The Fastest Selling Cars In America
- Image Credit: Audi
You might not realize this, but that brand new car you bought probably was sitting on the dealer's lot for 2 whole months.
That's how long, on average, cars sit around waiting for a new home. If cars were as cute as puppies or kittens, dealers could sell cars by making a super emotional video with some Sara McLachlan music played over top, guilting you into coming to adopt a needy vehicle.
But dealers can't keep the great car models on the lot for very long. The car could be a brand new vehicle that people are scrambling to buy, or a popular car in high demand, or a car that's purposefully kept in low supply because it's meant to be "exclusive."
We asked the folks at Edmunds.com to pull data on which cars are flying off dealers lots faster than the others. It's a good mix of cars, and some of the choices might surprise you.
- Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
Days To Turn: 19
MSRP: $62,400 - $116,925
Invoice: $58,032 - $108,740
Fuel Economy: 19 mpg City, 26 mpg Highway
There is still a good amount of demand in the American market for large, luxurious SUVs. The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class exists to satisfy that appetite. Consumers have responded by quickly snatching them up.
Redesigned for the 2013 model year, the GL comes with four different engines: A 240-hp 3.0-liter turbo diesel V6 in the GL350 BlueTEC, a 362-hp 4.6-liter twin-turbo V8 in the GL450, a 429-hp 4.6-liter twin-turbo V8 in the GL550 and finally a 550-hp 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 in the GL63 AMG.
As you might expect, the GL-Class comes with numerous luxury amenities and is loaded with safety features, including eight airbags, mbrace2 SOS system, PRE-SAFE, rear camera, drownsiness detection, crosswind stabilization and collision prevention assist. The GL550 also includes bi-xenon headlights with highbeam assist and curve illumination, lane keep assist and blind spot detection.
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- Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
Days To Turn: 19
MSRP: $47,270 - $96,100
Invoice: $43,961 - $89,373
Fuel Economy: 18 mpg City, 23 mpg Highway
The Mercedes-Benz M-Class is kind of a little brother to the 7-passenger GL-Class, which was featured on the previous slide. The M-Class differs in several ways, mostly in that it is smaller and drives more like a sedan, making it more fuel efficient and more affordable.
All M-Class models are equipped with a seven-speed automatic transmission. Electronically managed 4MATIC all-wheel drive is standard on all models except the rear-wheel drive ML350 4x2. The ML350 BlueTEC is powered by a 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V6 generating 240 horsepower. The ML350 is powered by Mercedes' latest-generation 3.5-liter gasoline V6, generating 302 horsepower. The ML550 includes a 4.6-liter twin-turbo V8 engine with 402-hp and the ML63 AMG has a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 with either 518- or 550-hp and ECO stop/start.
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- Image Credit: Toyota
Scion FR-S
Days To Turn: 18
MSRP: $24,500
Invoice: $23,275
Fuel Economy: 22 mpg City, 30 mpg Highway
The Scion FR-S was one of the hottest cars of 2012, along with its cousin, the Subaru BRZ. With striking design, a great H4 boxer engine, utterly superb driving dynamics and solid fuel economy, it's not really any surprise that these don't last very long on dealer lots.
Standard equipment on the FR-S includes 17-inch aluminum wheels, ventilated disc brakes front and rear, projector headlamps, and a Pioneer audio system with HD radio, eight speakers and Bluetooth connectivity.
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- Image Credit: Kia
Kia Soul
Days To Turn: 18
MSRP: $14,400 - $19,900
Invoice: $14,090 - $18,985
Fuel Economy: 25 mpg City, 30 mpg Highway
It's a little funny looking, but car buyers are saying it's funny looking in a good way. The design is polarizing. One New Jersey suburban mom we talked to liked it, while her teenage daughter thought it was goofy. A suburban North Carolina mom and grandmother we talked to who bought one in the last year loves her black Soul and named it "Pearl."
Kia imports the Soul from Korea, which means that it is constrained on supply. Dealers report they often flip them within a week of arrival on the truck. It is a compelling design and attractive price from a hot brand. Kia, like Hyundai and Subaru, are brands on the rise, growing fast with consumers who previously bought Detroit products.
