Canada’s 10 worst selling new cars in 2010

[MTLskyline]

Canada’s 10 worst selling new cars in 2010

 

John Leblanc

Special to the Star

Nov 30, 2010

 

Automakers go hammer-and-tongs at each other every month to make the “best seller” lists, topped so far this year in Canada by 84,630 Ford F-150 pickups sold, and 48,805 Honda Civics.

 

Rarely mentioned, though, are the vehicles floundering at the bottom of the sales charts.

 

And I’m not talking about exotic sports cars (of the 1,330,658 new cars sold in Canada in the first 10 months of this year, did you know that only 59 of them have been Nissan GT-Rs?).

 

Nor am I referring to luxury brands (only 63 Bentleys sold ) or discontinued models that are still lingering around on dealer lots (only one Pontiac G8 has been sold).

 

Although there are still a few weeks left in the calendar year to make up for their dismal sales numbers, here are the 10 Worst Selling New Cars for 2010* to date:

 

10. Nissan Armada/329 sold

 

From the company that can’t tell you enough about its zero-emission, no-fuel Leaf electric vehicle, also comes the anti-Leaf: the $55,898 (all starting prices) full-size, truck-based, U.S.-made Nissan Armada SUV.

 

Now on the market for five years, the Armada has always been a slow showroom mover in Canada. GM has sold about four Chevy Tahoes for every Armada so far in 2010.

 

The big, traditional SUV offers decent acceleration from its V8, and plenty of room for its three rows of passengers. But the Armada’s appetite for fuel and Legoland interior has always limited its appeal.

 

9. Mitsubishi Galant/325 sold

 

Just to put the midsize $23,998 Galant’s woeful sales figures into perspective, Chrysler Canada has managed to sell ten times the number of its equally unappealing Sebring sedans so far in 2010, while the segment’s best-seller, the Ford Fusion, has sold 17,111 copies.

 

There are plenty of good reasons for the ninth-generation Galant’s lack of sales success. Built on a North American-specific platform since 2005 (which also supports the dead-SUV-walking Endeavor, see below, and Eclipse sports coupe), the Galant was born “old” with a down-market interior and inefficient power trains. Plus, Mitsubishi has done little to nothing to make the car competitive since.

 

8. Mitsubishi Endeavor/323 sold

 

Built off the same uncompetitive and aging “PS” platform as the $36,998 midsize Galant (see above), and entering its seventh model year, the Endeavor has never caught on in what has become a popular segment in Canada, led by best-sellers like the Ford Edge (14,234 sold so far in 2010).

 

For those 323 unlucky Canadians who bought one of the Mitsu crossovers this year, you get tight interior accommodations, a gutless V6 and an autobox with only four gears. Have fun.

 

7. Kia Borrego/271 sold

 

One of the few strikeouts from an automaker that seems to be hitting nothing but home runs lately, Kia introduced its traditional, body-on-frame $40,545 Borrego SUV in 2009, which was about a decade too late.

 

Sure, there’s room for seven. And it can tow. But as its woeful sales imply, the number of customers who are willing to put up with the Borrego’s heavy-duty fuel consumption, stiff ride and politically incorrect SUV image make it a niche player in a niche segment.

 

In fact, as of next January, the Borrego will stop being made for the Canadian market.

6. Volvo V50/230 sold

 

Why Volvo Canada has only been able to sell 230 copies of its well-executed, V50 compact wagon so far in 2010 is beyond me.

 

Firstly, with the demise of the mid-size V70 for 2011, the V50 is the last Volvo station wagon in the lineup. And although the $35,495 V50 T5 is limited to only power in its front wheels, it offers many of the attributes of a BMW 3 Series Touring or Audi A4 Avant, but for about $10k less.

 

5. Lexus GS/215 sold

 

In a midsize luxury sport segment that has seen BMW able to sell 1,724 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz move 3,310 of its E Class, the unpopular Lexus GS sedan is a non-player.

 

It’s not like the $54,650 GS is an “awful” or “bad” car, though. Far from it.

 

The Lexus is well built, and offers competitive luxury and safety kit. But it has been on sale since 2006. And with slow sales compared to its competitors, the V8 and rear-wheel-drive GS models have been dropped, leaving only the all-wheel-drive V6 GS 350 AWD version for 2011.

 

4. Cadillac DTS/197 sold

 

Unlike the V50, it’s no mystery why GM Canada has only moved fewer than 200 examples of its full-size DTS sedan.

 

First, the DTS is old: running on a platform from 1988. Second: its front-drive, 275 hp V8 drive train and waterbed driving characteristics are no match for other more powerful and modern “flagship” sedans.

 

But hey, at least compared to those $100,000 German luxobarges, at $56,540 the big Caddy is cheap. But then again, looking at its dreadful sales figures, obviously not cheap enough.

3. Suzuki Equator/152 sold

 

Did you know Suzuki sold a mid-size pickup truck? Apparently, based on the few sold in Canada so far in 2010, the answer would be an emphatic, “No!”

 

Just as the Japanese brand was moving away from partnerships (bye-bye, rebadged GM cars like the Verona sedan and XL-7 crossover) the $34,995 Equator arrived just last year as a rebadged Nissan Frontier (which Nissan Canada managed to sell 1,849 copies of so far this year).

 

2. Cadillac STS/40 sold

 

Soon to be replaced by a new XTS sedan for 2012, I can understand if you thought Caddy’s $61,135 STS mid-size luxury sedan had already been put out to pasture.

 

The STS is only slightly larger on the inside, but comes with a hefty price premium over the more successful CTS.

