March Large Sedan Sales

[waymondospiff]

Five Hundred - 6,607 (-14.5%)

Montego - 1,620 (-27.2%)

Crown Victoria - 6,553 (+22.3%)

Grand Marquis - 5,976 (+3.3%)

 

LaCrosse - 4,462 (-25.4%)

Lucerne - 7,517 (-16.6%)

Impala - 28,505 (+14.2%)

Grand Prix - 6,807 (+1.0%)

 

300 - 11,376 (-15%)

Charger - 12,707 (+36%)

Magnum - 2,983 (-41%)

 

Passat - 3,069 (2,466 Sedans/603 Wagons) (-35.1%)

 

Maxima - 5,180 (-21.7%)

 

Avalon - 7,523 (-16.6%)

 

Azera - 2,395 (down)

Amanti - 945 (up)

 

Small total market. But then there isn't really a significant size difference between today's smaller fullsize sedans (minus the Panthers, of course) and today's larger midsize sedans (I think most people would find the rear seat of a Camry more accomodating than the rear seat of the Impala, for example.)

 

But the real drop for the large sedans is the added practicality and equal or greater comfort of the midsize & large CUVs. Plus, the cost jump to a true luxury vehicle at this level isn't much. The more expressive style of most subluxury cars and the added respect & service one receives at an Acura or Cadillac dealer may override the minor cost jump between a loaded Avalon or Five Hundred and an Acura TL or Cadillac CTS. I wouldn't call the fullsize sedan market dead, but it could definetely use a raison d'etre - it seems to be lacking a direction or purpose.

 

Scott

[armadamaster]

Good Lord, people are buying that many of those dumb assed Lucernes?

 

They sure as heck aren't buying them around here. :reading:

 

Go CV/GM and 300/Charger/Magnum! :shades:

[LincolnFan]

People buying LuCrenes? more like Hertz.

[atomcat68]

The Avalon has a double digit sales decline. That's terrible for a new model. The Five Hundred sales declines are also bad.

[Noah Harbinger]

The Avalon has a double digit sales decline. That's terrible for a new model. The Five Hundred sales declines are also bad.

 

Pardon me if I missed something, but isn't the current Avalon a year older than the Five Hundred?

[ZanatWork]

Pardon me if I missed something, but isn't the current Avalon a year older than the Five Hundred?

 

I think the Avalond debuted later, but I'm not certain....

[Traveler]

In the full-size cars in the large class, I'll have to say that the Avalon does seem like one of the best. The Camry, on the other hand, is overrated in my opinion. The thing about the Avalon is to me its overpriced. You can get a Infiniti G35 sedan for what an Avalon will run you.

 

Personally, I still think the Crown Victoria is the best car for the money...but it honestly has horrible depreciation. Its super quiet, super comfortable, handles very good and accelerates nicely all while getting very decent gas mileage but buy one new and be prepared to keep it the duration of the loan, because you will be upside down the whole way. These cars are durable and last for years, but they aren't cars you trade often.

 

The Charger is looking good overall in comparison with 300 and Magnum.

[suv_guy_19]

I think the Avalond debuted later, but I'm not certain....

 

Your right....it's newer...when Motortrend did their first comparison containing the 500, it was against the 300, lacrosse, and previous gen Avalon.

[shibashaba]

so what explains the increase in crown vic sales? there seemed to be a lot of police agencies/taxis trying various alternatives, are they going back to the crown vic?

[PolarBear]

Five Hundred - 6,607 (-14.5%) 13,000 Vics/Marquis vs 8200 Five Hundred's/Montegos. And Ford is dropping those for the retail market!

Montego - 1,620 (-27.2%)

Crown Victoria - 6,553 (+22.3%)

Grand Marquis - 5,976 (+3.3%)

 

LaCrosse - 4,462 (-25.4%)

Lucerne - 7,517 (-16.6%)

Impala - 28,505 (+14.2%) Be interesting to see the numbers in '09, when the RWD body hits.

