Specs and Review

(Let us introduce you to the ninth edition of GCBCs new daily auto news recaps including stories from around the web that are either important, informative, interesting, intriguing, or all of the above. Brought to you by GCBCs operations manager, Steffani Cain, articles just like this will appear weekdays on GCBC. Ed.)  

Here are five must-read, must-watch auto news stories, reviews, and videos for Thursday, February 26, 2015.

FUTURE
This is the new, second-generation, Lamborghini Huracan-related Audi R8. Through the end of January 2015, 6182 of the first-generation R8s have been sold in America. Personally, Im not a fan of the look.  Seems like a bad mixture of old design and spacecraft design. But thats just me.


REVIEW
If you haven’t been following along with Edmunds’ long-term test of the 2015 Ford F-150, you ought to. "You want a decent amount of suspension articulation if youre going to venture off the pavement very far, especially if you see yourself getting into the kind of frame-twist situations where one tire could hike up off the ground."

TTAC
Everyone knows that pickup trucks are capable vehicles. But do they know just how capable? Todays pickup trucks arent just capable of toting your stuff and towing your toys while offering space for your family. Theyre capable of grabbing the three best selling positions in America for five consecutive months. Our founder and sales analyst has the details for you on TTAC. "The pickup truck world’s consistent hold on the whole of American best seller’s podium is steadily tightening."

RECALL
Status unchanged since yesterdays Sprinter and FJ Cruiser recalls.

WATCH
Are Cadillac’s disappointing sales figures still the price the brand must pay for inauthentic ads like this one, funny as it was?

Are auto shows dying? Many auto journalists think so. Do new vehicles all look the same? Perhaps to you, a consumer in the compact car category. Are concept cars with no future as a production vehicle annoying? In a sense.

But as art, concept cars serve a purpose as examples of what an automakers design department can do when given a huge budget, few parameters, and no practicality or production concerns.

We can hope automobile manufacturers will be able to keep a few secrets in the lead up to January 2015s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. Maybe there will be something special, not just production versions of upcoming luxury crossovers and flashier potential versions of existing cars, but truly special design. 

Interesting surfaces. Inventive detailing. New ideas. 

If so, this list will be in need of an update. Heading in to the Detroit auto show, however, these are our 26 favourites of the 21st century. You will disagree. Wholeheartedly, we suspect.

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26. Dodge Kahuna
Both ahead of and behind the times, the Kahuna is just one of a dozen or more Chrysler Group concepts we could have placed on this list if we werent interested in spreading the wealth around.

25. Lexus LF-LC
The LF-LC is an opinion divider, but it signaled that Lexus could break free from convention. Quite nicely.

24. Jeep Willys 2
Is it easier for Jeep to impress us with something crazy because the core elements never change? Or is it more difficult because there are untouchable elements?  

23. Volvo T6 Roadster
Some concepts are great because they fit the image of the company. Others, like the T6 Roadster, are perfect because they come completely out of the blue.

22. Mazda Ibuki
This is not what all Miata enthusiasts wanted to see, but it was a whole new take, vital for a car that could have devolved into a painfully slow evolutionary process.

21. Hyundai HCD-14
The HCD is a little bit crazy. OK, its a lot a bit crazy. Its very, truly, overwhelmingly crazy. But it works.

20. Ford Bronco
Ford has introduced a number of brutish, silver truck concepts. This is the best of the bunch.

19. Chevrolet Nomad
It mixes retro and originality rather than just relying on the work a designer completed 40 years ago.

18. Volvo 3CC
Blissfully abnormal, but with a purpose.

17. Lamborghini Estoque
Yes, the modern Miura concept is more eye-catching, but its not original. This sharp-edged knife of a sedan is modern Lamborghini at its best.

16. Infiniti Essence
Its very curvy and flowy and long and low and wide.

15. Chevrolet Code 130R
This is perfect for making auto writers say, "But Chevy, there really is a market for this." Probably not.

14. Buick Velite
Theyll give us a version of the Opel Cascada. This would be so much more in keeping with Buicks premium history.

13. Ford Interceptor
Should we be surprised that a traditional American automaker can design an impressive, classically American full-size sedan?

12. Dodge M80
Itd be a Ram if they introduced it now. Regardless, it strikes a nice balance between outlandish and realistic.

11. Dodge Hornet
Its not pretty, but its a Dodge subcompact with proper Dodge attitude. 

10. Kia GT4 Stinger
On a list full of stuff that wont or didnt or cant happen, the GT4 Stinger might have a future.

9. Mazda Shinari
The production 6 looks good. But with no limitations, Mazda can do way better.

8. Volvo Coupe
Classic proportions mix with Volvos classic and modern flavours.

7. Toyota FT-1
When TVR takes over Toyota.

6. Ford Start
Smooth like a beautiful bubble.

5. BMW X Coupe
Bangle themes - on the right day, in the right light, in the right mood - pleased the right (or wrong?) person.

