Sales Volume Fun

There are a few articles (Autoblog) tooling around the information superhighway about automotive sales volumes for 2006, broken into individual models. I've always thought it was strange to pick out certain models like that since many companies (that is, the domestics) sell mechanically similar cars under different names (for example the Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6). Therefore, I've compiled a list of compact, midsize and large car sales volumes from some of the major manufacturers. I've left out any overt luxury cars, since that's a different story from the mainstream offerings. The data was gathered from the Automotive Information Center for sedans, coupes and wagons. Here you go:

• Toyota
• small (Yaris, Corrolla (incl Matrix), xA, xB, tC) 630730
• midsize (Camry, Prius) 555416
• large (Avalon) 88938
  

• Honda
  
• small (Fit, Civic, Insight) 345294
• midsize (Accord) 354441
• large 0
  

• GM
  
• small (Aveo, Cobalt, Ion, Vibe) 416956
• midsize (Malibu, G6, Aura) 341243
• large (Impala, Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, LaCrosse) 503687
  

• Ford
  
• small (Focus) 177006
• midsize (Fusion, Milan, Taurus, Mustang) 519688
• large (Five Hundred, Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, Montego) 224214
  

In many cases these categories involve one platform for many cars, such as GM's midsize entries, though others clearly combine disparate designs (e.g. Ford, with the Fusion, Taurus and Mustang in the midsize category). However, I've included all the cars sold in the size class to even out the companies' marketing strategies. To that end, I think it's interesting to see GM selling almost as many midsize cars as Honda by using three closely related models. (We'll also see how the Aura does as it gets a full year of sales in 2007, likely adding more to GM's total here.) Moreover, GM clearly owns the large car market with the W-body platform cars (i.e. the ones listed). Some may call these midsize, but they are routinely compared with large cars (Car and Driver). They certainly are a step up in size, if not in price. On the other hand, Toyota clearly wins in the small car category and follows a multi-model strategy similar to GM.