The 11 Top-Selling Cars and Trucks for September

Summer is now over, and the drop in temperature seems to be correlated with a similar cooling in auto sales. Model sales largely fell behind comparable numbers from last year, with a few exceptions. Mostly, there were a few mainstays on the list that likely won’t be moving anywhere soon; further, while there was some inter-list movement through the month, it did not appear to be as dramatic as it has been in months past.

General Motors saw a plunge during the month, though Ford managed a decent gain. Nissan (NSANY.PK) and Toyota both saw smaller decreases in sales. Pickup sales still dominated the chart, though not in the volume the industry saw throughout the first part of the year.

Here are the top-selling vehicles of September.

11. Ford Fusion

We’re expanding this list slightly from our usual 10 to include the Ford Fusion, which has had one of its most impressive months ever. Sales of the Fusion hit 62.4 percent above the sales numbers from September 2012 as Ford moved 19,972 units of the hot-selling sedan in an otherwise largely muted month for the industry.

10. Nissan Altima

A weak month for Nissan pushed the Altima from eighth place to 10th, with 21,221 models sold — a 13.7 percent decrease from September of last year, though the 249,518 Altimas that Nissan has moved so far in 2013 remains 6.6 percent over the levels seen at this time in 2012.

9. Honda CR-V

The Honda CR-V was bumped back three places, from sixth in August to ninth in September, as its sales of 21,439 fell 3.7 percent over September 2012. However, sales of 229,082 so far this year remain ahead by 7.4 percent.

8. Ford Escape

The Ford Escape has been a regular feature on these lists, and it returns after taking August off. Sales slid 2.3 percent year over year to 22,607 units, though that was good enough for eighth place. Sales are up 14.1 percent for the year, with Ford moving 228,290 Escapes to date.

7. Honda Civic

Though it couldn’t catch up with the sixth-place contender, the Civic came tantalizingly close: Honda moved 22,983 cars, a 6.7 percent gain over 2012, and stays afloat at an 8.3 percent improvement for the year with 253,561 models sold.

6. Toyota Corolla

Toyota’s redesigned Corolla officially hit the shelves this year, and the refresh seems to be working well for the company, bumping the model up from 10th place in August to sixth in September and moving 23,251 models during the period — eking out a 1 percent gain over the same month last year. Year to date, 233,547 Corollas have been sold, a 4.9 percent bump over 2012.

5. Honda Accord

The Honda Accord has held steady in fifth place since August, moving 25,176 units, though that represents a 13.7 percent dive over September of last year. However, at 282,102 units sold since January, the Accord is still up 13.8 percent so far in 2013.

4. Ram Pickup

The Ram (FIATY.PK) pickup line managed to surge from seventh-place finish to fourth, moving 28,145 units, an 8.4 percent gain over September 2012. Sales for Ram remain healthy in the year to date at 23 percent up over the same period last year; Ram has moved 262,787 models so far.

3. Toyota Camry

The Toyota Camry is back in third after a brief run in second place in August (with big thanks to incentives and discounts). However, the race for silver was neck and neck as Toyota moved 31,871 Camrys in August, less than 1,000 units behind the Silverado, and a 7 percent decrease over 2012. Year to date, the Toyota sedan is up 1.3 percent, with 313,990 cars sold.

2. Chevrolet Silverado

General Motors’s Chevrolet Silverado comes back from third place in August to finish second in September, with 32,506 units sold last month. That’s a 10.8 percent slide over sales from September 2012; for the year, General Motors has pushed 360,775 Silverados off the lots, still 21 percent over 2012.

1. Ford F-Series

Leading the charge yet again — as if it’s really a surprise at this point — is the Ford F-Series line of pickups, selling 60,456 units during the month. That’s a 9.8 percent gain over its sales from September 2012, and it brings the year-to-date total to 559,506 units moved, a 20.7 percent increase.