GOOD CAR BAD CAR

Image Comparison: Hyundai Elantra GT vs. Mazda 3 vs. Volkswagen Golf

goodcarbadcar@gmail.com (The Good Car Guy) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:48:25 PST

It was only two days ago that GoodCarBadCar showcased the Hyundai Elantra Coupe in an image gallery ripe for perusing, although the Elantra Coupe's party was rained on by the presence of Honda's Civic Coupe and the Kia Forte Koup. Now, all attempts to shower praise upon the hatchback Hyundai Elantra GT, another debutante from the Chicago Auto Show, has been tainted by the allure of an iconic German and a fun-to-drive Japanese hatch.

Replacing the Elantra Touring in Hyundai's lineup will be this, the handsome Elantra GT. While the motoring press has been heaping praise upon this five-door Elantra, I've been wondering if it's maybe not quite as drop-dead gorgeous as they'd have you believe. It's nice. We know the insides will be nice from our experience with the regular Elantra. But are we all so completely convinced that when this hatchback Elantra drives past us - something it'll be doing quite frequently in Canada - we'll be wonderfully shocked and awed? Not so much.

You can check out the full Gallery of images at the bottom of this post along with the Elantra/3/Golf comparo going on throughout this post, but first, some impressions, impressions which you're allowed to dismiss at will. The Elantra GT appears to be a bit stumpy from some angles. It's hard to deny the front end is busy. The intersection of rear doors with rear wheelarch creates a weighty look that swallows up the wheels, making them look smaller than they are. And the level space underneath the rear glass might be unique now but will probably annoy me more and more as time goes by.

Style is subjective, and despite these niggling design issues, the Elantra GT looks terrific. Great though the Elantra sedan may be, sleek as the Elantra Coupe is, this is the Elantra I'd buy if it were my own money.

Ah, but would I be buying an Elantra? Apart from the Mazda 3's awful schnoz and the fact that it still looks too much like the first-gen Mazda 3, the hatchback 3 lacks any glaring design faux pas. The Elantra GT should drive with a bit more verve than the regular Elantra sedan, but will it be as fun as the Mazda? There's something about the 3 that simply begs to be driven harder than it should be, and that's something that can't be said of very many Hyundais, certainly not the Elantra sedan.

Yet there's another reason the Elantra GT purchase might be a hard one, and that's the 29th-generation Volkswagen Golf. Okay, it's actually just the sixth-gen car, but it's been around forever and there's already a clear path laid out for the seventh-gen Golf: lighter weight, better engines, nicer interior and all that. Currently, the Golf isn't a design hero - this is no Lamborghini Aventador or Ferrari 458 Italia. It's not adventurous like a Hyundai Veloster, it doesn't emanate power like a Ford Mustang. But it's clean and classy. Put simply, the Golf just looks right. It also feels right, both to the touch and when pushing it hard on a long drive.

Unfortunately, the Golf is priced wrong. Finance rates are typically too high. Options are, well, options. Stuff that should be standard isn't. And the glorious TDI diesel costs a bundle.

Which brings us back to the Elantra GT. Is ever a car priced more properly than when it's a Hyundai? In this case, as in many cases lately, it also looks good. The 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT will be a handsome, efficient, zippy, comfortable car. Betting against its success wouldn't be wise.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Image Comparo: Hyundai Elantra Coupe vs. Honda Civic Coupe vs. Kia Forte Koup
Image Comparo: Hyundai Accent vs Kia Rio
Image Comparo: Ford Escape vs. Honda CR-V
Driven Review: Hyundai Elantra GL

Top 5 Best-Selling Trucks In Canada - January 2012

goodcarbadcar@gmail.com (The Good Car Guy) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:25:34 PST

Here's the good news for the Toyota Tacoma: it's more popular in Canada than any other non-full-size truck that's going to be on the market next year. Moreover, January 2012 sales were 23% better than January 2011 sales.

The bad news? A still-dying Ford Ranger was a more frequent acquisition in Canada last month than the Toyota Tacoma, and by quite a measure. Tacoma sales needed to be jacked up to the tune of about 57%, not 23%, if it was to become Canada's fifth-best-selling truck in January.

And that's the other thing. See, being Canada's fifth-best-selling truck basically means you're grabbing a large percentage of the small truck market, but really nothing in the grand scheme of truckish things. For every Ford Ranger sold in January, ten Ford F-Series pickups were sold. And for every Toyota Tacoma sold in January, nearly 13 F-Series pickups were sold. In fact, the fourth place Chevrolet Silverado crushed the Ranger and Tacoma by 1429 and 1567 units, respectively. Also, it was a particularly bad month for the Silverado.

