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News, Analysis and EditorialToyota
and Honda Dominate May 2004's Hottest Selling Top Ten
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Auto on Info June 2004 Toyota and Honda Dominate May 2004's Hottest Selling Top Ten The Wall Street Journal reports that Toyota Motor Corporation manufactures four of the ten hottest selling automobiles in the U.S. in May 2004. These four include one in the Scion line - the Scion xB, two in the Toyota line - the Prius and the Sienna - and one in the Lexus line - the LS 430,.1 The Scion xB is designed to meet the needs and tastes of today's young adults, although baby boomers have taken to it as well. The Prius, Toyota's environmentally friendly hybrid that is powered by both battery and gas, was the fastest mover in May,1 as it was in February2, March3, and April4. Its popularity is global and its quality is high; it is one of Consumer Reports' 2004 Top Picks5 and 2004 Quick Picks6, with a CR predicted reliability in the highest category.5,6,7 The Journal reports that the average number of days that the Prius was on a U.S. lot in May was 5; the second hottest model had an average lot stay more than double that of the Prius. However, Toyota sales people state that the wait for a Prius in many parts of the U.S. is six months to one year; consequently, even the national average of a five-day lot period fails to measure how much demand for this vehicle outstrips supply. Toyota's minivan, the Sienna, and the luxury Lexus LS 430 were, as well, on the Hottest Ten list for February, March, and April.2,3,4 The Sienna and the LS 430 are two other of Consumer Reports' 2004 Top Picks, both with predicted reliabilities in the highest category.5 Honda Motor Company manufactures four of the ten hottest selling automobiles in the U.S. in April 2004. These include three in the Acura line - the MDX, the TSX, and the TL - and one in the Honda line - the Pilot. Consumer Reports places the predicted reliability of the MDX in the second highest category.8 The TSX is one of the successors to the Integra and is based on the smaller Accord sold in Europe and Japan. The TL is based on the larger Accord sold in the U.S. The 1995-1999 Reliability Percentrank average for the U.S. sold Integra is .91 and that for the U.S. sold Accord is .90.9 The Pilot is a CR 2004 Top Pick with a predicted reliability in the highest category.5 For the past quarter century, Toyota and Honda have dominated vehicle reliability, as well as other measures of quality. The remaining two on the list of the Hottest Ten are the Cadillac XLR and the Mini Cooper. No CR predicted reliability is available for the Cadillac XLR; however, the 1995-1999 Reliability Percentrank average for the Cadillac line is .19, the second lowest for all lines sold in North America for which data are available.9 The Mini Cooper's predicted reliability is in the lowest category.10 Consequently, it seems likely that both models will have a short spotlight life, with a faddish - and possibly thoughtless - rotation in followed by a rather speedy rotation out. 1"Hot Off the Lot," Wall Street Journal, June 9, 2004, p. D9 2"Hot Off the Lot," Wall Street Journal, May 12, 2004, p. D3 3"Hot Off the Lot," Wall Street Journal, April 7, 2004, p. D2 4"Hot Off the Lot," Wall Street Journal, March 10, 2004, p. D12 5"Top Picks 2004," Consumer Reports, April 2004, pp. 8,9 6"CR Quick Recommendations," Consumer Reports, May 2004, p. 53 7"Vehicle Profiles: A User's Guide," Consumer Reports, April 2004, p. 73 8"Vehicle Profiles: A User's Guide," Consumer Reports, April 2004, p. 33 10"Vehicle Profiles: A User's Guide," Consumer Reports, April 2004, p. 62 |
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