September 2012 Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America

A Likely Winner: Ford’s 2013 Fusion

In what amounted to a very good month for Japan’s two American-built midsize sedans, Detroit’s two leading midsize sedans struggled under the weight of poor availability. In the Chevrolet Malibu’s case, the fact that many reviewers haven’t exactly taken a shine to the car didn’t help matters.

As the 2012 Fusion departs, availability dissipates. But the 2013 Fusion isn’t readily available, either. Fusion sales dropped 37%, and August’s eighth-best-selling car fell to 15th in September 2012. The Malibu slid from 14th last month to 16th in September.

September 2012 YTD – All 265 Vehicles Ranked

Up at the top of the heap sit America’s two long-time favourites. Toyota Camry sales shot up 38% in September and are up 37% through the first three quarters of 2012. As Honda began its switchover and incentivized the outgoing Accord, sales jumped 57%.

September 2012’s Top 30 Best-Selling Vehicles In America

Where Detroit did fare well was in the compact sector, not its traditional base by any means. The Chevrolet Cruze was America’s best-sellign American car, third-best-selling car overall, and the leading small car. Ford’s Focus was back in seventh as the fourth-best-selling small car.

The U.S. auto industry posted gains of 13% in September 2012. The majority of the cars on this top 20 list outpaced the industry.

Rank	Best-Selling Car	September 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
#1	Toyota Camry	34,252	+ 37.8%	314,788	+ 37.1%
#2	Honda Accord	29,182	+ 56.6%	247,847	+ 36.9%
#3	Chevrolet Cruze	25,787	+ 42.5%	180,600	– 3.7%
#4	Nissan Altima	24,448	+ 0.4%	234,040	+ 16.7%
#5	Toyota Corolla/Matrix	23,026	+ 42.6%	222,703	+ 19.2%
#6	Honda Civic	21,546	+ 57.0%	234,029	+ 39.8%
#7	Ford Focus	19,736	+ 91.4%	186,686	+ 36.0%
#8	Toyota Prius	18,932	+ 103%	183,340	+ 96.6%
	Prius C	3386	—–	26,130	—–
	Prius V	3088	—–	n/a	—–
	Prius Plug-In	1652	—–	7720	—–
#9	Hyundai Elantra	18,305	+ 27.2%	152,575	+ 3.1%
#10	Hyundai Sonata	17,332	– 5.0%	175,346	+ 0.3%
#11	Chevrolet Impala	15,259	+ 10.4%	140,179	+ 1.5%
#12	Volkswagen Jetta	14,750	– 1.8%	127,028	– 7.3%
#13	Kia Optima	14,304	+ 131%	114,728	+ 106%
#14	Mazda 3	14,031
#15	Ford Fusion	12,300	– 37.0%	194,165	+ 3.0%
#16	Chevrolet Malibu	11,188	+ 0.7%	179,465	+ 4.8%
#17	Subaru Outback	10,583	+ 39.1%	85,204	+ 13.9%
#18	Chrysler 200	9881	+ 13.5%	100,267	+ 64.6%
#19	Volkswagen Passat	9500	+ 199%	83,662	+ 1610%
#20	Kia Soul	9467	+ 42.0%	93,356	+ 18.7%