4. Volvo XC Coupe
Just not quite as good as #3.

3. Volvo Estate
Nobody does wagons like Volvo. Volvo, unfortunately, doesnt do wagons like this.

2. Cadillac Sixteen
Why is the Escalade SUV left on its own to be a big, bold, high-priced Cadillac?

1. Volkswagen Bulli
Take my money. 

In terms of the total number of views on its GCBC sales tracking page in July 2014, the Chevrolet Corvette fell from the first spot in June to the tenth. 

No model-specific sales page was viewed more often than the Honda Accords. The second and third-most-viewed pages belonged to the third and first-best-selling vehicle lines in America. The Honda Civic, Mazda 3, Jeep Cherokee, and Chrysler 200 were other high-volume vehicles to see large amounts of traffic on their tracking pages. Interspersed among them were the Tesla Model S, Chevrolet Volt, and the aforementioned Corvette.

In this post youll also find the most commonly read June 2014-related sales articles at GCBC over the last month and the most frequently viewed GCBC Driven reviews, as well. During every month in which the Volkswagen Jetta GLIs review has been available, for example, its been the most commonly read review on GoodCarBadCar.net.

Automobile manufacturers will begin reporting their July 2014 and year-to-date U.S. and Canadian sales figures on Friday, August 1, 2014. GoodCarBadCar will be updated throughout the day with brand results from automakers competing in the United States and Canada. Later on Tuesday, U.S. July best seller lists for cars and trucks and SUVs will be published, as well.

As always, sales figures for all manufacturers, makes, and models will be updated in GCBCs free searchable database of historical monthly and yearly sales data. For non-mobile users (or mobile users who have opted to view the full site by selecting that option at the bottom of the page), you can also select a vehicle, a brand, a manufacturer, or total industry figures in a dropdown menu near the top right of this page. The in-depth breakdown of July 2014 new vehicle sales begins in earnest straightaway at the beginning of August.

CARS - JULY VIEWS
#10: Chevrolet Corvette
#9: Chrysler 200
#8: Jeep Cherokee
#7: Chevrolet Volt
#6: Mazda 3
#5: Tesla Model S
#4: Honda Civic
#3: Ford F-Series
#2: Toyota Camry
#1: Honda Accord

JUNE 2014 SALES ARTICLES
#10: Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - June 2014
#9: Top 30 Best-Selling Vehicles In America - June 2014
#8: U.S. Pickup Truck Sales Rankings By Model - June 2014 YTD
#7: U.S. Car Sales Rankings By Model - June 2014 YTD
#6: U.S. SUV/Crossover Sales Rankings By Model - June 2014 YTD
#5: Top 20 Best-Selling SUVs In America - June 2014
#4: Canada Auto Sales Brand Rankings - June 2014 YTD
#3: U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - June 2014 YTD
#2: Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - June 2014
#1: U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - June 2014 YTD

REVIEWS
#10: 2014 Toyota Tundra 4x4 SR 5.7L TRD Offroad Double Cab
#9: 2014 Nissan Rogue SL AWD
#8: 2014 Toyota Highlander XLE AWD
#7: 2014 Audi S4
#6: 2014 Ford Fiesta SE Hatchback
#5: 2015 Hyundai Genesis V6 Sedan
#4: 2014 Mazda 3 Sport GT
#3: 2014 Volkswagen Passat TDI Highline
#2: 2014 Subaru Impreza Touring
#1: 2014 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Edition 30

RECOMMENDED READING
GCBCS Most Popular Auto Sales Figures - June 2014
GCBCs Most Popular Auto Sales Figures - May 2014
Complete U.S. Auto Sales Recap - June 2014
Complete Canadian Auto Sales Recap - June 2014

The Chrysler Group sold nearly 33,000 more new vehicles in August 2014 than during the same period one year earlier. 

But that massive 20% leap in sales is not expected to be in line with the overall industrys gains following an impressive jump in sales one year ago, when August volume jumped 17% compared with August 2012 results.

Jeep accounted for 35% of all FCA/Chrysler Group sales, with the Ram brand and bringing in another 36% of the manufacturers volume. Fiat sales tumbled as the 500L faced a knee airbag recall that saw sales fall from 1214 units in August 2013 to just 33 last month. Ram P/U sales jumped 33% to 43,775 units, its second month above 40,000 units this year.

