REPORT: Escape puts Ford back atop Cash For Clunkers sales pileup
2009 Ford Escape Hybrid - Click above for a high-res image gallery
In America, we like our sports and love to keep score. Even when it comes to car-buying subsidies, we want to know which model is selling best. The government says the Ford Focus is the top seller under Cash for Clunkers, but Edmunds has a different winner: the Ford Escape. The discrepancy stems from the government's old-school way of counting model sales. The feds consider each model variant a separate vehicle, while Edmunds counts vehicle sales as a whole. In the case of the Escape, the Environmental Protection Agency counts the crossover as six separate models; including FWD, AWD and Hybrid versions.
While the government's list of C4C top sellers contains mainly small cars, the Edmunds list tells a different story. Since the feds count each truck configuration (GM and Ford trucks each have five) as a different model, no pickups made the cut. That was a surprise to many, considering the fact that 83% of the vehicles turned in were trucks, and large pickups have lower fuel economy requirements to work under C4C. On the Edmunds list, the Ford F-150 comes in at number five, while the Silverado sits at seven.
There's been plenty of healthy discussion regarding C4C, and it appears even counting methods are up for debate. With a fresh $2 billion getting dumped into the program's coffers, it looks like we'll be able to keep talking straight through Labor Day. Hit the jump to look over Edmunds' Top Clunker Buys, and chime in with your comments after the fold.
[Source: CNN Money]
Edmunds Top 10 Clunker Buy
1. Ford Escape
2. Ford Focus
3. Jeep Patriot
4. Dodge Caliber
5. Ford F-150
6. Honda Civic
7. Chevrolet Silverado
8. Chevrolet Cobalt
9. Toyota Corolla
10.Ford Fusion
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
BigWill 1:44PM (8/07/2009)
Now you know why the DOT basically lied that they couldn't get complete numbers out to Congress before the $2B CFC recharge vote. It's easier to rationalize CFC to the greenies with the Corolla/Focus/Civic list than with the evil SUV/truck list.
This also helps better explain GM's overall ranking at the top of the CFC sales list.
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Luis 2:02PM (8/07/2009)
You would think this news would cause complainers about c4c to be happy but they always find something if the Dems do something positive. Lame
notYou 3:06PM (8/07/2009)
(from http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Facts-Are-Stubborn-Things/):
>>There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.
I believe the Administration expects the same for "Cash for Clunkers" (or any other of it's initiatives/programs)
Please be careful what you post, we wouldn't want to see you on the "Enemies List".
Michael 3:40PM (8/07/2009)
The majority are all small or relatively fuel efficient:
Escape - up to 34 mpg, city
Focus - 35 mpg, hwy
Patriot - most fuel efficient 4x4
Caliber - 30 mpg, hwy
F-150 - best-in-class
Civic - 36 mpg, hwy
Silverado - best-in-class
Cobalt - 37 mpg, hwy
Corolla - 35 mpg, hwy
Fusion - 34 mpg, hwy
Luis 12:42PM (8/10/2009)
notyou: enemy #1. You must be a birther/deather.
216 1:44PM (8/07/2009)
I like how the top 5 are American woot
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SimbaDogg 2:33PM (8/07/2009)
yeah seriously. i'm really guessing the whole "buy american" thing has been drilled into a lot of peoples heads. That and, many american mftrs (ESPECIALLY the blue oval) are really starting to make good, if not amazing cars right now. I'm looking at you fusion...
akboss302 2:51PM (8/07/2009)
Hey, Canadian too, don't forget us way up here - we build your Camaro! And yeah, count me in for a Fusion...sport model in black please.
The Other Bob 3:04PM (8/07/2009)
"Hey, Canadian too, don't forget us way up here - we build your Camaro! And yeah, count me in for a Fusion...sport model in black please. "
Thank goodness for Canada. One of the few countries where trade benefits both participants. I am very pro-American car, but we must buy Canadian made cars because Canadians buy so many American made cars.
nardvark 3:19PM (8/07/2009)
Don't take offense when we forget about Canada. Really, it's a complement. Think about it this way, who do you talk about to your friends more, the unemployed, loud neighbor with a drug problem who leaves crap all over your lawn (Mexico), or the quiet one who never bothers you, holds down a steady job, and even goes out of their way to put up with your annoying kids when they trample all over your lawn at midnight (Canada)?
