Imports dominate KBB "Most Searched" list. Again.
Click above for a gallery of the Top Ten Most Search vehicles on KBB
Kelley Blue Book has released its year-end statistics of the most-researched new vehicles on its website, and import models have dominated the rankings yet again. Honda and Toyota are the big winners here, with the Civic and Accord earning the top 2 top spots overall and Toyota grabbing an entire half of the top ten with Nissan and Mazda each sneaking in a lone model to round it out.
Interestingly, the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Dodge Ram (in fact, there are no Chrysler products listed at all) are conspicuously absent from the top 20, despite selling in huge quantities. We know that pickup buyers tend to be extremely loyal shoppers, but the lack of trucks still strikes us as a bit odd.
There were a few bright spots for the U.S. Domestic automakers, including the Ford Escape, which has been completely gone through over the past two model years and is the most-searched American car on KBB and the Chevy Malibu, which is the most-viewed American sedan. Also performing fairly well was the Mustang, a car that's perennially on the wish-lists of gearheads all over the country. See the entire top 20 "Most Searched" cars from KBB after the break and be sure to check out our gallery of the top ten below.
[Source: KBB via LA Times]
PRESS RELEASE:
Kelley Blue Book Names Most-Researched New Vehicles of 2008
Chevrolet Malibu, Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Volkswagen Jetta Make Impressive Jumps into Top 20 for 2008
IRVINE, Calif., December 29, 2008: Kelley Blue Book, the leading provider of new- and used-vehicle information, today announces the most-researched new cars of 2008 on the company's top-rated Web site, www.kbb.com. The year 2008 marks the third consecutive year that Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com saw greater than 140 million unique visitors, with more than half of all online vehicle shoppers visiting kbb.com. Because kbb.com is one of the most trafficked automotive research sites, visitation to specific vehicles has become a leading indicator of sales patterns for manufacturers.
Kbb.com's Most-Researched New Vehicles of 2008
1. Honda Civic
2. Honda Accord
3. Toyota Camry
4. Toyota Corolla
5. Nissan Altima
6. Honda CR-V
7. Toyota Prius
8. Toyota Highlander
9. Toyota RAV4
10. Mazda3
11. Toyota Yaris
12. Ford Escape
13. Honda Odyssey
14. Honda Pilot
15. Honda Fit
16. Ford Mustang
17. Chevrolet Malibu
18. Toyota Sienna
19. MINI Cooper
20. Volkswagen Jetta
"The site traffic on Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com demonstrates what is on the minds of today's new-car shoppers, especially when examining the most-researched new-vehicles of 2008," said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com. "Continued interest in Honda and Toyota, Chevrolet's home-run Malibu redesign and an increase in visits to more fuel-efficient, economical vehicles is an accurate reflection of the marketplace in 2008."
Import manufacturers Honda and Toyota frequently dominate the kbb.com most-researched lists, and while they still have a major turnout for 2008 (nabbing 13 of the top 20 spots), this year's list demonstrates that other manufacturers and vehicles also have now made their mark in the minds of consumers in 2008.
Many vehicles made noteworthy jumps into the top 20 most-researched new vehicles for 2008 that were not on the list in 2007. Chevrolet's all-new redesigned Malibu made the most impressive leap, jumping 55 places from last year's rank at 72 to this year's rank at 17. Also new to this year's top 20 are the Honda Fit (last year ranked 35, this year 15), the Toyota Yaris (last year ranked 23, this year 11) and the Volkswagen Jetta (last year ranked 25, this year 20).
The year's roller-coaster fuel prices reflect many shifts in the 2008 list versus last year's list in 2007, with smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles seeing more traffic than in years past. In addition to the inclusion of subcompacts such as the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris on this year's list, other fuel-efficient vehicles gaining positions in the top 20 include this year's number-one vehicle the Honda Civic, as well as the Toyota Corolla, Toyota Prius, Mazda3 and Ford Escape. Toyota's Camry and Honda's Civic switched places in 2008 from last year, when Camry ranked No. 1 and Civic No. 3. The Toyota Corolla also switched places with the Honda CR-V when compared to last year, when Corolla was No. 6 and CR-V was No. 4, further indicating a shift toward more fuel-efficient vehicles.
When examining the data from a regional and state-by-state standpoint, domestic vehicles such as the Ford Escape and Chevrolet Malibu are much more popular in their home-state of Michigan, ranking at No. 4 and 5, respectively.
The Honda Civic, Honda Accord and Toyota Camry (in varying orders each year) have been the top three most-researched new-vehicles on kbb.com each year since 2004.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
estammel 10:07AM (12/30/2008)
Who needs to research full sized pickups when a popular country singer can just TELL you which one to buy??
Reply
geo.stewart 11:40AM (12/30/2008)
brand loyalty tells you which one you are going to buy. you may still research option pricing though
Avinash machado 10:10AM (12/30/2008)
Though the Malibu has got many rave reviews and has been highly praised in the media, the customers still seem to prefer the Camcord. I guess perception has yet to catch up with reality in this case.
Reply
Sea Urchin 10:13AM (12/30/2008)
Malibu is nice, i'll give you that, but why would you assume it is better than Accord or Camry.
I never drove any of them but as far as interior quality Malibu is very good, but not as good, not as comfy and not as luxurious feeling as Accord. Camry has cheap interior, but it is a Toyota so it will run 200,000 miles trouble free.