Grand Prix - 6,807 (+1.0%)

 

300 - 11,376 (-15%) 27,000 300/Charger/Magnums? Holy crap- Chrysler was onto something here. Looks like Dodge is taking Chrysler sales though.

Charger - 12,707 (+36%)

Magnum - 2,983 (-41%)

 

Passat - 3,069 (2,466 Sedans/603 Wagons) (-35.1%)

 

Maxima - 5,180 (-21.7%)

 

Avalon - 7,523 (-16.6%)

 

Azera - 2,395 (down)

Amanti - 945 (up)

Edited April 8, 2007 by PolarBear

[Noah Harbinger]

13,000 Vics/Marquis <snip> And Ford is dropping those for the retail market!

 

Which means the same number will be sold next year :P

[PolarBear]

[old_fairmont_wagon]

Sad part is, the Passat used to be a mid sizer.

 

It should be interesting to see how the MCe and name change for the D3s goes for them, and where they get their sales from.

[NickF1011]

Sad part is, the Passat used to be a mid sizer.

 

If you've sat in one recently, you'd know it still is a midsize. I'm not quite sure how VW does it, but they manage to fit the smallest interior possible into the largest bodies.

[falconman13]

I think the 500 sales are down, at least partly, due to the improvements in the new car. I wouldent want to buy a 500 if I know it was the last model year for it and if I waited a few months, I could get a much improved car with a more powerful engine.

I think sales will pick up when the Taurus comes out

[SysEng]

so what explains the increase in crown vic sales?

 

To quote from the "panther" forum... Ford can't even kill a model properly these days ...

 

On a more serious note, this would jibe with the typical hard times scenario... people who can afford to buy will buy the best bet ( in terms of safety reliability and economy ) they can find. Bottom line... when it comes to cars thats the "panther" line. Expect CV sales ( the most economical to buy ) to lead the way.

 

When it comes to trucks... well, I'm afraid Ford has a lot of very credible competition... :shades:

[RichardJensen]

people who can afford to buy will buy the best bet ( in terms of safety reliability and economy ) they can find.

Tell me, it's nasty cold here in South Dakota these days. Is the weather nice on your planet?

 

What's with panther sales being up?

 

F'r cryin' out loud. The vehicle is almost exclusively fleet. More fleets replaced their Crown Vics last month than in March 2006. Even for a vehicle with nearly 100% fleet volume there are going to be ups and downs? You think once a vehicle goes exclusively fleet it's going to trend downwards in perpetuity.

 

Also, you may be buying a bunkermobile because you're feeling the uncertainty of today's economic environment, but you have to be living under a rock, in a cave, on the far side of the moon, to think that other (more sane, perhaps) people act the same way you do.

 

Yeah, I can just about imagine the conversations down at the sales office at the local Ford dealership, "Yep, boss, what with the uncertain times we live in, this is a good time to move all our Crown Vics up to the front row. You remember the run we had on them after that movie War Games, right?"

 

Give me a break. This has to be one of the silliest things I've read on this forum.

[Edstock]

When the 3-valve 4.6 and a 5/6 speed transmission become available, turnover will probably increase because of fuel savings.

[NickF1011]

When the 3-valve 4.6 and a 5/6 speed transmission become available, turnover will probably increase because of fuel savings.

 

You're making a big leap there assuming Ford is even going to bother with such upgrades. And I doubt they'll make the leap if the upgrades equal a corresponding rise in price.

[BORG]

All growth in this segment is fleet related. All the retail focused brands are faltering. This is a segment not worth tending to anymore.

[taxman100]

The best Panthers were the mid-90's - other than the lousy composite intake manifold, it had not yet been cheapened in every possible way to encourage people not to buy it, and instead buy some silly SUV. My 94 Grand Marquis didn't have that, but it did have the bad valve stem seals. Other than that, it was an awesome automobile.

