May auto sales: Cars beat light trucks. Prius sales up 184.9%

[DemoTex]

Cars Outsell Light Trucks for First Time Since 2002

More cars than light trucks were sold in the United States last month, reports from the automobile companies showed Friday, as gasoline prices nationwide soared to more than $3 a gallon.

Toyota, Nissan, General Motors and the Chrysler Group all said their sales rose in May compared with 2006, primarily because of stronger car sales. Toyota, which has benefited most among the major companies from the rise in gas prices, said its May sales set a monthly record, up 9.7 percent from a year ago.

Of the 1.56 million vehicles sold in May, 778,651 were cars and 777,296 were light trucks, including pickups, according Ward’s AutoInfoBank, which tracks industry statistics.

Sales of the hybrid-electric Toyota Prius rose 184.9 percent, according to Autodata. Dealers in parts of the country are again reporting waiting lists for the fuel-efficient model, even though Toyota has doubled production from last year. (more ..)

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/02/business/02auto.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Toyota Sales up 14% in US (May)

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today reported all-time best-ever sales of 269,023 vehicles for the month, an increase of 9.7 percent over May 2006. The former all-time best-ever record was 242,675 units in March 2007. The Toyota Division posted all-time best-ever sales of 237,176, up 10.9 percent over last May. The Lexus Division reported best-ever May sales of 31,847 units, an increase of 2.1 percent.

Toyota car sales were led by Camry, which posted best-ever May sales of 50,126, up 11.8 percent over the same period last year. Camry Hybrid reported sales of 6,853 units in May. The Prius hybrid gas-electric mid-size sedan posted all-time best-ever sales of 24,009, an increase of 184.9 percent over May 2006. The Yaris subcompact reported an increase of 30.5 percent, posting best-ever May sales of 10,949 units. Corolla reported all-time best-ever sales of 45,238 units, an increase of 4.7 percent over the year-ago month.

http://www.toyoland.com/news/2007/06/01/toyota-sales-up-14-in-usa/

I think the worm slowly turns. And I think Detroit put their eggs in the wrong basket. $3+ petrol will add new meaning to "survival of the fittest."

Meanwhile, I think I'll gas up my Prius today. Gas is down a nickle a gallon here (to $2.95).

I last fueled the Prius on 4/24. I have about 300 miles on that tank of gas, and it is still at 1/3 tank!

[gollygee]

1. I am seeing tons of Priuses around here

and I was seated next to a woman at an event who was complaining about her Hummer. She sold it because her family lives a little ways away and it was costing her $300 to drive there and back. And they aren't *that* far away. She bought a crossover SUV, I think she said a Toyota Rav 4.

[Warpy]

4. The best thing I can say about here (the wild west)

is that I'm seeing fewer monster trucks, momvans, SUVs and other gas guzzling rolling billboards with temporary tags, meaning people aren't getting them new OR used.

I have been seeing a lot of small sedans and hatchbacks with the tags, and that's a vast improvement.

I've only seen 4 H2s in this town, all driven by 30 something women who didn't look like they were enjoying it much and wished their husbands had taken the penis extender and left them the reasonable car for errands.

[Orsino]

2. I saw my first actual Prius commercial last week...

...in which Toyota brags that they're making many more these days. Good to see, I guess, but I really hope that Detroit can catch up.

[kestrel91316]

6. There's nothing at all stopping Detroit from making their own version

of the Prius - other than their own moronic pigheadedness and delusions.

[CabalPowered]

3. The toyota dealer here had 8 come in one shipment

Gone in two days. My buddy Frank the car salesman had a good week. :)

[Pavulon]

5. Wife's next...

or if we win the lottery..



both will do 55mpg (45 city)

I (used to) drive these for work..Better than gas on fuel.


All can run on biodiesel! Including the commercial fleet.

[Strelnikov_]

7. Neither will do 55mpg/45 city

Driven by the typical motorist, on the newer models. Sure, you could possibly get to 55mpg on the highway by driving ~ 50 mph. And the 45 mpg in the City is a fantasy. It is an ICE. Mine gets the sticker in City, ~ 34 mpg.

On a recent trip, with 3 passengers, AC, luggage, I got ~45 mpg highway, '05 Jetta Wagon (PD engine). Pretty good, comparable with a Prius. However, there is no way the small diesels will approach the HSD drive vehicles in City driving.

If you want the best mileage and BD compatibility, you have to buy a pre-PD engine model (03-). VW only warrants up to B5, and all signs are the engines on the next round of imports will be less BD friendly, and have slightly higher fuel consumption, than the PD era cars.