Just how bad a month was it? January 2012 marked an interesting lack of success for General Motors. With just 4417 sales between the Silverado and GMC Sierra, the combined GM total didn't just measure up to the single Ford F-Series, it also failed to match the Dodge Ram's total, trailing by 34 units.

At the top of the heap, the Ford F-Series was the best-selling truck in Canada, as always. Compared with January 2011, F-Series sales are way up. A 22.4% gain in an overall market that's up about 15% is quite something, especially considering fuel prices which make truck ownership sound as painful as wine-buying after consecutive years of southern European drought.

Rank	Best-Selling Truck	January 2012	% Change
#1	Ford F-Series	6579	+ 22.4%
#2	Dodge Ram	4451	+ 16.1%
#3	GMC Sierra	2338	- 18.4%
#4	Chevrolet Silverado	2079	- 17.4%
#5	Ford Ranger	650	- 28.0%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Best-Selling Trucks In Canada - 2011 Year End
Canada Auto Sales By Brand - January 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Trucks In Canada - December 2011
Top 5 Best-Selling Trucks In Canada - January 2011
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In Canada - January 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling SUVs In Canada - January 2012

Top 10 Best-Selling SUVs In Canada - January 2012

goodcarbadcar@gmail.com (The Good Car Guy) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:26:24 PST

Nine different brands contributed utility vehicles to January 2012's list of the top 10 best-selling SUVs in Canada. The brand with two members just so happened to gain the top spot in January's best-selling group. The Ford Escape was indeed the top seller, 258 units ahead of the Dodge Journey.

With 14,048 sales between the ten of them, these best-selling crossovers and SUVs accounted for 14% of Canada's overall new vehicle market in January 2012. The Escape is obviously a dominant vehicle without the assistance of these other vehicles: in Ford showrooms, the smallest Ford utility vehicle out-sold all other Blue Oval crossovers and SUVs combined, and with 406 units to spare.

That said, not only does Ford's Escape not cast as wide a shadow as the Honda Civic, it's shadow size slipped a notch in January. Escape sales fell 26% from January 2011. Of course, it didn't matter, at least not in terms of bragging rights.

Half of Canada's best-selling SUV list is made up by Detroit Three vehicles. Three of the ten best-selling SUVs are assembled in Canada. Monthly and yearly sales figures for these vehicles and every other nameplate on sale in North America will be made available through the dropdown menu at the top right of this page on an ongoing basis. Pertinent links can be found below the table. For now, waste your time checking out the ten best-selling SUVs and crossovers in Canada. There are no premium brands represented, but this ensemble remains a unique bunch.

Ford Assembles Canada's 10th-Best-Selling SUV, The Edge, As Well As
The Flex (pictured) And Lincoln's MKT And MKX, At A Facility In Oakville, Ontario

Rank	Best-Selling SUV	January 2012	% Change
#1	Ford Escape	2209	- 25.6%
#2	Dodge Journey	1951	+ 10.6%
#3	Honda CR-V	1930	+ 127%
#4	Toyota RAV4	1428	+ 34.5%
#5	Hyundai Santa Fe	1365	+ 9.8%
#6	Chevrolet Equinox	1261	- 16.3%
#7	Nissan Rogue	1071	+ 18.0%
#8	Jeep Grand Cherokee	999	+ 31.6%
#9	Kia Sorento	924	- 1.6%
#10	Ford Edge	910	+ 21.2%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 20 Best-Selling SUVs In Canada - 2011 Year End
Canada Auto Sales By Brand - January 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling SUVs In Canada - December 2011
Top 10 Best-Selling SUVs In Canada - January 2011
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In Canada - January 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Trucks In Canada - January 2012

Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In Canada - January 2012

goodcarbadcar@gmail.com (The Good Car Guy) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:26:31 PST

After ending 2011 as the best-selling car in Canada for the fourteenth consecutive year, the Honda Civic began 2012 with a January victory. And it wasn't a narrow victory, no, not at all. The Civic was more than twice as popular as the next-best-selling car. You get that? The leader, Honda's Civic sedan and coupe, sold more often than the second and third-ranked cars combined.

In January 2011, the best-selling car in Canada was the Hyundai Elantra. It was hard to maintain that momentum, having stolen market share from all sorts of compact cars which are now fighting back. Elantra sales slid 9.2% from 2643 last year at this time. 20% of the Elantras sold in Canada in January were Elantra Tourings as sales of the 5-door Elantra jumped 21.3% at the end of its lifecycle. That number, 20%, may rise further before it falls (and eventually rises again with the introduction of the handsome new Elantra GT, pictured above) as deals on the outgoing wagonesque Tourings inspire new car buyers to opt for 7-year interest-free payment plans, but this depends more on inventory than desire.

