What Vehicles at LA Show Will Win in the Market?
December 14, 2009
With the doors closed last weekend on the 2009 Los Angeles auto show, the vehicles that premiered there will soon be arriving in dealer showrooms. What ones will sell in the marketplace?
To answer that question, AutoObserver watched the behavior of Edmunds.com visitors who came to the car-shopping Web site for vehicle information and turned to Edmunds.com staffers who covered the show.
Edmunds.com visitors appeared most interested in the Buick Regal, Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Sonata, Mazda 2 and Toyota Sienna, with those vehicles seeing the biggest rise in shopping consideration.
Consideration is the percentage of visitors to Edmunds.com who view vehicle content, such as pricing, reviews, specifications and photos about a specific new vehicle, as a share of visitors who view similar content about any new vehicle within the same vehicle segment.
|
Make |
Model |
Gain in Consideration |
|
Buick |
Regal |
14% |
|
Chevrolet |
Cruze |
37% |
|
Ford |
Fiesta |
48% |
|
Hyundai |
Sonata |
12% |
|
Mazda |
Mazda2 |
20% |
|
Toyota |
Sienna |
10% |
Source: Edmunds.com
In a first drive of the 2011 Buick Regal, AutoObserver sister site, Inside Line, said if the Regal fails in the marketplace, it won't be the fault of the car.
"We can't say how potential buyers will react to this genuinely attractive, Euro-style sporty sedan from the geriatric division of GM," wrote Inside Line's Dan Pund. What we can say is, if Buick can somehow convince people to test-drive the thing, the Regal's got a good fighting chance at success."
Edmunds.com visitors also showed their interest with consideration rising 14 percent for the Regal during the LA show days.
Chevrolet finally has an affordable, volume-production vehicle that can legitimately compete in this segment with the 2011 Cruze, Edmunds.com staffers suggest.
Powered by a four-cylinder engine with optional turbocharger, and available six-speed automatic or manual transmission, GM priority on fuel efficiency is evident. Though official mpg numbers for the Cruze aren't out yet, GM boasts highway mileage will be in the 40 mpg neighborhood.
Edmunds.com has driven it and the 2011 Ford Fiesta gets the thumbs up."Completely lives up to all of the hype," said one Edmunds.com staffer.
And there's been plenty of hype, including the Fiesta movement with so-called "agents" taking 100 of the cars on adventures and snapping photos and video along the way. At the LA show, a host of Fiesta agents synchronously removed veils from the cars.
Ford claims serious interest from 80,000 vehicle shoppers already.
Watch out Toyota, Honda and every other automaker that sells a midsize sedan. Hyundai has a hands-down winner with the 2011 Hyundai Sonata. Already generating tremendous buzz, including on Edmunds.com sites, the Sonata made its official debut at the LA show.
Hyundai's been on fire with sales and as one Edmunds.com staffer noted, "The Sonata could very well be the company's biggest hit yet."
The dramatically redesigned Sonata is stunning to say the least. It features the lightest six-speed automatic transmission on the market, has the interior space of a large car despite its midsize footprint, said John Krafcik, CEO of Hyundai Motor America, announced on the show floor. Three powertrains, including a hybrid, will be available.
New to the U.S. but not the rest of the world, the Mazda 2 has already built a reputation as an affordable and fuel efficient vehicle.
In North America, the Mazda2 -- a cousin to the Ford Fiesta -- will be offered with as a five door with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and a choice of five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions. It will ride on 15-inch wheels and tires.
Toyota may well be the beneficiary of other automakers deserting the minivan market. At least that's what the Japanese company is counting on with the redesigned 2011 Toyota Sienna.
Still, Toyota is playing down minivan and emphasizing how sedan-like the redesign has made this people hauler.
"The third-generation Sienna will look and drive more like a sedan," Toyota said in a statement.
The new Sienna goes on sale in February.
Photos by Manufacturers
1 - Buick Regal
2 - Chevrolet Cruze
3 - Ford Fiesta
4 - Hyundai Sonata
5 - Mazda Mazda2
6 - Toyota Sienna
Posted by Michelle Krebs at 6:54 AM under Analysis , Commentary , Featured , GM , Hyundai, Kia , Mazda , Toyota | Comments (0) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
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