Movers and Losers: April Top 10
You’re reading the first in a new series of regular posts we’ll bring you ranking new cars according to the time they spend on dealers’ lots. The faster a car moves off the lot, the harder it typically is to find one for yourself. Hot models are also often harder to negotiate on because the dealer knows another buyer will be along shortly willing to fork over full price. Below are the top 10 hottest sellers, followed by a list of what isn’t selling so quickly. The industry average is around 65 days on a lot before selling.
In Top 10 Movers, we only list vehicles that pass a certain threshold of sales in order to weed out models that are being phased out, limited editions or other factors that might skew the numbers or otherwise inaccurately portray popularity. For the Top 10 Losers, we lower that threshold because low sales bolster the Loser claim, though they could also indicate other factors, like a model being phased out.
Top 10 Movers
- 2009 Acura TSX: 4 days
- 2008 Lexus LX 570: 9 days
- 2009 Subaru Forester: 13 days
- 2008 Toyota Prius: 15 days
- 2008 BMW 128i convertible: 16 days
- 2008 Jaguar XF: 16 days
- 2008 Pontiac G8: 16 days
- 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid: 16 days
- 2008 BMW 528xi: 17 days
- 2008 Cadillac CTS: 17 days
Top 10 Losers
- 2008 Jaguar S-Type: 189 days
- 2008 Honda Pilot: 174 days
- 2008 Mitsubishi Galant: 147 days
- 2008 Chrysler Pacifica: 146 days
- 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse coupe: 145 days
- 2008 Toyota Corolla: 139 days
- 2008 Toyota Matrix: 138 days
- 2008 Subaru Forester: 130 days
- 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix: 130 days
- 2008 GMC Canyon: 129 days
What the Numbers Say
The Top 10 Movers are almost all new or notable models that we’d expect consumers to be eagerly awaiting. Many might have been pre-ordered, leading to very short times on the lot. The most impressive is the Acura TSX, which we liked — though the staff had varying degrees of respect for it — but haven’t heard a lot of buzz about from readers. It’s a needed hit for Acura.
The Losers are somewhat predictable, as outgoing models like the Jaguar S-Type and Honda Pilot logically wouldn’t be hot sellers. Those models’ predictability, however, make cars that aren’t due for major revisions — like the Honda Ridgeline — look even worse.