Jon Hervé 11:07AM (12/30/2008)
Fusion > Malibu
Sea Urchin 11:33AM (12/30/2008)
@ Jon
Are we talking looks? Because i would have to disagree on that, I'd say Accord, Malibu, Fusion, Camry
Dan 1:03PM (12/30/2008)
I looked at a Fusion in 06, tried real hard to like it but both 4 and 6 cylinder powertrains were worst in class then and three years later the competition has only improved.
There's plenty wrong with the Malibu but that 3.6 engine is good enough to overlook most of it.
Mr. Luke 6:10PM (12/30/2008)
Or it might be that the Accord is a great car, and the Malibu is a horrible car. People work hard for their money and they won't buy crap with it. The Accord is one of the most reliable cars on the planet and now it even looks good. And how is GM doing BTW? Ummm... yeah. Seems very simple to me.
SOhp101 4:20PM (12/30/2008)
Don't be so certain about Camry's running 200k miles trouble free. My mom's 2001 Camry is at 175k miles and she just had to do over $1k in repairs... the car's worth $2.5k if it were in excellent condition. There have been several high cost repairs in the past year.
Mazda FTW! 10:13AM (12/30/2008)
Is it perception or just simply a lack of willingness to try something new? I've seen Camcord owners. It's like they put thumbs in their ears and start singing 'la-la-la-la-la-I can't-hear-you!' as soon as someone starts talking about their new Mazda6/Malibu/Fusion that they are so happy with.
Reply
Sea Urchin 10:18AM (12/30/2008)
You assumption is this, they bought their Camcords and do not want anything else. Is it possible at all that they owned a D3 car previously, hated the experience and decided to go with Camcord.
Also, why would people buy from companies that are bankrupt? Say what you want, but if Bush did not bailout GM and Chrysler right now both would have been in CH 11? Americans know this, they know that if they buy a Malibu it is possible that in a few months the car will have a resale value of an Oldsmobile. Why take that risk when you are spending 30K plus.
Mazda FTW! 10:31AM (12/30/2008)
Sea Urchin - On the contrary, they are relatively new to the country and their respective Honda/Toyota purchases are their first and there are no GM/Ford products sold in the home country.
snp 10:38AM (12/30/2008)
or maybe because they're not in the market for a new car because their camcord works just fine and will continue to work well for a while.
on top of that, malibu is at best just a good car. this is their first good year. on top of that, they have nothing to distinguish them as better than the competition. exterior and interior looks are on par with competition. mileage is average for a vehicle that size. brand is not that good, that's why this is it's first year that it really competes. history is not good. malibu is tagged to the gm name which is bad. what does malibu have that camcord doesnt? if i'm fiscally conservative and careful about my financial future (more now than ever), i wouldnt choose malibu over a camcord.
IK 10:51AM (12/30/2008)
mazdaftw, did you just claim that it's immigrants who are supporting toyota and honda?
Conundrum 10:56AM (12/30/2008)
@ Mazda FTW...
As usual, most people deal only with perception. The sales figures through November 2008 show that the Malibu and Mazda 6 are two of the fastest growing midsize cars on the market. Let the Camcord crowd continue to keep thier fingers in thier ears while the remaining Americans enjoy the fruits of competition.
Malibu +38.5 percent
Mazda 6 +6.2 percent
Aura +2.8 percent
Galant +1.0 percent
Fusion +0.9 percent
G6 -0.3 percent
Altima -2.8 percent
Accord -3.3 percent
Camry -5.6 percent
Sonota -8.2 percent
Passat -20.3 percent
Mazda FTW! 10:59AM (12/30/2008)
IK - Hardly. Sea Urchin wanted the context reference of the demography I had referred to in particular. I'm an immigrant myself so there are many in my friend circle.
snp - I don't doubt that. In a purely logical standpoint it makes sense. But it's also perception. A Mazda3 is as much a competent vehicle as a Civic (actually far more so, but thats a different discussion lol).
Let's face it. The majority of the North American buying public is incredibly staid and set-in-stone in their ways.
LM 11:17AM (12/30/2008)
Hey Mazda... you seem to be implying that imports are popular because immigrants are buying them. This is hardly the reason for their popularity. They've (Toyota) been selling cars here for over 50 years, and over that time have weathered an oil crisis and the self-destruction of the US auto industry. Remember the 1970s and 1980s? Remember the craptastic cars that Detroit put out then?
Camrys and Accords and Civics and Corollas are legacy cars now. They've been sold under the same name for more than two generations (of people) and they are familiar and comfortable. Americans are happy with them and unless they start spontaneously combusting, will not be swayed easily to brands that are teetering on the brink of insolvency or have a history of acting completely irresponsible.
alex 11:27AM (12/30/2008)
@SNP
quit hating on the malibu. Every comparison test I saw had it miles ahead of the camry. And average fuel economy for a car that size? Average? How about class leading (excluding hybrids)! 33 mpg hwy. camry doesn't match that. neither does accord.
give credit where credit is due.
Mazda FTW! 11:28AM (12/30/2008)
LM - I'm still not sure why I would be implying that. Read my follow-up posts. But hey, why let a little logic and fact get in the way of knee-jerk reaction fueled opinion right?
And if you're way of punishing GM/Ford for crappy vehicles in the past if to continue rolling in your tupper-ware special base Corolla and ignore their well-built new products, go right on ahead :)
Sea Urchin 11:35AM (12/30/2008)
@ IK i think he did. I wanted to ask him to clarify but decided that i misread something in there.