43
Cruze tops in compact-car sales in May
COMPACT-CAR SALES
By the numbers
For the first time in five years, an American-made vehicle sold the most units in the U.S. compact-car category. Here are the results from May:
Chevrolet Cruze: 22,711
Ford Focus: 22,303
Hyundai Elantra: 20,006
Honda Civic: 18,341
Toyota Corolla: 16,895
Source: Automakers
By Karl Henkel
LORDSTOWN
Five years.
That’s how long it’s been since an American-built vehicle has been the best-selling model in the U.S. compact-car category.
With May auto sales tabulated, not one, but two American cars sit atop the standings, led by the Mahoning Valley’s own Chevrolet Cruze.
The Cruze, which sold 22,711 units in May, and the Ford Focus, which sold 22,303, outsold perennial frontrunners such as the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.
Jesse Toprak, an auto analyst for the website TrueCars.com, told The Vindicator on Thursday that the chart flip was a bit of an anomaly, but said the Cruze and Focus are now legitimate contenders in the compact-car category.
“They now have products that can go head-to-head against the Japanese competition,” he said. “It’ll be a photo finish for No. 1 the rest of the year.”
The Cruze, with 98,076 units sold in 2011, trails the Civic (110,086) for the yearly lead.
The foreign-assembled cars saw sales plummet in the wake of the March 11 Japan earthquake and tsunami, which have caused a parts shortage.
“Maybe the situation in Japan is giving people an opportunity to get in a Cruze and test drive it,” said Dave Green, president of United Auto Workers Local 1714 in Lordstown. “I’ve been telling people to get in the car and drive it before they make another purchase.”
Figures released by Chevrolet back up Green’s statement; the company said 51 percent of Cruze buyers are new to Chevrolet.
“The launch of the Cruze has exceeded all of our expectations,” said Alan Batey, U.S. vice president of Chevrolet sales and service. “This is an incredible accomplishment.”