Canada's seven most popular cars are direct rivals. You could include the spacious and well-equipped Hyundai Accent in the mix and say Canada's eight most popular cars are rivals. Only until you get to the ninth-ranked car, Toyota's midsize Camry, do we arrive at a distinctly different segment. The Camry beat 2011's top-selling midsize car, the Ford Fusion, by 322 units, with three competitors between them.

With a tie for 19th spot, readers may be curious to discover which car finished in 21st position. That would be the Kia Rio, a Good 12 winner. Rio sales shot up 93% to 641, 22 units ahead of the Chrysler 200.

Monthly and yearly sales figures for all these models and every other nameplate currently offered for sale in North America will be made available through the dropdown menu at the top right of this page. Links to relevant best seller lists can be accessed at the bottom of this post. For now, it's your duty and honour to peruse the list of Canada's 20 best-selling cars in January 2012.

Rank	Best-Selling Car	January 2012	% Change
#1	Honda Civic	4928	+ 334%
#2	Hyundai Elantra	2399	- 9.2%
#3	Toyota Corolla	2337	+ 8.9%
#4	Mazda 3	1912	+ 13.2%
#5	Chevrolet Cruze	1619	+ 10.1%
#6	Volkswagen Jetta	1513	+ 2.9%
#7	Ford Focus	1374	+ 7.5%
#8	Hyundai Accent	1329	+ 52.9%
#9	Toyota Camry	1007	+ 169%
#10	Subaru Impreza	915	+ 71.0%
#11	Nissan Altima	863	+ 8.3%
#12	Toyota Venza	791	+ 33.2%
#13	Toyota Matrix	741	- 45.5%
#14	Nissan Sentra	706	+ 70.1%
#15	Hyundai Sonata	702	+ 6.2%
#16	BMW 3-Series	700	+ 58.0%
#17	Ford Fusion	685	+ 12.1%
#18	Dodge Charger	670	+ 316%
T19	Nissan Versa	655	+ 7.7%
T19	Volkswagen Golf	655	- 14.8%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 25 Best-Selling Cars In Canada - 2011 Year End
Canada Auto Sales By Brand - January 2012
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In Canada - December 2011
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In Canada - January 2011
Top 10 Best-Selling SUVs In Canada - January 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Trucks In Canada - January 2012

Small SUV Sales, Midsize SUV Sales, Large SUV Sales In America - January 2012

goodcarbadcar@gmail.com (The Good Car Guy) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:46:25 PST

As more and more information is added to a typical GoodCarBadCar.net post (six charts and three tables in this instance), there's less and less need for words. So, just pay attention to a few simple facts before you check out the January 2012 details on America's loosely-defined small, midsize, and large SUV segments.

January 2012 U.S. Small SUV Chart
Click Any Chart For A Larger View

No small utility vehicle reported a more significant drop than the Honda Element last month. But among vehicles still in production, no vehicle posted a worse decline than the Nissan Juke. Its 25% drop was closely followed by the Suzuki Grand Vitara's 22% slide. No small SUV reported a greater year-over-year gain than the Mini Countryman. Of course, the Countryman was just going on sale at this time in 2011, so volume was small. Therefore sales were expected to be significantly better this year. Aside from the Mini, the Jeep Compass's 64% jump and the Volkswagen Tiguan's 50% increase stand out.

Moving to the larger and more expensive SUVs/crossovers, the awards for worst and best percentage changes go to the dying Mitsubishi Endeavor and the new-last-year Dodge Durango. Exclude those two vehicles as well as vehicles of the same ilk and the awards are earned by the Toyota FJ Cruiser and the Jeep Liberty.

Finally, among the big bruisers at the bottom of this post, make way for the GMC Yukon XL, down 30% in January, and its twin, the Chevrolet Suburban, up 25% in January.

All charts in this post can be clicked for a larger view. Check out the dropdown menu at the top right of this page for detailed monthly and yearly sales figures for all nameplates currently on sale in North America. After the jump, there's a boatload of U.S. sales info for mainstream SUVs in January 2012.