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- Image Credit: Ford
Ford Shelby GT500
Days To Turn: 18
MSRP: $54,200 - $59,200
Invoice: $49,458 - $54,020
Fuel Economy: 15 mpg City, 24 mpg Highway
What can we say about our favorite Detroit pony car, the car that embodies what Detroit does better in car engineering than any other country in the world?
It is one of the few V8 engine powered cars still being offered today. And while we are all in favor of dropping V8s for high performance V6s and four-cylinder engines, we got positively soppy thinking about depriving the GT500 of its rightful heartbeat.
We are expecting an all-new Mustang next year, and we think a lot of buyers are snapping these up in case they don't like the new design.
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- Image Credit: Subaru
Subaru Impreza
Days To Turn: 17
MSRP: $17,895 - $22,995
Invoice: $17,104 - $21,792
Fuel Economy: 25 mpg City, 34 mpg Highway
Though Subaru has a lower profile than most of its competition in the greater automotive marketplace, its cars still enjoy a strong following. The Impreza is no exception to the rule, evidenced by the fact that it sits on the lot for just 17 days.
The Subaru Impreza offers all-weather capability with distinctive styling that sets it apart from other vehicles in this class. The Impreza is available either as a sedan or hatchback with seating for five. All Impreza's feature Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive. The Impreza 2.0i is equipped with a 148-hp 2.0-liter horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission or an optional CVT transmission.
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- Image Credit: Subaru
Subaru BRZ
Days To Turn: 13
MSRP: $25,495 - $27,495
Invoice: $24,327 - $26,112
Fuel Economy: 22 mpg City, 30 mpg Highway
The Subaru BRZ is a hot new affordable sports car that the automaker built in partnership with Toyota, which is selling a separate version of this car as the Scion FR-S.
Check out the picture. This is a pretty nice looking sports car for a starting price of $25,500. The sleek exterior is matched by an attractive straightforward interior. If you have the moxie, order up the six-speed manual. Our reviewers prefer it to some sports cars costing $20K more. No wonder buyers are scooping them up.
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- Image Credit: Ford
Ford Fusion Hybrid
Days To Turn: 13
MSRP: $27,200 - $32,200
Invoice: $25,092 - $29,705
Fuel Economy: 47 mpg City, 47 mpg Highway
This is not your Dad's Fusion. The sensible shoe Fusion we have admired for several years has given way to a brand new, sportier (good enough to sell in Europe), more fun to drive Fusion sedan. The Hybrid version is priced the same as the standard version similarly equipped. That is a brainstorm by Ford. No price penalty for buying the Hybrid version.
Don't be lulled by the falling gas prices. This is temporary. As the U.S. economy continues it recovery over the next couple of years, demand will increase for gas and so will the price. The fuel economy for this handsome car is 47 mpg in both city and highway, and that is a powerful headline in advertising. And people are responding.
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- Image Credit: Audi
Audi S8
Days To Turn: 12
MSRP: $110,000
Invoice: $102,300
Fuel Economy: 15 mpg City, 26 mpg Highway
The overall sales numbers on the S8 are not very high. But when they land at dealers, they are flying off the lot.
A 520-hp turbo-charged V8 powered luxury sedan with an all-wheel-drive system to keep it firmly planted on the pavement makes the S8 a delight if you are a 1-percenter who can afford the $110K+ price tag.
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- Image Credit: Audi
Audi S6
Days To Turn: 11
MSRP: $71,900
Invoice: $66,868
Fuel Economy: 17 mpg City, 27 mpg Highway
This is one of those cases where exclusivity comes into play. The S6 sits around at dealer lots for about two weeks, but there are hardly any of them on the market. So far this year, just 232 have been sold in the U.S.
The letter "S" in front of the 6 means this car is a sweeter version of the A6 sedan. That means it's got more horsepower, a tighter suspension and high performance brakes and tires. In this case, the A6 has 420 horsepower and a turbo-charged V8 engine.
Audi knows it's not going to sell a ton of these, especially at a base price of $71,900. So that may be why there aren’t that many on the lot waiting for buyers.
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