 

And like Lexus’ lack of success with its GS midsize, GM Canada is trimming back the STS lineup. Last year’s optional V8 has been deep-sixed, leaving only the slightly less powerful 302 hp V6.

 

Not that any Canadians are likely to notice anyway…

 

1. Acura RL/33 sold

 

Acura’s $63,900 RL luxury sedan keeps on popping up on my Top 10 lists, but for all the wrong reasons.

 

Back in February, I pegged its current 2008 exterior makeover as one of my Top 10 Worst Redesigns, citing its incongruous “Knights of the Round Table grille” that was slapped onto its otherwise conservative proportions.

 

A few months later, I tagged Acura’s flagship as one of my Top 10 Cars for Your Grandfather, writing, “Where other top-line sedans sport big V8s and roomy interiors, most of the RL’s customers are loyal Legend owners that aren’t bothered by the Acura’s relatively anemic 300 hp 3.7-litre V6.”

 

I promise, if Honda Canada listens to the market, does the humane thing and kills off the RL sooner rather than later, to never put it on a Top 10 list ever again.

 

Maybe…

 

*Source: Automotive News Data Centre and Association of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada. Based on retails sales in Canada between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, 2010.

http://www.wheels.ca/reviews/article/792745

[Aurélien]

Dire que mon grand-père s'est acheté une S50 cette année ...!!!

[Cyrus]

It is interesting to note the market failure of the Nissan Armada but also the other large Japanese SUV and pickup trucks that have come around. In other market segments, the Japanese have been very competitive and have even taken over the market from American and other makers. For example minivans, minivans were owned by Chrysler and to a lesser extent Ford and GM. Today it is still Chrysler at the low end, and Toyota and Honda at the high end. GM and Ford don't even try to make minivans anymore. In large sedans, Accord and Camry rule the market...

 

but the T-100 Toyota pickup was a joke, the first Tundra was ignored, the new Tundra is bigger than the American trucks and competitive on paper, but quite ugly, and nobody wants them. The Nissan Titan is excellent on paper, drives well, is not so ugly and has an attractive price, but nobody wants them either. It is interesting because in the old days the small "mini-pickups" from Toyota, Mazda and Nissan sold extremely well even though they cost the same as a much larger, more capable American type truck. (I admit the mini-pickup size is much more convenient for a city / suburb dweller, but nobody even sells a mini-pickup anymore, except maybe GM and Forzda).

 

Toyota and Nissan in particular have sunk billions into cracking that market, even with American factories to build them, American design centres to design them, etc. They are pretty much "American" in all but name (Tundra for example, designed in California, built in Texas) especially compared to say GM and Ford (usually made in Ontario)...

[Aurélien]

Le Toyota 4-Runner a bien fonctionné, non?

Et le Nissan Pathfinder?

 

Bon, reste que c'est toujours un marché très américain...

[Cyrus]

Le Toyota 4-Runner a bien fonctionné, non?

Et le Nissan Pathfinder?

 

Bon, reste que c'est toujours un marché très américain...

 

Certes, mais leurs ventes n'ont jamais touche l'Explorer... j'ai voulu toucher uniquement dans mon reference les "grosses" genre Sequoia / Armada contre Tahoe, Suburban, Expedition, Durango et particulierement le Titan / Tundra contre le F-150 / Sierra-Silverado / Ram et j'en passe...

[Urb]

Lorsqu'une Acura RL vends deux fois moins de voitures que Bentley, il y a un sacré problème de vente de ce coté.

 

Aussi, sauf erreur de perception, je crois que s'il y avait un top 20, on retrouverait pas mal toute la gamme de Mitsubishi dans les voitures les moins vendu. (sauf peut-être la Lancer)

[Zwi]

Sauf pas être si méchant. ^^ Selon les chiffres de l'auto 2011, il s'est vendu au Québec en 2010:

 

283 Eclipse/Spyder

109 Endeavor

3545 Lancer/sportback

268 Lancer evo/rallyart

3686 Outlander

 

La Galant ne semble plus en vente ici et j'imagine que le Endeavor ne devrait plus l'être bientôt.

[Cyrus]

Lorsqu'une Acura RL vends deux fois moins de voitures que Bentley, il y a un sacré problème de vente de ce coté.

 

Aussi, sauf erreur de perception, je crois que s'il y avait un top 20, on retrouverait pas mal toute la gamme de Mitsubishi dans les voitures les moins vendu. (sauf peut-être la Lancer)

 

C'est une modele de voiture qu'on doit poser le question "pourquoi"... par exemple, la derniere generation de l'Acura TL etait beaucoup plus belle, avec le meme motorisation, un grandeur semblable, un moindre prix mais un meilleur valeur de revente. La nouvelle TL n'est pas si belle, faut l'admettre, mais autrement ses avantages restent face a la RL... et evidemment il y a tous les autres voitures des autres manufacturiers (Lexus notamment).

[Davidbourque]

le problème d'Acura, Lexus, Infiniti et cie, c'est que les consomateurs ont comme perception que ces autos ne sont que des version haut de gamme d'Honda, Toyota et nissan.

 

 

Les gens qui veulent du luxe et du prestige ne veulent pas avoir l'impression de rouler en Accord repackagé avec un peu plus de luxe.

 

Mercedez, BMW et Audi eux offre un vrai sentiment de haut de gamme...

[Urb]

le problème d'Acura, Lexus, Infiniti et cie, c'est que les consomateurs ont comme perception que ces autos ne sont que des version haut de gamme d'Honda, Toyota et nissan.

 

En effet, et quelques fois c'était réellement le cas, comme la défunte Acura EL qui était une Honda Civic avec un logo d'Acura et du cuire....