Small SUV	January 2012	% Change
Chevrolet Captiva Sport	2261	-----
Chevrolet Equinox	13,662	+ 6.3%
Dodge Journey	4226	+ 6.4%
Ford Escape	17,259	+ 23.5%
GMC Terrain	5649	- 11.3%
Honda CR-V	18,960	+ 16.0%
Honda Element	3	- 99.7%
Hyundai Santa Fe	4818	+ 9.1%
Hyundai Tucson	3116	+ 8.8%
Jeep Compass	2340	+ 64.4%
Jeep Patriot	3966	+ 14.9%
Jeep Wrangler	7896	+ 22.5%
Kia Sorento	7322	- 9.8%
Kia Sportage	2835	- 6.3%
Mazda CX-7	3125	+ 32.6%
Mazda Tribute	135	- 33.2%
Mini Countryman	1259	+ 83.5%
Mitsubishi Outlander	607	+ 2.2%
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport	1118	+ 5.0%
Nissan Juke	2330	- 24.7%
Nissan Rogue	9904	+ 5.1%
Subaru Forester	5117	- 11.9%
Suzuki Grand Vitara	384	- 21.5%
Toyota RAV4	9819	-12.3%
Volkswagen Tiguan	2308	+ 50.0%

Midsize SUV	January 2012	% Change
Buick Enclave	3124	- 28.1%
Chevrolet Traverse	6640	- 22.8%
Dodge Durango	3021	+ 152%
Dodge Nitro	1159	- 40.6%
Ford Edge	8315	- 6.8%
Ford Explorer	9966	+ 35.6%
Ford Flex	1465	- 26.9%
GMC Acadia	4870	- 14.9%
Honda Pilot	6365	- 5.0%
Hyundai Veracruz	736	+ 27.1%
Jeep Grand Cherokee	10,683	+ 40.3%
Jeep Liberty	6825	+ 68.4%
Mazda CX-9	2087	+ 1.6%
Mitsubishi Endeavor	94	- 61.0%
Nissan Murano	3895	+ 8.9%
Nissan Pathfinder	2081	+ 30.6%
Nissan Xterra	1461	+ 23.9%
Subaru Tribeca	228	+ 15.2%
Toyota 4Runner	2919	- 23.8%
Toyota FJ Cruiser	708	- 37.2%
Toyota Highlander	6856	- 8.7%

Large SUV	January 2012	% Change
Chevrolet Suburban	2935	+ 25.3%
Chevrolet Tahoe	3995	- 24.4%
Ford Expedition	2350	- 10.0%
GMC Yukon	2022	- 2.6%
GMC Yukon XL	1011	- 30.3%
Nissan Armada	1402	+ 24.6%
Toyota Sequoia	1068	+ 10.8%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Small, Midsize & Large SUV Sales In America - December & 2011 Year End
Top 10 Best-Selling SUVs In America - January 2012
U.S. Auto Sales By Brand - January 2012

Small Car Sales, Midsize Car Sales, Large Car Sales In America - January 2012

goodcarbadcar@gmail.com (The Good Car Guy) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:12:05 PST

Suggesting there are easily-defined trends developing just one month into the new year isn't unlike believing you can decipher what newborn babies are thinking. It's just too early to tell. However, we do know certain things. Not about what the babies think, just about the whole mainstream car sales thing.

January 2012 Small Car Market Share
Click Any Chart For A Larger View

After the jump you can learn a few of these things based on midsize and large car sales results from January 2012. In the small car table you see below, there are a few stand-out facts of which you must be made aware.

Chevrolet sold 16 Aveos in January. The Mini Cooper - that's every Mini that isn't a Countryman - out-sold the Fiat 500 by 164 units. The Fiat 500 out-sold the Volkswagen Beetle by 510 units. The Volkswagen Beetle out-sold the smart fortwo by 905 units. And the smart fortwo out-sold the Scion iQ by 122 units. Mini sales were split, of course, between multiple models. There were 1584 "original" Cooper hatchbacks sold, both Coopers and Cooper S hatchbacks, that is. Add to that 219 Clubmans, 126 Convertibles, and 146 of those dreadfully ugly Coupes. We are also aware that 1398 of the 10,962 Jettas sold in America in January 2012 were SportWagens. Jetta wagons are basically stretched Golfs wearing Jetta badges. Sales of the Jetta sedan were down just 1.8%.

Again, scroll past the jump for details on midsize and large cars. While visiting GoodCarBadCar.net, click any chart for a larger view. Access the dropdown menu at the top right of this page to find monthly and yearly sales figures for any model on sale in North America.