Though really, the last part of that metaphor is your fault, for having a lower drinking age. But as someone who grew up near the border, I thank you for it :-)
Leclerc 3:39PM (8/08/2009)
Yea, they are American. Right down to the assembly point.
Greg 1:51PM (8/07/2009)
This makes a lot more sense than the Government's listing. I wondered why the most traded vehicles were SUV's and no SUV's were on the buy list.
These statistics don't fit the Government line about altruistic consumers selecting economy cars over their aging SUV's, so they were suppressed.
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montoym 1:55PM (8/07/2009)
Agreed 100%.
Did we learn nothing in recent years. When peopel gave up their large body on frame SUV's they didn't move to small cars, they went to smaller SUV's. No surprise that the same happens here.
bwzd7p2 1:59PM (8/07/2009)
While the government's sytem makes little if any sense, especially apparently counting the different versions of the Cobalt seperately, it in no way changes that what the government claimed earlier about the mix of SUV's and trucks versus sedans. Or the MPG difference achieved.
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bwzd7p2 5:42PM (8/07/2009)
There's a lot of great information at http://www.mpgillusion.com/ on C4C, including a chart showing the diminishing returns on incremental MPG increases, personal gallons per mile calculators, a chart showing cost savings for every mpg increase, and an analysis on the payback period on scrapping a working car, including the carbon cost of building the new one. Great information for making a decision among different cars with different MPG and price tags. Remember, not every 10MPG increases saves the same amount of fuel.
nardvark 2:06PM (8/07/2009)
Well, it looks pretty fishy to me that they didn't make this clear when they released their numbers before. I think people selling Expeditions and buying Escapes still fits their line about moving into smaller vehicles. Going from 15mpg to 28mpg is still a big difference.
Also, the Edmunds list looks much better for American manufacturers, which historically offer a larger number of variations in their cars.
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bwzd7p2 4:15PM (8/07/2009)
Right about the difference. Let's look at the numbers. The most thirsty Escape, a V6 4WD, gets 20 overall for a consumption of 600 gallons/12K miles. The Explorer 4WD is the most popular trade-in. A '97 V6 gets 15 overall, for 800gal/12K miles; a V8 14 overall, for 857gal/12K miles. So you're saving either 200 or 257 gal/yr for most drivers. Assuming the average trade results in 200gals/yr, and 700K deals get done, that's 140,000,000 gals/yr. That's hardly a small amount, considering those savings start right now, as soon as the last person is handed their new keys in a few (days/weeks).
Allen 2:07PM (8/07/2009)
This is good news. At least some of the money is benefiting American companies. I was wondering why American tax dollars where propping up the sales foreign car companies.
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Lemon 3:09PM (8/07/2009)
I was wondering the same thing. While I'm still not sure how I feel about this program, I think that it is clear that sales momentum has increased. Think about how many (non-enthusiast) people are talking about it.
British_Rover 2:14PM (8/07/2009)
Reposting this from another forum.
I would guess they are just pulling the raw numbers from the cars.gov site when deals are submitted.
It makes sense because as far as the computer is concerned those different drive train types are entirely separate models. They generate different mile per gallon figures and the VIN breaks would be different too.
This is why I am not surprised that they aren't releasing more information right now. The people working on this program are spending all their time trying to get deals through the system. They need to clear that backlog and won't worry about getting the sales statistics right till the backlog is gone.
I am sure they will start pushing this as even better for the domestic makes. I am sure there are plenty of car people at the NHTSA that know an Escape has many different trim levels with different engine choices but they are all still an Escape. I am sure those people are way too busy now to bother bringing that up to the people totaling up the data and handing it to the white house and other PR people.
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