10 Vehicles That Were Flying Off the Dealer Lots in March
Though auto sales grew through March as gas prices stayed low and the economy kept pace, the overall growth rate of 3.2% was a minimal achievement for an industry that grew at a strong clip in February. Trucks continued to post strong gains; sedans were a mixed pack, and crossover SUVs — as far as the top 10 is concerned — weren’t able to keep pace, as the Toyota RAV4 was the only contender in its class to score a seat at the table.
“The lone declines came from the Toyota Corolla (down 8.4 percent versus a strong March 2015) and the Camry (down 9.3 percent),” said Cars.com. “Camry shoppers had a lot of new alternatives, from a redesigned Chevrolet Malibu to a refreshed Honda Accord and Nissan Altima. All three rivals saw sales increases in March, while the Camry fell — and that’s despite higher cash rebates versus year-ago levels.”
Read on to see the 10 best-selling vehicles in America from March 2016. All data provided by Cars.com.
10. Toyota RAV4
Toyota’s family-favorite ute had itself a hell of a month, posting sales of 29,045 — up 15.1% versus March of last year. This bring’s the RAV4’s year-to-date totals to 76,122, up 13.6% versus the first quarter of 2015.
9. Ford Fusion
Jumping into this year with a fresh model for 2017, Ford is offering Fusion buyers more with a 325 horsepower Sport model and a high-end Platinum trim. Consumers responded, albeit comparatively marginally; Fusion sales rose 2.2% to 29,675 units, leaving the car at 74,994 for the year so far (up 4.9%). With the 2017 models still finding its way to showrooms, expect Fusion sales to strengthen throughout the year.
8. Honda Accord
Well into its 2016 redesign phase, the Honda Accord is starting to put up the numbers Honda was looking for. It sold 30,523 units in March, good for a year-on-year increase of 17.3%. This leaves Accord sales at 77,073 for the year — a 12.3% bump for the first three months when compared to the same period of 2015.
7. Toyota Corolla
Though the 2016 Corolla is a venerable fighter on paper, amplified competition sent Toyota’s engineers back to the drafting board for 2017. Corolla sales in March slid by 8.4% to 32,556, putting its year-to-date sales at 84,260 — 7.1% off the first quarter of 2015.
6. Honda Civic
Superseding the Corolla as America’s favorite compact sedan (at least for a month), the all-new Honda Civic tacked on gains of 21.8% in March for a monthly total of 32,855. This leaves the new model up 30.8% for the year so far at 87,303, and we haven’t even seen the coupe or hatchback models yet.
5. Nissan Altima
Trouncing the Accord (but falling short of the Camry) for the third month, the Nissan Altima held more than its own as a refreshed model for 2016 began to work its magic. Nissan sold 34,856 units of it, good for a 8.9% spike in sales versus March a year ago. Year-to-date, the Altima is actually down 1.8%, at 85,332 units.
4. Toyota Camry
Sales of 36,991 Camry sedans was enough for Toyota to retain its position as the best-selling car in America, but it came as a 9.4% slump versus March a year ago. Since January, Toyota has sold 96,244 units of the popular car, leaving it down for the first quarter by 4.2%.
3. Ram Pickup
Despite not having the same recent re-tooling that its competition has had, the Ram Pickup has trucked on with a 7.9% gain in sales for March of 2016 at 44,874 units sold. This leaves the brand up 11.7% for the year (coming off a strong 2015, too), having moved 113,367 units off the lots during the first three months.
2. Chevrolet Silverado
Chevrolet moved in strong during March, moving 47,966 Silverado pickups for the month — a solid 6.1% gain on an already-strong March 2015. This leaves Silverado sales up marginally, 1.8%, at 128,965 models moved since January 1.
1. Ford F-Series
Not to be budged from its throne, the Ford F-Series sold a stellar 73,884 units in March for a 9.1% surge over the same month last year. To date since January, Ford has moved 186,121 F-Series trucks, leaving sales up 5% for the year.