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• U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - August 2014 YTD
• U.S. Car Sales Rankings By Model - August 2014 YTD
• U.S. SUV/Crossover Sales Rankings By Model - August 2014 YTD

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Click Chart To Expand

Ford Motor Company, the maker of Americas top-selling Ford brand, posted a narrow sales gain in August as F-Series sales fell 4%. Ford brand car sales were up 4%, however, a bright spot for a division thats down 3% year-to-date. General Motors, on the other hand, fell 1% as the Chevrolet brand posted narrow losses and Buick and Cadillac fell sharply. GMC sales were up 10% as sales of every model except for the Terrain posted notable increases.

American Honda reported small gains at the Honda brand and more meaningful decreases at the Acura brand, which sold its first 2286 TLX sedans in August. Honda Accord sales jumped 33%, but Civic volume fell 14% and the CR-V was down 2%, as well.

Toyotas corporate-wide 6.3% August improvement involved a meaningful 7% jump at Toyota but also a 10% leap at Lexus, which ended the month as Americas top-selling premium brand for the second consecutive month.

Through the first eight months of 2014, Nissan brand sales in America are up by more than 100,000 units. Its not their top seller by any means, but the Leaf is symbolic of Nissans growth: August was the Leafs best-ever month with 3186 U.S. sales. 

Theres more info after the results table.

If you dont wish to see automakers arranged alphabetically, click column headers to sort automakers by August ranking, August 2014 sales, year-over-year change, year-to-date totals, or any other order. Best seller lists for cars, trucks, and SUVs will be added later this afternoon. In the coming days, GCBC will also publish a complete list of August sales for every single vehicle line, a list which includes brand results. You can always find historical monthly and yearly sales figures for any brand by clicking the brand name in the table below or by selecting a make (or model) at GCBCs Sales Stats page.

Click column headers to sort by specific categories. Using the mobile version of GoodCarBadCar? Switch to the web version at the bottom of the page, at which point columns will be sortable.
September 2014 • July 2014 • August 2013
Updated at 6:16 PM AT on 03.09.2014

Rank	Automaker	August 2014	% Change	Year To Date	% Change	August 2014 Market Share	YTD Market Share
#22	Acura	15,487	-9.2%	105,918	-3.0%	1.0%	0.9%
#20	Audi	17,101	22.1%	116,066	14.5%	1.1%	1.0%
#36	Bentley	241	0.8%	1750	9.0%	0.1%	0.1%
#18	BMW	27,214	11.0%	211,005	11.6%	1.7%	1.9%
#19	Buick	22,143	-10.2%	153,298	8.0%	1.4%	1.4%
#21	Cadillac	16,650	-17.8%	114,008	-4.7%	1.0%	1.0%
#3	Chevrolet	185,930	-1.0%	1,388,993	1.7%	11.7%	12.4%
#16	Chrysler	29,762	3.8%	194,285	-8.6%	1.9%	1.7%
#10	Dodge	49,895	-5.6%	399,937	-3.2%	3.1%	3.6%
#31	Fiat	3362	-19.8%	32,141	8.6%	0.2%	0.3%
#1	Ford	213,227	0.5%	1,637,666	-0.7%	13.4%	14.6%
#11	GMC	47,700	10.4%	328,152	8.2%	3.0%	2.9%
#4	Honda	151,551	1.5%	936,464	-0.8%	9.6%	8.4%
#6	Hyundai	70,003	5.9%	501,448	1.7%	4.4%	4.5%
#23	Infiniti	9164	-22.9%	77,043	7.2%	0.6%	0.7%
#35	Jaguar	1184	-31.3%	10,688	-4.0%	0.1%	0.1%
#7	Jeep	68,766	48.7%	461,156	45.1%	4.3%	4.1%
#8	Kia	54,667	5.1%	403,389	6.6%	3.4%	3.6%
#30	Land Rover	4489	-9.1%	35,318	10.5%	0.3%	0.3%
#14	Lexus	32,809	10.1%	198,831	16.1%	2.1%	1.8%
#24	Lincoln	8146	-0.6%	60,531	13.4%	0.5%	0.5%
#34	Maserati	1233	278%	7807	319%	0.1%	0.1%
#15	Mazda	31,305	11.4%	216,973	9.6%	2.0%	1.9%
#17	Mercedes-Benz ^	28,958	10.7%	221,471	9.0%	1.8%	2.0%
#27	Mini	5006	-16.9%	34,969	-21.1%	0.3%	0.3%
#25	Mitsubishi	6786	28.5%	52,807	29.3%	0.4%	0.5%
#5	Nissan	125,224	15.3%	883,274	12.9%	7.9%	7.9%
#29	Porsche	4540	36.5%	31,759	11.6%	0.3%	0.3%
#12	Ram	46,594	38.7%	298,650	24.1%	2.9%	2.7%
#26	Scion	6186	-19.6%	41,949	-14.3%	0.4%	0.4%
#33	Smart	1334	34.3%	7332	16.2%	0.1%	0.1%
#9	Subaru	50,246	22.4%	333,968	18.6%	3.2%	3.0%
#37	Suzuki	---	---	---	-100%	0.0%	0.0%
#32	Tesla ‡	1800	-21.7%	16,830	8.1%	0.1%	0.1%
#2	Toyota	207,105	6.7%	1,386,729	5.6%	13.1%	12.4%
#13	Volkswagen	35,181	-12.8%	244,878	-13.4%	2.2%	2.2%
#28	Volvo	4960	-10.1%	39,184	-11.0%	0.3%	0.4%
---	---	---	---	---	---	---	----
	General Motors	272,423	-1.2%	1,984,451	2.8%	17.2%	17.7%
	Toyota Motor Corporation	246,100	6.3%	1,627,509	6.1%	15.5%	14.5%
	Ford Motor Company	221,373	0.4%	1,698,197	-0.3%	14.0%	15.2%
	Chrysler Group	198,379	19.8%	1,386,169	14.2%	12.5%	12.4%
	Honda Motor Company	167,038	0.4%	1,042,382	-1.1%	10.5%	9.3%
	Nissan Motor Company	134,388	11.5%	960,317	12.4%	8.5%	8.6%
	Hyundai-Kia	124,670	5.5%	904,837	3.8%	7.9%	8.1%
	Volkswagen  Group *	57,063	-1.5%	394,353	-4.8%	3.6%	3.5%
	BMW-Mini	32,220	5.5%	245,974	5.4%	2.0%	2.2%
	Daimler	30,292	11.6%	228,803	9.2%	1.9%	2.0%
	Jaguar-Land Rover	5673	-14.8%	46,006	6.7%	0.4%	0.4%
---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---
---	Total	1,586,374	5.5%	11,191,068	5.1%