Small Car	January 2012	% Change
Buick Verano	795	-----
Chevrolet Sonic/Aveo	5728	+ 109%
Chevrolet Cruze	15,049	+ 10.4%
Chevrolet HHR	4	- 99.9%
Dodge Caliber	1149	- 52.4%
Fiat 500	1911	-----
Ford Fiesta	3502	- 18.0%
Ford Focus	14,400	+ 59.8%
Honda Civic	21,883	+ 49.5%
Honda Fit	3838	- 11.0%
Hyundai Accent	4341	+ 2.3%
Hyundai Elantra	10,900	+ 12.8%
Kia Forte	4417	- 17.1%
Kia Rio	2596	+ 167%
Kia Soul	8091	+ 51.4%
Mazda 2	3030	+ 533%
Mazda 3	9200	+ 83.4%
Mini Cooper	2075	+ 0.5%
Mitsubishi i MiEV	36	-----
Mitsubishi Lancer	1016	- 9.8%
Nissan Cube	461	- 72.2%
Nissan Sentra	7066	- 25.9%
Nissan Versa	9418	+ 8.5%
Scion iQ	374	-----
Scion xB	1200	- 7.6%
Scion xD	652	+ 4.2%
smart fortwo	496	+ 38.5%
Subaru Impreza	6931	+ 107%
Suzuki SX4	759	- 22.4%
Toyota Corolla/Matrix	17,988	- 12.6%
Toyota Yaris	3010	+ 63.7%
Volkswagen Beetle	1401	+ 417%
Volkswagen Golf	2650	+ 32.2%
Volkswagen Jetta	10,962	- 4.3%

There are things the table below and the surrounding charts won't tell you about midsize car sales in America. For example, January 2012 was the worst sales month for Buick's Regal since October 2010. It was also the Chevrolet Volt's worst sales month since August 2011. The Nissan LEAF easily out-sold the Volt, that's for sure, but it isn't anywhere near its max. Nissan sold 1708 electric cars in June of last year. Sales of the handsome Suzuki Kizashi haven't been this low since February 2010. The year-over-year change calculated for the Chrysler 200 involves Chrysler Sebring sales from a year ago.

January 2012 Midsize
Car Market Share Chart

Volkswagen's year-over-year percentage change for the Passat reflects the fact that Volkswagen didn't really have Passats to sell in the winter of 2011. Passat sales jumped from 314 in August to 3176 in September, 5040 in October, 6018 in November, 6884 in December, and then 6318 in January (a much smaller overall market). During the same period, sales of the Passat CC fell from 2371 in August to 1610 in September, up to 2025 in October, down to 1698 in November, way up to 2450 in December, and way down to 1415 in the smaller January market. It appears unlikely that the regular Passat has any impact on sales of the less practical CC.

One note on platform-sharers: together, the Kia Optima and Hyundai Sonata, two cars which are totally unrelated in the style department, found 23,303 buyers in January. That's enough to top the second-place Nissan Altima, but not nearly enough to challenge the all-conquering Toyota Camry for top spot.

Midsize Car	January 2012	% Change
Buick Regal	1855	- 20.6%
Chevrolet Malibu	14,676	+ 4.1%
Chevrolet Volt	603	+ 87.9%
Chrysler 200	7007	+ 373%
Dodge Avenger	5697	+ 146%
Ford Fusion	13,614	- 5.1%
Honda Accord	13,659	+ 1.5%
Honda Crosstour	921	- 40.8%
Honda Insight	492	- 68.3%
Hyundai Sonata	14,489	+ 9.3%
Kia Optima	8814	+ 131%
Mazda 6	4929	+ 118%
Mitsubishi Galant	1727	- 32.2%
Nissan Altima	22,357	+ 35.9%
Nissan LEAF	676	+ 677%
Subaru Legacy	3119	+ 23.4%
Subaru Outback	7412	+ 6.2%
Suzuki Kizashi	253	- 73.1%
Toyota Camry	28,295	+ 58.0%
Toyota Prius/Prius V	11,555	+ 8.7%
Toyota Venza	2460	+ 3.1%
Volkswagen Passat	6318	+ 5750%
Volkswagen Passat CC	1414	+ 2.3%

Large Car	January 2012	% Change
Buick LaCrosse	4013	+ 6.4%
Buick Lucerne	421	- 85.0%
Chevrolet Caprice PPV	92	-----
Chevrolet Impala	16,009	+ 5.4%
Chrysler 300	4960	+ 273%
Dodge Charger	5537	+ 169%
Ford Taurus	3447	+ 19.0%
Hyundai Azera	18	- 88.5%
Nissan Maxima	4001	+ 27.1%
Toyota Avalon	3219	+ 79.3%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Small, Midsize & Large Car Sales In America - December & 2011 Year End
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - January 2012
U.S. Auto Sales By Brand - January 2012

Image Comparison: 2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe vs. Honda Civic Coupe vs. Kia Forte Koup

goodcarbadcar@gmail.com (The Good Car Guy) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:50:25 PST

There was little doubt that official images of the 2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe were going to be tasty. The Elantra sedan has always looked like the kind of good-looking sedan that was originally designed to be a two-door con trunk. Now the Hyundai compact has simply ended up at the point where it always needed to be.

