We're hearing how car and truck sales are down this year. Sales of truck based SUV's like the Ford Explorer, Chevy Trailblazer, and Toyota Sequoia have plunged 25 percent.
But what many news reports are not telling you is that some dealerships are seeing sales increases....because of the type of cars theyre selling.
Hot Selling CarsCar buyer Liz Brunner likes the features in the 2009 Toyota Corolla. But what sold her on this car was its gas mileage. She says "I have to travel on the highway to get to my job, so I needed something fuel efficient."
Salesman Nick Weisbord says thanks to Toyota's lineup of small cars there's no shortage of buyers at his lot. Mileage, he says is"very, extremely important...Thats the number one question theyre asking when the come in."
The Most in Demand ModelBut he says the model that really brings them in these days is the hybrid Prius. Unfortunately, the 46 mile per gallon hybrid now has a 2 to 3 month waiting list almost everywhere.
So instead, Nick says, buyers are migrating to the
Toyota Corolla, the tiny
Yaris, and
Toyota's mini-SUV, the Matrix.Other Hot Selling BrandsIn addition to Toyota's lineup, other in-demand 30 mile per gallon cars include the the:
Chevy AveoFord FocusHonda Fit Honda CivicHyundai ElantraKia RioMini CooperMazda 3Nissan VersaVW RabbitBig trucks and SUV's may be languishing on the lot....but folks like Liz Brunner are ready to buy if the mileage is right.
Car dealers tell us the magic number right now is 30: Any car that gets more than 30 miles per gallon is red hot.... and will likely remain so, as long as gas prices remain high.
So don't waste your money. I'm John Matarese.
