Edmunds.com Recounts the Decade's Top Automotive Transitions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Edmunds.com Recounts the Decade's Top Automotive Transitions

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — (December 23, 2009) — The years between 1999 and 2009 brought about the most dramatic changes the new car business has experienced since the development of the automobile, according to Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information.

Best Sellers — Then and Now

Seven of the ten best-selling vehicles of 1999 were made by domestic automakers. Back then, trucks did not yet outpace cars — that didn't happen until 2002 — but three of the top best-sellers were pick-ups, two were large SUVs and one was a minivan. More than a half million F-150s were sold that year, and nine of the top ten best-sellers sold more than 300,000 units. In total, 16.89 million cars and light trucks were sold.

Top Sellers in 1999
Rank Model Units Sold
1 F-150 528,663
2 Silverado 1500 440,275
3 Accord 404,192
4 Camry 398,684
5 Taurus 368,327
6 Explorer 367,714
7 Ranger 348,358
8 Civic 318,308
9 Grand Cherokee 300,031
10 Caravan 293,100

By comparison, in January through November 2009, four of the top ten best-sellers were made by domestic automakers. Two are pick-up trucks, one is a compact SUV and the rest are sedans generally known for fuel efficiency. Half of today's top ten maintained a place on the best-seller list for the entire decade.

Make Model Rank in 1999* Rank in 2009* Units Sold in 1999* Units Sold in 2009*
Toyota Camry 4 1 371,968 300,504
Honda Accord 3 2 372,617 261,332
Ford F-150 1 3 486,209 250,791
Toyota Corolla 14 4 230,595 223,319
Honda Civic 8 5 295,902 222,755
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 2 6 396,803 219,503
Nissan Altima 30 7 141,873 176,410
Honda CR-V 45 8 110,474 172,528
Chevrolet Impala 69 9 68,076 151,952
Ford Fusion N/A 10 N/A 147,821

Consumer Preferences — Then and Now

"The Japanese and Korean market share climb proves that anything is possible in this industry," remarked Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs in her report on AutoObserver.com. "As Chinese and Indian automakers enter into the race, no one should disregard their potential."

2009 BIG 7 Market Share in 1999 Market Share in 2009*
GM 30.1% 19.9%
Toyota 8.7% 16.9%
Ford 24.5% 15.7%
Others 8.8% 12.7%
Honda 6.4% 11.1%
Chrysler Group 15.6% 9.0%
Nissan 4.0% 7.4%
Hyundai 1.8% 7.3%


Origin Market Share in 1999 Market Share in 2009
USA 68.3% 43.9%
Japan 24.0% 40.4%
Europe 5.7% 8.4%
South Korea 2.0% 7.3%


  Domestic Import
1999 70.3% 29.7%
2009 43.9% 56.1%


Year Number of Makes Number of Models
1999 38 232
2009 47 345

"The number of choices in the marketplace is staggering, and unlikely to shrink too much even as automakers become more focused on aligning supply with demand," noted Edmunds.com Editor Karl Brauer. "Every automaker wants to have 'niche' offerings to meet consumers' expectations of personalization, since that seems to be a lasting trend."

Fuel Efficiency — Then and Now

1999 Make Model MPG
Best MPG* Volkswagen Golf 38
Best MPG* Volkswagen New Beetle 38
Worst MPG* Ferrari 550 Maranello 10


2009 Make Model MPG
Best MPG Toyota Prius 46
Worst MPG Bugatti Veyron 16.4 10
Worst MPG Lamborghini Murcielago 10

"The automakers certainly haven't come as far as we'd like in terms of fuel efficiency gains in the past ten years," said GreenCarAdvisor.com Senior Editor John O'Dell. "However, they seem to have come a long way in their thinking about alternative fuel vehicles, particularly electrics, hybrids and diesels, and we all will benefit from that shift in perspective."

Power and Price Points — Then and Now

1999 Make Model  
Most Expensive Ferrari 550 Maranello $196,300
Least Expensive Daewoo Lanos $8,999
Highest Horsepower Ferrari 550 Maranello 485hp
Lowest Horsepower Chevrolet Metro 55hp


2009 Make Model  
Most Expensive Bugatti Veyron 16.4 $1,990,064
Least Expensive Hyundai Accent $9,970
Highest Horsepower Bugatti Veyron 16.4 1001hp
Lowest Horsepower smart fortwo 70hp

"What an exciting period this is for the high-end automakers, who are tantalizing us with horsepower gains and price points no one dreamed of ten years ago," commented InsideLine.com Editor Scott Oldham.

* All data reflects activity between January 1 and November 30 of the indicated year.

About Edmunds
Edmunds publishes four Web sites that empower, engage and educate automotive consumers, enthusiasts and insiders. Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive consumer information, launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site. Its most popular feature, the Edmunds.com True Market Value®, is relied upon by millions of people seeking current transaction prices for new and used vehicles. Edmunds.com was named "Best Car Research Site" by Forbes ASAP, has been selected by consumers as the "Most Useful Web Site" according to every J.D. Power and Associates New Autoshopper.com Study(SM), was ranked first in the Survey of Car-Shopping Web Sites by The Wall Street Journal and was rated "#1" in Keynote's study of third-party automotive Web sites. Inside Line launched in 2005 and is the most-read automotive enthusiast Web site. CarSpace launched in 2006 and is an automotive social networking Web site and home to the oldest and most established automotive community. AutoObserver.com launched in 2007 and provides insightful automotive industry commentary and analysis. Edmunds is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit.

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