Six of the Ten Hottest Cars in U.S. are Toyotas
Hardly good news to its competitors, Toyota has swept six of the America’s top ten hottest vehicles, according to a CNNMoney.com and Edmunds.com study.
The two publishers analyzed vehicle selling prices, sales incentive programs, and the times models spent on dealer lots, in order to arrive at its ten hottest car list, confirming just how much Toyota currently dominates the market.
Toyota, which was shown to be gaining six new car buyers for every one it loses in a J. D. Power and Associates owner retention study from last year, achieved top marks for its Prius hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), the hottest new car currently available. Prius is currently earning Toyota U.S. dealers 10 percent over its Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $21,725 - $28,615 plus $580 freight USD ($31,280 - $38,710 plus $1,240 freight and PDI in Canada). Also, the Prius spends an average of nine days on a dealer’s lot before being purchased.
Toyota’s all-powerful totally redesigned RAV4 is third most popular, showing that moving the crossover-SUV up to a midsize layout, introducing an optional third row and an optional 269-horsepower V6 were smart moves.
Toyota’s edgy compact division, Scion, not available in Canada except by gray-market importers, enjoyed sixth, seventh and eighth places with its compact xA hatchback, sporty tC coupe and funky xB econo-”box” respectively, while its luxury division, Lexus, performed well by placing its RX 400h midsize hybrid-powered crossover in ninth.