From a Canadian Sales Stats perspective, the things Hyundai will be able to achieve with a three-bodystyle Elantra range are great and noble. Will the Honda Civic, 10K units better than the Elantra in 2011, be a more frequent sale than the Elantra when the Elantra also has a coupe, low volume though the configuration may be? Will the Civic sell better than the Elantra now that the Hyundai is available as a sedan, coupe, and hatchback?

This particular post doesn't deal with those matters. For one thing, because most manufacturers, (including Honda with the Civic) don't separate their coupe and sedan numbers when the models share a name and differ only by the number of doors, there's not too much point getting all het up about future sales figures. More importantly, coupes are all about style. There is no other reason to sacrifice rear entry. So let's examine the style. We've thrown the Kia Forte Koup into the mix for a more thorough look at the segment: two-door cars based on mainstream compact siblings.

The (rare) customer who buys the Honda Civic Coupe because it's supposedly the best-looking car in the class is entitled to do so, but one must wonder, do they base that decision on what the Civic Si Coupe looks like? A basic version of the two-door Civic is awkward where the previous-gen car was inventive; elongated where it should be shortened; tucked where it needs to be stretched. That said, the Civic is wheel-sensitive and light-sensitive. If only Honda's press photographers pushed company bosses for more creative sets, the Civic would instantly shine brighter.

The Kia Forte Koup has strong shoulders and a muscular stance, but that rear diffuser is an inside joke that lets you in on the fact that the Koup doesn't offer the driving experience it should. By design terms, the Forte is an impressive feat. To change so few parts on the humdrum average-looking Forte sedan and produce a two-door that looks this good isn't easy, and Kia should be congratulated.

So, better-looking than the Civic the two-door Kia Forte may be, but does it measure up to the Elantra Coupe? In certain cases - and it appears as though the Elantra may be one such case - it takes a few drive-bys to determine how a car rests on its wheels, whether it will be capable of engaging the public when a very similar looking sedan has become normal. The Elantra Coupe seems much more delicate than the Forte Koup, all curves where the Koup is hard lines. Flowing lines are not to be faulted, however, particularly when they're cohesive, linking the back end to the front with the sort of consistency that's been sorely lacking in small car design for... most of our lives.

Stripping the Elantra of its rear doors will not turn this Hyundai into a sports car. Even the Veloster isn't a sports car. One place Honda easily beats Hyundai is at the upper level. Honda has the zippy Si. Hyundai has nothing in the Elantra Coupe with which to beat the rev-hungry Si. Nevertheless, if this coupe isn't a huge benefit to the Hyundai Elantra range I don't know what is. Of course, the Elantra GT will likely be the bigger seller in practical car-friendly Canada, where the outgoing Elantra Touring sold frequently enough to be Canada's 22nd-best-selling car on its own. And that was late, very late, in its lifecycle.

Style, of course, is subjective. So this time, and just this time, ignore the words and start looking at pictures. Each set of images show, from top to bottom, the Civic, Elantra, and Koup. Click any picture for a larger view. The Gallery below showcases the new 2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe. Links below the gallery will direct you to other GCBC image comparisons.

Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In America - January 2012

goodcarbadcar@gmail.com (The Good Car Guy) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:41:20 PST

The Suzuki Swift Sport is the car Suzuki
should be selling in North America

There are hundreds of reasons vehicles end up appearing on GoodCarBadCar's worst-selling vehicles list. The all-electric Mitsubishi i is niche to the nth degree and, besides, it's hardly spent any time on the marketplace. The Lexus GS is at the end of its lifecycle. The Chevrolet Caprice is a vehicle meant for police personnel only. The $34,350 Volkswagen Eos is a premium-priced convertible, barely mainstream, but is four times more popular than anything on the all-inclusive worst-selling vehicles list. The Scion iQ just went on sale and hasn't had time to ramp up.

Automakers don't release cars the same way Apple releases iPhones.

There are, however, other worst-selling cars that are simply unsuccessful. The Suzuki Kizashi grabbed just 253 consumers in January 2012. It's not as though the Kizashi was a successful vehicle in January 2011 when only 940 were sold. Seven cars in the Kizashi's segment sold more than 10,000 copies last January. And say what you may about how March's Tohoku earthquake affects Honda volume, the Insight has never been a hit. America's 18th-best-selling car, the Toyota Prius, found 11,555 buyers in January, 23 times the total achieved by Honda's Insight.

The popularity and goodness of a car do not necessarily correlate. Neither does the populace's aversion always attach itself to the badness of a car. Remember that when you're scanning the tables below.

