAV4	43.2%	-16.8%
8	Toyota C-HR	37.2%	-16.8%
9	Lexus GX 460	41.7%	-16.7%
10	Honda HR-V	36.4%	-16.6%
11	Honda Pilot	43.4%	-16.2%
12	Toyota Highlander	47.9%	-16.1%
13	Honda Civic	49.1%	-15.9%
14	Honda Odyssey	47.6%	-15.8%
15	Honda CR-V	42.1%	-15.7%

Another important note: The iSeeCars study strictly analyzes used car listings between February and March 2020. Since then, we’ve experienced an even rougher slowdown between March and April, which can impact sales even further. As stay-at-home orders have forced dealers to adopt new strategies to pull in customers, you may be able to get even better used deals on these cars if you have the means.

2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid vs. Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Slip Traction Test: One Is Clearly Better!

By

Zach Butler

-

April 29, 2020

If you’re looking into buying the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid or Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, odds are fuel economy is near the top of your priority list. On that front, both cars offer substantial improvements over their gas-powered counterparts. The CR-V manages 38 mpg in combined figures while the RAV4 returns a 40 mpg combined. However, these are both still crossovers, and another reason many folks buy crossovers is for their all-wheel drive capability. Both Honda and Toyota’s hybrid crossovers send power to all four wheels, but each one goes about it in different ways. So how do they actually performed in real-world loss-of-traction scenarios?

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid manages up to 40 mpg combined thanks to its rear-mounted electric motor, but will it outperform the Honda in tricky traction situations? *[Photo: TFLcar]*

To find out how well each one does, Tommy puts both the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid and Toyota RAV4 Hybrid through the TFL Slip Test. We have actually taken the new Toyota RAV4 Hybrid off-road before, and it performed surprisingly well. Mind you, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid does not mechanically link the front and rear wheels as you’d expect in a standard all-wheel drive crossover. Instead, it uses the gasoline engine to power the front wheels, while the electric motor plays wingman at the back, kicking in when driving in pure EV mode or when power is needed at the rear.

The 2020 Honda CR-V, on the other hand, does use the same all-wheel drive system as its non-hybrid cousin. However, it leans on its two-motor hybrid setup most of the time, only using the gasoline engine to drive the wheels when computers deem it the most efficient course of action. In the two-motor system, one engine drives the wheels while the other acts as a generator, capturing energy from the regenerative braking and the gasoline engine.

The Honda CR-V Hybrid also has an electric motor, but also uses a more conventional all-wheel drive system like the standard model.

A surprising result

In terms of power, the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid manages a combined output of 212 horsepower. The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid puts out a similar 219 horsepower, though how it makes use of that power feels a bit different due to the lack of a physical connection between the front and rear wheels.

And indeed that drive system may hamper the Toyota RAV4 when it comes to getting unstuck in certain conditions. In our slip test, the Honda CR-V felt like it outperformed its rival with its more traditional all-wheel drive system. It also did a better job grabbing whichever wheel was spinning using the brakes than did the Toyota, so the Honda surprisingly came out ahead, at least in this comparison.

Donate to Overland Expo to help local organizations with COVID-19 pandemic

The 2021 Nissan Rogue reportedly gets better fuel economy

How do these two turbo crossovers stack up to America’s best-selling car?

How the CX-5 and Santa Fe compare

Infiniti Carigami is Free!

Taking a different approach

The 15 slowest-selling used cars due to COVID-19

iSeeCars.com Study Results:

A surprising result

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