October's Fastest- and Slowest-Selling Cars


It appears shoppers clamored more aggressively for incoming 2013s last month. Cars for the 2013 model year averaged just 23 days to sell from the day they hit lots while 2012s averaged 121 days. Combined, the group averaged 73 days to turn. That’s a wider gap than October 2011 when 2011 and 2012 cars averaged 15 and 93 days to turn, respectively.
New or redesigned cars topped the month, with the seventh-generation Nissan Sentra and all-new Subaru XV Crosstrek taking just five days each to move. The redesigned Ford Fusion and Honda Accord plus the all-new Ford C-Max Hybrid made this month’s movers, as well.
We focused on just 2013 models for October since automakers had a vast majority of 2013 models on sale. October did have one notable redesign in the Loser column: the Chevrolet Malibu Eco, which averaged 92 days on dealer lots. The regular Malibu, meanwhile, took 32 days to sell. That’s better but still below average for 2013s. Is the new Malibu getting lost in the slew of redesigned family cars? Sales fell 6% in October, putting the Malibu behind the Fusion and well in back of the redesigned Accord, Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima.
Here are October’s fastest- and slowest-selling cars:
October 2012 Movers
- 2013 Nissan Sentra: 5 days
- 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek: 5 days
- 2013 Audi Q7: 9 days
- 2013 Ford Fusion: 9 days
- 2013 Kia Soul: 9 days
- 2013 Audi Q5: 10 days
- 2013 Honda CR-V: 10 days
- 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe: 10 days
- 2013 Cadillac SRX: 11 days
- 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid: 11 days
- 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL450: 11 days
- 2013 Scion FR-S: 11 days
- 2013 Subaru Impreza hatchback: 11 days
- 2013 Toyota 4Runner: 11 days
- 2013 BMW 328i xDrive: 12 days
- 2013 Ford F-150 Crew Cab: 12 days
- 2013 Honda Accord sedan: 12 days
October 2012 Losers
- 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco: 92 days
- 2013 Volvo XC90: 83 days
- 2013 Mazda6: 81 days
- 2013 GMC Savana 2500 cargo van: 76 days
- 2013 GMC Yukon Denali Hybrid: 72 days
- 2013 Volkswagen CC: 68 days
- 2013 Smart ForTwo convertible: 68 days
- 2013 GMC Savana 3500 cargo van: 66 days
- 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser: 55 days
- 2013 Lexus RX 450h: 54 days
October 2012 Cars.com Picks (2013 models)
- 2013 Volkswagen Beetle: 33 days
- 2013 Volkswagen GTI: 40 days
- 2013 Chevrolet Suburban 1500: 45 days
- 2013 Lexus GS 350: 46 days
- 2013 Acura ILX: 49 days
About the Lists
We changed the headline of Movers and Losers earlier this year, but we’ll continue to call the lists themselves Movers and Losers. The Movers and Losers list reports the average number of days it takes to sell models from the day they arrive on the lot until the final paperwork is signed by a buyer. This is not a days-of-inventory list like you may find on other websites. With lots mostly clear of 2012 models, we look exclusively at 2013s now.
For Movers, we only list vehicles that pass a certain threshold of sales in order to weed out limited editions, ultra-high-performance cars and others that might skew the numbers or otherwise inaccurately portray popularity. At this point in the year, we focus on 2013 for Losers.
Our Picks highlight cars that take a significant time before they’re sold and might be overlooked by shoppers. Dealers could be more motivated to sell these cars.
Related
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: October 2012
September’s Fastest- and Slowest-Selling Cars
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Former Assistant Managing Editor-News Kelsey Mays likes quality, reliability, safety and practicality. But he also likes a fair price.
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