Asian Makers Outsell Big Three For First Time In May: Sedan #1 Seller For 1st Time Since 1992 - NYT

[hatrack]

The three Detroit automakers were outsold for the first time ever by their Asian rivals in May, and a sedan was the top-selling vehicle in the United States for the first time in 16 years. General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler combined for a record low market share of 44.4 percent, compared with 48.1 percent for 10 Asian brands, according to the Autodata Corporation, the industry statistics firm.

Toyota Motor of Japan pulled to within 10,000 vehicles of overtaking G.M. in United States sales, and Honda posted its highest monthly sales total ever.

Not since December 1992 has a car — not a truck — been the country’s top-selling vehicle. But in May, the Honda Civic, a compact car available with either a hybrid or gasoline engine, displaced Ford’s F-series pickup truck as the month’s best-selling vehicle. Honda’s midsize offering, the Accord, and two Toyota sedans also outsold the F-series, whose sales plunged 33 percent.

“Clearly, for people who are shopping for a new car today, the only thing that matters is its fuel economy,” said Ron Pinelli, the president of Autodata. “The big vehicle that they once loved is now a source of pain for them when they fill up at the pump.”

EDIT

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/business/04auto.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin

[BrklynLib at work]

1. It is ridiculous that it took such extreme chaos to finally force American auto buyers to realize

that it might be smart for them to cut back on the purchases of the huge, wasteful,gas guzzlers.
Europeans were buying small, efficient cars decades ago.

Now that the horse is out of the corral, they are starting to think that perhaps the fence needs repair. Too little..too late.