Even in a year as bad as 2009, there were U.S. sales leaders and followers and winners and losers. Perhaps the biggest difference is that the winners were a distinct minority, and the losers had more company than usual.
Without question, the biggest winner of 2009 was Subaru, which posted a 15 percent sales increase and a record 216,652 deliveries.
It was lonely at the top. Subaru had only two companions in the winners column: the South Korean duo of Kia, up 10 percent, and Hyundai, up 8 percent. Both of the Korean brands are the products of Hyundai-Kia Automotive, making that company the only gainer among manufacturers that market two or more brands in the United States.
So much for the brand leaders. Now for the nameplate winners. You recall the difference: Chevrolet is a brand; Impala is a nameplate. Toyota is a brand; Camry is a nameplate.
During the 2009 model year, 286 nameplates were sold by 44 brands in the U.S. market. The three domestic manufacturers offered 13 brands and 102 nameplates -- 42 cars and 60 trucks. The imports had 31 brands that sold 184 nameplates -- 113 cars and 71 trucks.
The imports' huge edge in car nameplates helps explain why the foreign models captured 69 percent of the car market last year. The Detroit 3 abandoned the car market for about 15 years (1990-2005) to build high-profit pickups and SUVs. Cars are back in style, and the Detroit 3 are working feverishly to regain lost ground, but it's a slow process.
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