REPORT: Toyota Corolla passes Ford Focus as top C4C car; program extended thru September
2009 Toyota Corolla XRS - click above image for high-res gallery
The more things change, the more they change back again. Or something. As of August 3, Reuters reports that the number one car Cash for Clunking consumers were purchasing was the long-in-the-tooth Ford Focus. Well, just two short days later, the Focus has been dethroned and Toyota's Corolla – the best selling car in the history of the world – has reportedly taken the crown. Two fun piece of relevant (if tangential) trivia – Corolla means "little crown" in Latin, and one example is sold about every 40 seconds, meaning that by the time you finish reading this post, two more will have found homes. In case you were wondering, Ford's price leader drops to number two and the Honda Civic has shifted into third place. Toyota has two other cars rounding out the top five, the Prius and the Camry. And just over 80% of the clunkers being traded-in are still trucks.
To date, 180,000 new cars have been sold as a result of the C4C program. So far, the program's total government expenditure amounts to just over $775 million. Late Wednesday, the Senate reached an agreement that would pour an additional $2 billion into C4C coffers. Additionally, consumers will now have until September 1 to trade in their old cars and receive a voucher for between $3,500 to $4,500. The new plan was largely pushed through by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who pointed out that Democrats have enough votes to approve the new plan as well as reject any changes to it. Cheers to Matt and several others for the tip.
Gallery: Review: 2009 Toyota Corolla XRS
Photos Copyright ©2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.
[Sources: Reuters via CNN Money; Fox News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Mike7 9:10AM (8/06/2009)
"one example is sold about every 40 seconds"
Ironically, not that this is joking matter, there is statistically a suicide every 40 seconds.
Reply
LMBVette 10:03AM (8/06/2009)
I just spit all over my monitor...thanks! ;-)
C.W. 10:15AM (8/06/2009)
lol
Not THAT Matt 11:12AM (8/06/2009)
"Ironically, not that this is joking matter, there is statistically a suicide every 40 seconds."
Hahahahahaha.
But seriously, this car, with or without it's disgusting fake glued-on "appearance package" is UGLIER THAN THE DEVIL'S FACE.
Mike7 11:56AM (8/06/2009)
Seriously, I Googled "every 40 seconds" and suicides came up.
Mike7 12:04PM (8/06/2009)
...i.e., that wasn't really a joke, but more of an interesting, coincidental fact of the day. The only other thing that happens every 40 seconds is the arrest of a pot smoker.
VeeArrrSix 1:26PM (8/06/2009)
Wow. Money we don't have (our tax dollars) going to litter the roads with Corollas. Your grandfather is pissed...
JZeke 9:11AM (8/06/2009)
Appliance automobile, thy name is Corolla. Long live the Corolla.
Reply
Kitko 9:22AM (8/06/2009)
Is Focus any different? It's an appliance as well, only it's a worse car.
Doug 9:40AM (8/06/2009)
Sorry Kitko, but your opinion is just flat out wrong. The Focus is every bit as reliable and MUCH more fun to drive, not to mention better looking.
Luis 9:48AM (8/06/2009)
I have to disagree - the Focus is not a looker and it's a generation too old. They slapped a new face (and Sync) on it, but the fundamentals are the same. In my mind it's still the same 2001 Ford Focus.
I'd rank the Mazda3 and VW Golf/Jetta as the best looking small cars in this class with the Civic not far behind. The Matrix isn't bad either.
The Corolla is in the middle with the Elantra and Focus right after and Cobalt at the very end.
ack154 10:05AM (8/06/2009)
"The Focus is every bit as reliable and MUCH more fun to drive, not to mention better looking."
I'll give you the reliability b/c I don't have any facts stating otherwise... and honestly I don't have any "facts" saying the Corolla is better looking... but holy crap, the Focus is one awful looking vehicle. It's not Aztec ugly, but there is not a single line or design element that I find attractive about it. And I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Chibi Chaingun - blackhivemedia.com 10:11AM (8/06/2009)
In the U.S., the 05-07 Focus were and still are the best looking Foci on the road. Especially the ZX3 with the ST package. Right now I think the Fit is the best looking small car, but I think it's in a different size class. The Corolla that is pictured is nice, but most of the ones I see on the road are butt-ugly.
nardvark 10:23AM (8/06/2009)
We have an '06 Focus, and I agree (although I'm obviously biased) that those years were the best looking. The first generation had original styling, but I thought the '05 revision sharpened things up and made a much more broadly appealing vehicle.
Anyways, I don't know if the reliability is as bullet-proof as the Corolla, but it's close enough as to not make a difference for a buyer. The Corolla has a nicer interior, but the Focus is a vastly superior drive. And as the Focus is my wife's car, and she goes out of her way to find twisty backroads (I love this woman), that's where our priorities lie.
Kitko 10:27AM (8/06/2009)
Doug, are we talking about the same Focus? EU version is a very good car, but the US ... not so much. A two door sedan? Really?
Not THAT Matt 11:19AM (8/06/2009)
The 01 Focus is widely regarded as a nice car, and it's being replaced in a few years by the Euro Focus so I'm sure the face lift will be fine until then.
I've test driven a few, enjoyed the car... the physical appearance of the Focus is about as subjective as the Corolla's, but I can say that I've yet to meet a person who considered the Corolla truely attractive, whereas the Focus is at least a not-as-ugly alternative that gets pretty good gas mileage.
As a fan of domestic cars in general, I simply appreciate the Focus representing how an American small car can get Corolla-esque gas mileage... add that to a nice standard and optional feature set, and an appearance that is perhaps "ugly but not as ugly" and that's pretty intriguing.
Add to that the incoming Fiesta, the up-coming Focus refresh, and the 2010 Fusion and Taurus and that's a pretty strong line-up. Oh, and the Fusion hybrid gets 8 MPG better city than the Camry hybrid, is only five hundred dollars more, and isn't as ugly as your wife before you hit up the bar.
Mark 12:33PM (8/06/2009)
It's a shame a pathetic product like the Corolla is the best seller. I cannot remember one glowing review of the "new" Corolla. It's been mid-pack since it came out. It's also a mild refresh from the previous generation, making it a dated product to boot.
As there is a bias against all things from American, there is a bias for all things from Japan, even when its crap.
Luis 12:39PM (8/06/2009)
How is a complete re-design a "mild refresh"? Every body panel is new, interior is new, seats, new, engines revamped.
JZeke 3:13PM (8/06/2009)
I doubt Ford would be the sales runner up if the pre-Mulally leadership had not stuck their heads in the sand - and made the business case for selling Focus Mk2 here.
The Focus II has won awards overseas, and spawned a host of great cars such as the C-Max, Focus RS (new one) and Kuga.
Sure we get the C30, and Mazda 3 too... but Ford really lost a big opp letting the Focus live 2 model cycles. I don't think Mr. Mulally will let that happen again though...
Leclerc 5:27PM (8/06/2009)
Can you hear the muffled whining of our beloved domestic fanboys...I know, the Focus rules right?