Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: April 2011

April’s big winners are Hyundai and Chevrolet. Hyundai laid claim to two slots on the top 10 list — the first time the automaker has achieved this feat — for its redesigned 2011 Hyundai Sonata and Elantra sedans. 2011 Elantra sales were up an astonishing 128.8% in April. The model outsold nameplates like the Ford Focus and Fusion and Nissan Altima, which are usually best-sellers.

For the first time, the Chevrolet Cruze joins the top 10 ranks with 25,160 vehicles sold for the month. The new compact managed to outsell all its competitors except the Honda Civic. Despite the Cruze’s success, Silverado sales lagged for the month. The truck fell from its usual second place to fourth. The Ford F-Series remained the best-selling vehicle in America for April, but high-gas prices have affected that truck’s product mix. V-6-equipped F-150s made up 50% of the model’s sales, which is up from 40% in March, according to PickupTrucks.com.

For the month, most major automakers saw double-digit month-over-month sales growth: Nissan (12.2%), Hyundai (40.3%), GM (26.4%), Ford (16.4%), though Toyota (-2.4%) and Honda (5.7%) trumped the trend.

This is the first time in at least 12 months that Japanese automakers didn’t control at least half of the places on the top 10 list. Nissan doesn’t have any vehicles within the top 10 ranks for April. Typically, the Altima sells well; it’s still the third best-selling midsize sedan year-to-date.

Nissan, Toyota and Honda are in the midst of a supply crunch, which is due in part to the March earthquake and tsunami that continue to thwart Japanese industrial output.

The full top 10 list is below.

*Honda Accord includes 2,130 Crosstours