 

Of the later Panthers, the 2002 and early 2003's were the best - Ford has drastically tried to ruin it since then. I sat in a 2007 Grand Marquis at the Autoshow, and there is absolutely no reason to trade in my 2002 on a new one - it is worse in just about every way from a quality and features standpoint. It is still Ford's best product on the car side, but that is because even the boneheads that run Ford cannot cheapen out the engineering better men designed into it 30 years ago. For $18-20 k, it is a heck of a deal.

 

Oh well - there is always the used Town Car market - perfect family truckster for the wife and kids. With the Impala not going rear wheel drive, maybe Hyundai is something I should consider in a few years to replace the Grand Marquis. Ford clearly no longer wants my business.

[matthewq4b]

It does almost look like Ford is trying to kill the CV GM with actually pulling the trigger. More like death by a thousand cuts. But problem is the damn things will just not take a massive dive over the cliff in regards to sales. Ford is trying very hard to kill these cars but they're not going quietly in to the night.

 

The Panthers and the Ranger have to be big thorn in the side of the clowns at Dearborn not so much the Ranger any more as it has faltered in the sales dept and is now on the chopping block. The issue with the Panthers is they still account for some 160K sales a year. Even after going for a decade since the last one received a sheet metal update.

After being deconted, ignored, not advertised, not stocked, and actually have customers turned away from buying them they are still selling.

 

Their in house competition has fallen on it's face, the rename of the 500 twins may finally be the nail in the coffin for the Panthers. But what if it is not ? and we are still seeing 150-160k sales a year of the Panther next year. I doubt we will, since STAP will not physically be able to make that many on the planned one shift.

 

I think this is the first time in automotive history that manufacturer has purposely tried to make a model fail. You can argue contrary to that. But if you look at the history, why else would you decontent a car to nothing, ignore it for decades (literally) and then push the most loyal car buying customers in WHOLE DAMN INDUSTRY to other products and even other manufactures.

 

I tired the other day to look at a New GM for for the hell of it to see if some of what others had said here about being pushed to the 500 instead of the GM CV. And sure as hell the first thing outta the sales man mouth after asking about a NEW GM was. "why don't you have a look at the 500".

 

Ford is struggling to retain or gain sales in nearly every segment. But the one they have a strangle hold on and have the most loyal customers in the business are literally being pushed away. Thing is they are not moving to other Fords but other manufacturer's. The dismal sales of the 500 twins and the gains in the 300 & Charger sort of reflect that.

 

This is by and far Ford's stupidest move to date. Neglect a winning product and then push the customers away. If GMC gets a decent Full size RWD product on the market Ford will literally hand over billions of dollars worth sales to GMC on silver platter with out so much as a whimper. Ford has had the Concept body styles that could be put on the Panther platform. If they had followed through on them. The Panthers would most in all likely hood be one of their top selling platforms. They could have had the Numbers of the Charger and 300 and in all likly-hood be doing even better than those pair.

 

In all reality Ford does and has taken this segment for granted for years. But it is going to come back and bite them in the ass. Either leave the segment all together and Force the buyers in to other cars now as there is not really that viable alternative (short of the Charger and it is marginal at best ) and you may force some of those sales in to another Ford (Taurus etc) But as it stands the Panthers will sputter along till some one else gets decent Full size RWD on the market then the Panther crowd Retail and Fleet will just abandon ship all together. And most likely never look back. Remember this segment is extremely loyal, once you lose them you most likely will never get them back ever. GMC had to actually Kill their product to get rid of their customers in the segment. GMC learned a hard lesson with that one.

As they lost a lot more sales then just the Caprice Roadmaster and Fleetwood.

 

 

Either fix the Panthers NOW or Kill them, this slow death by a thousand cuts will be nothing but bad news for Ford in the long run.

 

 

Matthew

Edited April 10, 2007 by matthewq4b