The 15 Worst-Selling Vehicles In America - 2010

During previous instances in which The Good Car Guy found the Worst Selling Cars in America or Canada, even when configuring lists for Sympatico Autos, there's been a host of ground rules. Foremost among those rules was the absence of luxury-branded vehicles. Luxury cars are by their very nature intended to sell in lower volumes. Punishing them for this is petty. Next up for exclusion were SUVs, trucks, crossovers, and minivans. This time, that rule has been forgotten. Finally, defunct brands or models which had already been killed off were obvious slow sellers, so they were ignored.

Not this time, however. For the sake of humour and remembrance - and because these vehicles haven't been discussed on GoodCarBadCar.net for ages - the 15 Worst-Selling Cars In America in 2010 include dead or mostly dead vehicles. They are either out of production, soon to be out of production, or not a part of the U.S. new vehicle market any longer.

Rank	Car	2010	% Drop
#1	Pontiac Grand Prix	7	-97.4
#2	Mitsubishi Raider	9	-99.5
#3	Mazda B-Series	10	-98.3
#4	Suzuki Forenza/Reno	12	-99.7
#5	Ford Taurus X	12	-99.8
#6	Pontiac G3	14	-99.8
#7	Saturn Astra	25	-99.6
#8	Chrysler Aspen	30	-99.5
#9	Mercury Sable	37	-99.4
#10	Pontiac Torrent	68	-99.3
#11	Chevrolet Uplander	76	-95.7
#12	GMC Envoy	84	-98.3
#13	Honda S2000	85	-89.3
#14	Pontiac G5	86	-99.3
#15	Pontiac Vibe	97	-99.7

Curiously, Mazda Canada has held on to the B-Series... for now. (Its donor vehicle, the Ford Ranger, is not long for this world.) B-Series sales were up 55% in 2010 to 2545. Speaking of Ford, the Taurus X evolved from the Freestyle. Certainly different in styling, the Freestyle/Taurus X's successor, the Ford Flex, isn't totally unlike its predecessors and doesn't sell much better, either. Mercury, Pontiac, and Saturn are all inoperative. The Honda S2000 is sadly no longer a part of Honda's fleet, let's fondly remember it's sweet shifter and screaming 4-cylinder. General Motors doesn't play the minivan game, so the Uplander is gone. The GMC Acadia has been a successful replacement for the GMC Envoy. You could say the GMC Terrain has been a more-than-adequate stand-in for the Pontiac Torrent. Could the Aspen ever return? It seems unlikely, but the name of its platform-mate, Dodge Durango, is returning on an all-new platform. Does anybody even know what the Suzuki Forenza or Reno was? And the Mitsubishi Raider? Sorry Mitsu, Americans buy F-150s, Silverados, Sierras, Rams, and a few Tacomas. Not much else.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In America - 2011 Year End
Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In America - March 2010
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - 2010 Year End
Top 5 Best-Selling Trucks In America - 2010 Year End
U.S. Auto Sales By Brand - 2010 Year End

25 Vehicles Made In Canada In 2010

Canadians are proud of their ability to play hockey, get along well with one another, fish through ice, cut down trees, and.... build cars. This isn't just a recent feat, the manufacturing of automobiles. Studebaker was building cars in Hamilton, Ontario in 1947. How fitting then, that every car made in Canada today is also made in the populous province of Ontario.

In June of 2009 The Good Car Guy published a list of all vehicles made in Canada at the time. This list has been amended. An updated version is listed below along with the area of Ontario in which the vehicles are built. There's even a nice image provided by Industry Canada and a handy Google Earth-marked image to map things out for those not familiar with southern Ontario.

