December 21, 2012 - This is probably the first time you’ve heard this today, but it’s Friday December 21st and the world didn’t end. Since we now officially have 2013 to look forward to, let us celebrate by looking back on this year in terms of car sales. With 10 days until the New Year, is it too early to call the race? I mean it’s got to be pretty close right? Nissan just announced that it was having a record year for Altima sales. But was it enough to top the podium of auto sales this year? So many questions…
I’ll make this simple: The answer is no—on all three counts. In fact, we could have called the race at the end of November but we were all so concerned with the end of the world that worrying about car sales just seemed futile. The Altima did have a great year—there is no doubt about that. It topped its personal best, set in 2007, of 284,762 new mid-size sedans sold. As it turns out, this wasn’t even enough to get the Altima into the number two spot. The Honda Accord soundly beat out the Altima, having sold 302,444 sedans through the end of November. While it’s possible for the Altima to make a late surge, the chances are slim to none that it will pass up the Accord.
So the Altima gets bronze, the Accord receives silver, but who was the gold medalist? It’s no surprise that the Toyota Camry sits atop the podium…again. It’s been more than a decade since the Camry claimed the top spot and the king of mid-size sedans shows no signs of relenting. That being said, 2013 could prove to be an interesting year. Nissan, Honda, and Ford have all redesigned their mid-size sedans. Toyota has decided to stay with what has been working for them. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? But will sticking to their 2012 styling prove to be detrimental in the upcoming year? We will see. One thing is for sure though…
There will be a 2013. What a relief!