Source: Automakers & ANDC 
Red font indicates declining year-over-year volume
* Does not include Lamborghini 
^ Excluding Sprinter: up 9.4% to 27,078 in August; up 8.2% to 205,894 YTD.
‡ Automotive News estimate

Audi sold more new vehicles in August than in any month in the companys history, thanks in large part to a big month from the A3, the brands third-best-selling model, which added 2407 extra sales to the year-over-year tally. Audis Volkswagen parent brand slid 13%, a loss of 5161 units, in August 2014, as the Jetta, Beetle, Eos, Passat, CC, Tiguan, and Touaregs losses were far more severe than the Golfs 26% improvement.

Hyundai says August 2014 was their second-best month ever - only May of this year resulted in greater Hyundai USA sales volume. Big gains came from the Santa Fe, Sonata, and Tucson. Hyundais Kia partner was up 5.5% as the Soul once again provided major gains: 5052 extra units compared with August 2013. 

Subaru reported its highest-volume month in the companys history, cresting the 50K barrier for the first time thanks to a 25% increase in Forester sales and a 73% jump in XV Crosstrek volume. Mazda didnt report its best month or its best August, although it was the brands best August in 12 years. Sales of the 3 slid slightly, but the CX-5 was up 26%. The new MX-5 Miata should debut some time today. Were waiting, as of this moment. Mitsubishi, an even smaller Japanese auto brand, reported 29% August gains. Mitsubishi cant sell vehicles the way they did a decade ago, but the brand is steadily, slowly but surely, growing again.

BMWs 11% gains in August were impressive; Minis 17% loss much less so. BMW sold 1025 i3s and nine i8s. Mini attracts attention because sales of the third-gen Hardtop, the brands core model, was down 44.5%, while Countryman sales jumped 48%. Mercedes-Benz was outsold by BMW as the three-pointed stars EV, the B-Class, attracted just 51 buyers. Mercedes-did sell 2722 CLAs to make up for a 23% loss in C-Class sales. S-Class volume more than quadrupled.

Jaguar and Land Rover combined for a disappointing August, a month which ended just before Land Rover introduced its new Discovery Sport. Disappointingly, Porsche began combining sales figures for the 911 and 918 Spyder in August 2014. We hope to see a breakdown soon. Porsche sold 1485 Cayennes; 969 Macans. Yet more proof that the new Volvo XC90 needs to get here fast? Volvo sales dropped 10% in August 2014.

RECOMMENDED READING
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - September 2014 YTD
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - July 2014 YTD
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - 2013 Year End
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - August 2013 YTD