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发帖数: 11530 | 1 Nine Cars Americans Loved or Hated in 2016
Crunching data to see which models saw the biggest spikes and swoons in
sales this year.
by Kyle Stock
December 27, 2016, 5:00 AM CST December 27, 2016, 8:46 AM CST
This year, just like every other year in the past several decades, Americans
will buy more Ford pick-up trucks than any other vehicle. The final tally
for 2016 will come in around 800,000. Other big trucks come in far behind,
and then there's the Toyota Camry and Honda Civic. American drivers are
creatures of habit, so it takes little effort for Ford to win the annual
sales crown.
To squeeze a big sales boost out of a less-popular vehicle that’s been
around awhile, on the other hand, is just about the toughest trick in the
auto industry. To that end, Bloomberg crunched sales data through November
to see which models posted the biggest demand spikes and swoons 1 . These
are the vehicles that show us the future—and soon-to-be past—of the car
business.
Infiniti QX50 (+272%)
2016 Infiniti QX50
The QX50 found the sweet spot of the SUV lineup, just a tad larger than
small.
Source: Infiniti
Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury brand, now makes four sizes of SUV. The QX50 is
the second-smallest, perhaps more accurately called the just-right size.
This is the size and shape of vehicle that Americans want to buy right now,
more than anything else. The latest iteration is a little larger and
sportier than before. Think of it as the poor man’s Porsche Macan, with
similar performance for almost half the cost.
Mercedes-Benz GLE (+221%)
Mercedes-Benz GLE
The Mercedes-Benz GLE is now second only to its C-Class sedan in U.S. sales.
Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
Depending on how you slice it, the Mercedes family now has about 25 members.
In that bustling Stuttgart house, the GLE SUV is now the second-favorite
sibling. It topped both the E-Class sedan and its smaller, cheaper SUV
siblings in U.S. sales this year. Sure, the C-Class sedan is still the most
popular model. But for much of the world, a GLE is now the Mercedes to
aspire to.
Volvo XC90 (+202%)
Volvo's XC90 was overhauled from the ground-up in 2015.
Volvo's XC90 was overhauled, from the ground up, in 2015.
This one just barely ducked through our filter of all-new models; the
version Volvo rolled out in 2015 was, pretty much, an existing vehicle in
name only. Volvo rolled out an entirely new platform, engine lineup, and an
interior styling complete with little tags fashioned as Swedish flags. The
XC90 picked up Motor Trend’s coveted SUV of the Year award in 2015, and
Volvo ramped up production. The past year saw the brand make good on this
extensive investment.
Audi TT (+201%)
Audi AG TT RS coupe
Audi's TT won over speed freaks with subdued styling and a killer cockpit.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
Few people care for little sports cars anymore—at least, those not stamped
with a Porsche badge. That makes it all the more incredible for Audi to have
moved about 3,000 TTs in 2016. Alfa-Romeo, by comparison, will struggle to
offload 500 of its dead-sexy 4C. Credit Audi’s coup to a 2015 refresh that
included a new, lightweight aluminum body, very cool headlights, and
futuristic interior design.
BMW X1 (+88%)
BMW X1
BMW's latest X1 is higher and drives better than the prior iteration.
Source: BMW
Another small SUV. See a trend here? BMW’s starter truck is no longer an
afterthought wedged between its 3-series sedan and the X3. The latest
version finally makes good on BMW’s driving dynamics, a particularly nice
feature when paired with an even higher riding position. Buyers noticed.
Meanwhile, on the down side ...
Honda Fit (-43%)
2017 Honda Fit
Honda's Fit is a very small car that, unfortunately, looks like a very small
car.
Source: Honda
Make no mistake, this is a great car. The Fit's ratio of interior space to
exterior size seems to bend the laws of physics, and that equation has only
improved over time. The problem, one suspects, is appearance. The Fit still
looks like a tiny car, even though designers have learned to make tiny cars
look like large-ish SUVs. That bastardization of physics tends to win over
buyers these days.
BMW 6-Series (-46%)
BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe
The BMW 6-Series appeals to an increasingly narrow set of buyers.
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
The 6-Series, while incredible, has an identity crisis of sorts. It’s built
for four people, yet often has only two doors. It’s made for speed and
weighs 4,000 pounds. It can be had as a convertible, which no one seems to
care about these days. Customers still love this weird mash-up of a machine.
They just prefer it in a jacked-up version.
Fiat 500L (-60%)
Fiat 500L
U.S. drivers are increasingly unimpressed with the Fiat 500L's size and
styling.
Photographer: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images
The 500L is Fiat-Chrysler’s acknowledgement that Americans like cargo
capacity. The problem: It still looks like a Fiat. Curiously, U.S. drivers
are just fine with the bones of the car; they would just rather have them
packaged as a Jeep Renegade, a close cousin to the 500L that will top 100,
000 in U.S. sales this year.
Chrysler 200 (-65%)
2015 Chrysler 200
Chrysler is phasing out its 200; drivers already have.
Photographer: Jeff Kowalsky/Bloomberg
It’s tough to fight Honda and Toyota in the regular-old-car game, but Ford
is doing a decent job with the Fusion, and Chevrolet’s Malibu is hanging in
there. Saddled with sub-par reviews, however, the Chrysler 200 just couldn
’t keep up. Fiat-Chrysler is phasing out the 200 and, by the looks of this
year’s sales, may have already stopped luring buyers with big incentives.
Kia K900 (-68%)
Kia K900
Curb appeal and a Super Bowl ad weren't enough to move Kia's K900.
Source: Kia
Kia’s cruise ship had two things going for it when it came to the USA in
2014: novelty and marketing money. By 2016, however, the novelty was gone,
and the LeBron James ads were growing less prominent. Only the crummy
reviews kept coming. | W***n
发帖数: 11530 | 2 1 jap car hit t most loved list,
but unfortunately, it's a tincan
oh, Honda did hit t most hatred list, it's t Fit
hahaha | W***n
发帖数: 11530 | 3 Volvo XC90 (+202%)
a solid car with excellent growth rate |
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