Rank	Worst-Selling Car By Percentage Decline	% Drop	January 2012	January 2011
#1	Acura RL	- 79.4%	33	160
#2	Porsche Boxster	- 74.2%	48	186
#3	Suzuki Kizashi	- 73.1%	253	940
#4	Nissan Cube	- 72.2%	461	1661
#5	Lexus GS	- 71.2%	93	323
#6	Honda Insight	- 68.3%	492	1554
#7	Acura ZDX	- 63.5%	54	148
#8	Honda CR-Z	- 59.4%	363	894
#9	Lexus HS250h	- 46.9%	152	286
#10	Mercedes-Benz R-class	- 44.0%	130	232

Rank	Worst-Selling Car By Volume (Mainstream)	January 2012	January 2011	% Change
#1	Mitsubishi i MiEV	36	-----	-----
#2	Chevrolet Caprice PPV	92	-----	-----
#3	Suzuki Equator	108	148	- 27.0%
#4	Subaru Tribeca	228	198	+ 15.2%
#5	Suzuki Kizashi	253	940	- 73.1%
#6	Mazda MX-5 Miata	306	289	+ 5.9%
#7	Honda CR-Z	363	894	- 59.4%
#8	Volkswagen Eos	365	249	+ 46.6%
#9	Scion iQ	374	-----	-----
#10	Suzuki Grand Vitara	384	489	- 21.5%

Rank	Worst-Selling Car By Volume (All Vehicles)	January 2012	January 2011	% Change
#1	Lexus LFA	4	4	0%
#2	Nissan GT-R	20	22	- 9.1%
#3	Acura RL	33	160	- 79.4%
#4	Mitsubishi i MiEV	36	-----	-----
#5	Porsche Boxster	48	186	- 74.2%
#6	Acura ZDX	54	148	- 63.5%
#7	Mercedes-Benz CL-Class	67	107	- 37.4%
#8	Audi R8	79	79	0%
T9	Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG	92	70	+ 31.4%
T9	Chevrolet Caprice PPV	92	-----	-----

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC
Vehicle must not have been officially cancelled by its manufacturer and must have been showcased on manufacturer's website in January.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In America - 2011 Year End
Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In America - December 2011
Top 30 Best-Selling Vehicles In America - January 2012

UK Auto Sales By Brand - January 2012

goodcarbadcar@gmail.com (The Good Car Guy) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:59:50 PST

In January 2012, Ford was once again the United Kingdom's leading automaker as Blue Oval sales rose 2% to 20,061, or 15.6% of all new vehicles sold in the UK. Volkswagen and its numerous brands led the way in terms of market share, reaching 20.8%, up from 19.3% in December. General Motors, by way of its core brand Vauxhall and its increasingly popular Chevrolet brand, sold 14,174 vehicles. That equates to 11% of the market, down from 13.8% in December. Ford market share, by the way, rose from 12.3% in December 2011.

Establishing which brands are premium and which are mainstream is more challenging than ever, but the challenge is even greater when examining UK sales. Still, based on accepted practices, Audi was the best-selling luxury vehicle manufacturer in overall volume as sales reached 8563 in January 2012, good enough for fourth overall. BMW, 2011's year end leader, fell 28% from January 2011 levels to 6249.

Kia beat its parent company Hyundai by 216 sales. Land Rover out-sold Honda. Renault is quickly becoming a much smaller company in the United Kingdom as its range was recently cut in half. January sales fell 28% to 2802. UK sales at Renault's Japanese partner, Nissan, were 2.2 times stronger.

For all you once read about fancy WRX Subarus in UK car mags, the brand is now terribly weak on the other side of the Atlantic - Porsche sold nearly twice as many cars in January. Czech Republic-based Skoda was Volkswagen's leading value brand, beating Spain's Seat brand by 1288 sales.

As more evidence that Brits enjoy locally-produced efforts, consider that Jaguar sold 915 cars in the United Kingdom in January 2012. That's only 70 units down from what Jaguar achieved in the United States in January despite the fact that the U.S. market was 7.1 times the size. In other words, if Americans bought as many Jaguars as Brits did, Jaguar's U.S. sales total in January would have been closer to 6500 than 1000.

For a look at the 10 best-selling cars in the United Kingdom in January 2012, click here. Links to previous versions of this post can be viewed below the table which lists January volume beside a column which compares January's volume with the same from a year prior. The market share chart above can be expanded with a click.