Acura CSX - Alliston, Ontario
Acura MDX - Alliston, Ontario
Acura ZDX - Alliston, Ontario
Chevrolet Camaro - Oshawa, Ontario
Chevrolet Equinox - Ingersoll, Ontario
Chevrolet Impala - Oshawa, Ontario
Chrysler 300 - Brampton, Ontario
Chrysler Town & Country - Windsor, Ontario
Dodge Challenger - Brampton, Ontario
Dodge Charger - Brampton, Ontario
Dodge Grand Caravan - Windsor, Ontario
Ford Crown Victoria - St. Thomas, Ontario
Ford Edge - Oakville, Ontario
Ford Flex - Oakville, Ontario
GMC Terrain - Ingersoll, Ontario
Honda Civic - Alliston, Ontario
Lexus RX350 - Cambridge, Ontario
Lincoln MKT - Oakville, Ontario
Lincoln MKX - Oakville, Ontario
Lincoln Town Car - St. Thomas, Ontario
Mercury Grand Marquis - St. Thomas, Ontario
Toyota Corolla - Cambridge, Ontario
Toyota Matrix - Cambridge, Ontario
Toyota RAV4 - Woodstock, Ontario
Volkswagen Routan - Brampton, Ontario

For the record, the stereotypes above are just that: stereotypes. The Good Car Guy played lacrosse, volleyball, and basketball for his junior high school; table tennis internationally; and even won the Austin Clay Court Open in Austin, Texas many moons ago. He works as a freelance auto writer, doesn't always get along with other drivers, and doesn't build cars. And wouldn't know how.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Minivan Sales In Canada - August 2010
Canada Auto Sales Stats - September 2010
25 Vehicles Made In Canada - 2009

FIVE GOOD NEWS ITEMS FROM FORD MOTOR COMPANY'S SEPTEMBER SALES FIGURES

Of all the Ford-Lincoln-Mercury cars and trucks that were on sale in the United States at this time last year, seven posted improved in September. Every Lincoln suffered a decrease compared with September of 2008. Amongst all the Mercurys, only the Grand Marquis improved its 09/2008 total. But in this automotive climate of crisis, any improvement is something to be excited about at company HQ. As was the case for General Motors, The Good Car Guy is highlighting the bright spots from September's Sales Stats with Numbers on the Ford Motor Company.

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60.1 - percentage increase in the sales of the Ford Taurus, up to 5,077 in September

10,834 - total sales of the Ford Fusion, a mark that indicates a 9% jump from last September

26,312 - total Ford-Lincoln-Mercury sales in the SUV/crossover category, which, though many specific models posted declining sales, is a number that would put Ford seventh in total September sales against the complete model ranges of other manufacturers

3.5 - percentage increase in sales of the Ford F-Series pickup trucks, a segment assumed "dying" by the mainstream media

134,600 - total sales of the Ford Fusion through the first three-quarters of 2009, a 14.5% improvement over 2008

LEWIS, TUNDRA, SOLO MERCURY

McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, last year's runner-up in Formula 1, was fined about €800 for driving over 120mph (190+km/h) in a 80mph (130km/h) zone. His Mercedes was confiscated and his license suspended.

He will be permitted to test his McLaren racer. In fact, Lewis can drive anywhere except France, where, for one month, Lewis isn't permitted behind the wheel.

Poor fella. Ironically, former F1 champion Michael Schumacher, a man widely considered to be a potential candidate for best driver ever, is under investigation for an exciting taxi ride through Munich last week. Schumi figured he could get his family to the airport faster than cab driver Tuncer Yilmax. So, that's what Schumi did, giving his family and Mr. Yilmax the ride of their lives. They made their flight, but German police don't like the fact that Michael broke the law. You're not allowed to commandeer taxicabs. Whatever.

MotorTrend has named the Toyota Tundra its truck of the year. Don't be too hard on MT for picking a truck that was just named in a recall (a recall that doesn't include any accidents or injuries). Afrer all, what truckmaker hasn't come under a recent recall?

Silly I know, but Mercury was, until recently, selling cars at Mercury-only dealerships. The last such store, Community Motor in Pennsylvania, just closed its doors. Community Motor sold new Mercury's for 57 years, but their best yearly total was way back in 1989.

Also, just minutes ago, the "35mpg by 2020" bill in the United States Congress passed and will head for the ballpoint pen of George W. Read this for more info on the bill.