Filed under: Car Buying
The best sellers of 2006
We love this list. It comes around once a year (check out the numbers from 2005 for comparison's sake) and offers the raw numbers that simply show what sold well in the U.S. that year. It's a list that seems to change little from year to year, but at the same time always surprises. Take last year's list, for example, which has been compiled by MSN Autos. As usual, the top two spots are occupied by the Ford F-Series (796,039) and Chevy Silverado (636,069). Those two powerhouse platforms, however, were far off the numbers they put up in 2005, and this year the race will be extremely tight with a brand new Silverado facing off against a seasoned F-150. The Toyota Camry is once again the best-selling car in the U.S. and managed to sell about 15,000 more units in 2006 than year prior, which gives a bit of credibility to the claim that cars are back. As usual, the Honda Accord (354,441) and Civic (316,638) occupy the middle ground, while the Nissan Altima (232,457) falls from 7th to 9th. It will likely hold there in 2007 or gain back lost ground if the new Altima finds favor with the public. Though Chevy always seems to have at least a couple models in the top ten, it still amazes us the brand moved that many Impalas (289,868) and Cobalts (211,449) in 2006. We expect to see the Malibu back on this list come 2008 after the new model has had its first full year of sales.
1. Ford F-Series 796,039
2. Chevrolet Silverado 636,069
3. Toyota Camry 448,445
4. Dodge Ram 364,177
5. Honda Accord 354,441
6. Honda Civic 316,638
7. Chevrolet Impala 289,868
8. Toyota Corolla 272,327
9. Nissan Altima 232,457
10. Chevrolet Cobalt 211,449
[Source: MSN Autos via KickingTires]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Adam 4:11PM (1/31/2007)
That sure is a lot of trucks!
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Michael Karesh 4:20PM (1/31/2007)
Ford used to own five spots on this list with the F-150, Taurus, Explorer, Escort, and Ranger. They're down to one. Ouch.
Note that the Silverado is not a "platform." The Silverado and Sierra together would be a platform, and they combine for a little over 846,000 units.
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DC_1 4:30PM (1/31/2007)
Wow that Camry is really smoking the sales charts. It been 10 whole years the Camry has ran the sales charts.
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Accordsforall 4:36PM (1/31/2007)
Hmmm
Ford screwed up the Escort, and brought out the Focus. Which isnt doing nearly the amount of sales per year that it debuted at.. cause the current design.. is 8yrs old. And Ford spent more money on the US Focus.. than if they would have brought over the C1 from Europe.
Ford canned the most efficient factories that produced a car that was only sold toward fleet sales. This car.. also outsold the Fusion and the Focus... Poor Taurus.
The Exploder (as I call it) has gone the way fo the doo-doo bird. Its not wanted. And the moment gas goes up.. out they go.
As far as the Ranger goes.. Hmmm Lets just say my last car.. a 92 Accord with over 300k passed away after running with me.. for a loooong time. The car was 15yrs old. My Accord.. was a 4th gen car (the new ones are 7th gens). Its a shame of biblical proportions.. that the Ranger has been left out to die while its competition flourshes. But look to Ford of Austrailia / or Japan and or Europe.. and ya see a 1/4 scale F-150, with all of the bells and whistles.
The Silverado / Sierra / Suburban and or Tahoe in all of its guises from Chevy / GMC and or Suburban are 2 platforms.. GMT 800 / 900.
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PuffyC 4:37PM (1/31/2007)
This list is just a mirror of our aging society. No real person under 50 buys an Accord or Camry.
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Robert 4:37PM (1/31/2007)
Impala = rental queen
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Mike 4:37PM (1/31/2007)
I would actually like to see break outs of retail, versus high-value fleet (government, corporate) versus low-value (daily rental).
I would bet that the Corolla's rental fleet mix is higher this year than last and that the Cobalt and Impala wouldn't exist on that list at all if daily rental numbers were subtracted.
Taking out all fleets would be an unfair comparison, because the trucks sell in huge numbers to high-value corporate truck fleets. Those are good sales that build brand recognition and rapport as opposed to destroying it. But a break down would be very interesting.
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Accordsforall 4:39PM (1/31/2007)
Hmmm
The last time that damn ranger was redesigned.. was when my 92 Accord came out. That.. is a crime of biblical proportions.
But Ford doesnt give a damn.. and it shows
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John P. 4:44PM (1/31/2007)
3: It's been way more than 10 years that the F150 has bro.
How many models of trucks are there compared to cars/suv's? It looks like the year of the trucks to me, even though sales were way down in the segment for 2006.
1,796,285 Trucks
vs
1,840,650 Cars
Pretty close. Totalling the top 10.
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Tony 4:45PM (1/31/2007)
#5 please tell me your just joking.
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dis_guy 4:53PM (1/31/2007)
Are the new Silverado 2500s and 3500s coming out/came out this year, or just the 1500? With the new Ford Super Duties realeasing early this year, its going to be a close race for number one.
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Geoff 5:25PM (1/31/2007)
Wow, I wonder what percentages of those trucks are sold into urban areas? The US really needs higher fuel prices.
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hondacura 5:49PM (1/31/2007)
To: #5
If no real person under 50 buys Camry / Accord then what are the fake people buying.... fake cars?
#5 is an idiot.
#5 doesn't know anymore than that lame as comment he came up with. Get an education, do research before making a comment of personal belief.
Obviously, Accord & Camry are the cars people want... cause they both been #1 & #2 for the past 6 years.
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Lithous 5:51PM (1/31/2007)
Why is it again that badge engineering is always brought up about the Domestic 2 unless it is a number sold statistic (and then the Silverado and Sierra, for instance, are not in anyway associated)?
How many Pontiac Cobalts were sold to add to the number 10 spot?
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Sam 6:01PM (1/31/2007)
Dude.
Camry and Accord....yeah for the geriatric crowd.
As for the Impala sales-why are you suprised?!? It'a a great car.
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Dugg 6:16PM (1/31/2007)
Hey Accordsforall, do you have anything else going on in your life besides the fact you have a 90 year old Honda...you should take out a billboard ad and really let the world know....there are pro-athletes that don't rant about their accomplishments as much as you do about your miled-out lump.
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ryan 6:21PM (1/31/2007)
As for the Impala sales-why are you suprised?!? It'a a great car.
Posted at 6:01PM on Jan 31st 2007 by Sam
4th place is the 3rd loser
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Lithous 6:24PM (1/31/2007)
"4th place is the 3rd loser"
So Ryan, what are you #1 in the world at again, 'cause I missed that memo.
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Jared 6:44PM (1/31/2007)
If it's just me I apologize, but Lithous please compose your statements better so I understand your point of view. Currently I find it hard to comprehend what you are writing. For instance the pontiac cobalt thing. Please rephrase.
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GhostDoggy 6:47PM (1/31/2007)
I wonder what the average dollar loss was per Ford truck. In Ford wrote off $1.9 Billion in operating revenue, hopefully they can claim not on their trucks and everything on their lonesome dove automobiles. Still, I am betting the loss something on their SuperDuty trucks. I couldn't believe the deals they were giving out in the last half of 2006.
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