Rank	Automaker	January 2012	% Change
#1	Ford	20,061	+ 2.1%
#2	Vauxhall	12,110	- 20.9%
#3	Volkswagen	11,589	+ 5.0%
#4	Audi	8563	+ 3.1%
#5	Peugeot	7282	+ 6.4%
#6	Nissan	6285	+ 21.5%
#7	Mercedes-Benz	6273	+ 20.8%
#8	BMW	6249	- 28.4%
#9	Toyota	5756	+ 3.6%
#10	Kia	4282	+ 38.1%
#11	Hyundai	4066	+ 2.3%
#12	Citroen	4041	- 21.2%
#13	Skoda	3718	+ 21.5%
#14	Land Rover	3492	+ 38.0%
#15	Honda	3263	- 17.5%
#16	Fiat	2886	+ 16.0%
#17	Renault	2802	- 27.5%
#18	Seat	2430	+ 1.3%
#19	Volvo	2373	+ 12.2%
#20	Chevrolet	2064	+ 120%
#21	Mazda	1784	- 18.5%
#22	Mini	1595	- 1.2%
#23	Suzuki	1185	+ 10.9%
#24	Jaguar	915	+ 6.9%
#25	Lexus	741	+ 58.0%
#26	Mitsubishi	555	- 27.0%
#27	Alfa Romeo	538	- 9.6%
#28	Porsche	409	+ 13.6%
#29	smart	385	+ 89.7%
#30	Subaru	224	+ 23.8%
#31	Jeep	158	+ 97.5%
T32	MG	107	+ 5250%
T32	Bentley	107	+ 42.7%
#34	Chrysler	98	+ 75.0%
#35	Aston Martin	63	+ 14.6%
#36	Abarth	49	- 37.2%
#37	Ssangyong	43	+ 1333%
#38	Maserati	36	- 2.7%
#39	Perodua	35	+ 12.9%
#40	Infiniti	33	+ 6.5%
#41	Lotus	23	+ 21.1%
#42	Proton	23	- 32.4%
#43	Saab	4	- 99.1%

Source: Automakers, MTI & SMMT
Red font indicates declining year-over-year sales, bold indicates a so-called premium brand

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
UK Auto Sales By Brand - 2011 Year End
UK Auto Sales By Brand - December 2011
UK Auto Sales By Brand - January 2011
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - January 2012

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The United Kingdom - January 2012

goodcarbadcar@gmail.com (The Good Car Guy) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:41:35 PST

Above: The 3-door Audi A3,
a car not sold in North America

The UK new car market enjoyed a very slight burst of optimism in January 2012 as volume increased 0.03% compared with January 2012. In terms of Britain's favourite vehicles, however, many were significantly less popular this year than last.

The United Kingdom's best-selling car in January was the Ford Fiesta, and it certainly was not less popular this year than last.

This strange downward fluctuations aren't such a strange occurrence in the United Kingdom new vehicle market. Volume is small and thus prone to serious swings. Nevertheless, the vehicles ranked second through sixth on this list of the UK's ten best-selling cars - and that's half the list - posted year-over-year declines averaging 15%. Collectively, those five vehicles reported a 17.3% drop.

Considering the 21% decline reported by GM's Vauxhall brand in January 2012, we shouldn't be surprised to see that the company's two best-selling nameplates fell 17% and 26%. But Volkswagen's best-selling car, the Golf, was down 3% even as the VW brand climbed 5%. Meanwhile, January 2011's best-selling car, the Ford Focus, lost its crown to 2011's best-selling car, the Ford Fiesta, as Focus sales slid 26% and Fiesta sales soared 34%.

GoodCarBadCar.net does not possess an in-house UK auto market expert, so we'll leave you to the numbers. One interesting fact: 53.7% of all new vehicles sold were fitted with diesel engines, up from 50.5% in January 2011. Check out brand-by-brand rankings for the UK car market's January 2012 performance here. For now, check out the top 10 best-selling cars in the United Kingdom for January 2012 before examining, for context's sake, previous versions through the links below the table.

Rank	Best-Selling Car	January 2012	% Change
#1	Ford Fiesta	7824	+ 33.9%
#2	Ford Focus	5643	- 25.6%
#3	Volkswagen Golf	3992	- 2.9%
#4	Vauxhall Corsa	3624	- 16.9%
#5	Vauxhall Astra	3340	- 25.9%
#6	Volkswagen Polo	2898	- 3.7%
#7	Vauxhall Insignia	2719	+ 21.6%
#8	Nissan Qashqai	2627	+ 24.6%
#9	Audi A3	2380	n/a
#10	Peugeot 207	2364	+ 8.9%

Source: Manufacturers, MTI & SMMT
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - 2011 Year End
UK Auto Sales By Brand - January 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - December 2011
Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In The UK - January 2011
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - January 2012