I own a TDI, my brother owns a Prius. Based on what I have read about the diesels coming, I would give the edge (albeit slight) to the Prius. The TDI is slightly superior on the highway, but the Prius is superior in all around driving, and you have the option of a PHEV conversion in the future.


Typical. Predictable.

[tammywammy]

9. I'm also a TDI fan

The VW warranty is misleading. No vehicle manufacturer will warranty any damage due to bad fuel. And I haven't read any big reports on anyone that's run more than B5 having trouble. I've used B20 myself with no problem and I have a PD-TDI.

Also, once biodiesel production becomes more common in the US VW will "warranty" a high amount.

And now that the ultra-low sulfur diesel is in the US, VW can bring over various engines, instead of just the one. Regardless, I'm interested to see/test drive the new common-rail diesel that VW's coming out with.

[Strelnikov_]

10. Having done the due diligence, I would not hesitate to run B50

of quality biodiesel in my PD engine if it were not for the warranty issue. I would probably run a 'Diesel Purge' treatment every fuel filter change, though (~20k).

I have noted a definite reduction (elimination?) in smoking (heavy turbo boost after 'mild' driving) as ULSD has become pervasive, so hopefully the common intake clogging issue will be mitigated.


My opinion: Edge to Prius if you are a more typical driver, edge to TDI if you have long highway commutes (as the diesel powerplant should last 300k+ if maintained) or want that German handling/performance the Asians cannot seem to replicate.

[tammywammy]

11. I agree about the commutes

At this point, I don't seem myself moving towards an Asian vehicle. I like the German engineering much better. And with the diesel, you get all that fun torque.

I also purchased the diesel for the lasting power. I know this car will go at least 200k with good maintenance.

I've also notice an almost complete elimination of smoke with the ULSD. Though I do miss the smoke sometimes....when a big ol' truck is riding my ass and I would pump it and they'd quickly back off. They'd never expect that to come out of a Beetle. :)

What is it exactly with the warranty issue that bothers you?

[Strelnikov_]

12. In that if they find evidence of >B5 they will probably try to deny

any warranty claims related to the fuel system (which on a diesel is the majority of the high priced components).

It has been happening. When it comes to customer service, VW is not Toyota.

I understand why VW is doing it, as the quality of BD can vary widely right now. As you stated, as the industry matures, they will be warranting much higher BD concentrations.

So, until my car is near the end of the warranty period, its <=B5 for me. I consume so little fuel the added carbon reduction of a higher BD concentration is marginal anyway.

[tammywammy]

14. I guess I see what you're saying

I know VWOA isn't known for great customer service, no doubt.

No bad fuel is covered by any manufacturer. If I filled up a gas car at Racetrack and it had water in it, VW wouldn't cover the fuel system in that either. But I'm also using a reputable biodiesel outfit as well.

[Strelnikov_]

15. My diesel fueling regime

- I add Stanadyne Performance Formula/Lubricity Formula to address any fuel shortcomings.

- I fuel up frequently on the road (drop below 5 gal. of full, tank holds 16.5 gal+ when 'vented' during fill). Dilution is sometimes a partial solution. In my car, that 5 gal. is about 4.5 hours of highway driving.

- And, most importantly, stick to known quality fuel sources where possible. The local farm Coop has 'Premium' B2 and B5 that seems to be a high quality diesel, so local and end of trip top-offs take place there.

[tammywammy]

16. I use the Powerservice in the grey bottle

The bio around here is quite a ways out of the way, so I've been just using Shell lately. I splash a bit of the fuel additive in and fill up. I only do 12 miles on way to work, and work is most of my driving. 5 gallons of diesel lasts me a week at least. I usually can go three weeks before full fill ups.

Are you a member of tdiclub.com?

I'd like to get the Rabbit in a diesel. If that had been available Oct. 2005 I would have gotten it, but alas I have a Beetle instead.

[musiclawyer]

8. I am switching from a V6 Santa Fe to a 4cl Mazda6

....and my Santa Fe gets around 24 hwy, which is mostly what I drive. It's a really a great 4x4 and I will miss her, but I foresee 60 dollars to fill her up soon and I don't want that. I had to factory order the Mazda because I wanted a manual transmission yet all the bells and whistles too. But what's really interesting is that I am getting a lot of calls on my Santa Fe ad from people who need a 4x4 yet don't want mpg in the teens.

[NightWatcher]

13. Corolla in the house

this is truly a great car. I do not need a luxury auto or SUV. If I need something bigger, I rent it, but for running to Kroger, the Corolla cannot be beat.