Corolla, Frontier, RAV4 lead their classes

Toyota Corolla, Nissan Frontier, and Toyota RAV4 currently lead their respective classes in terms of sales, according to the March 2008 report of the Commonwealth Auto Dealers Association.

The report, which covered the first quarter of the year, showed that the Toyota Corolla is the best-selling sedan, with 18 units sold so far this year. This is 18 percent of the market.

The Toyota Camry is a close second with 16 cars sold for 16 percent of the market. The Toyota Yaris gives the Japanese automaker the Top 3 in the sedan category for the January-March period with 15 units for an equal 15 percent share of the market.

Mitsubishi Lancer (10 units), Honda Civic (nine), Mazda Mazda3 (nine), Nissan Altima (four), Honda Fit (four), Nissan Sentra (three), Ford Fusion (three), Nissan Versa (two), Hyundai Accent (two), Mazda RX8 (two), Kia Rio (one), Nissan Maxima (one), and Mazda Mazda6 (one) make up the rest of the sedans sold in the first quarter of 2008.

Nissan Frontier, for its part, grabbed the lion’s share of the truck market with seven units sold so far in the year, which translates to a whopping 38.80 percent of the segment.

Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma finished tied at a far second with four units apiece sold in the January-March period for an identical market share of 22.22 percent.

Mazda pickups (two units and 11.1 percent market share) and Ford Sport Trac (one and 5.56 percent) make up the rest of the trucks sold in the first quarter of 2008.

In the sports utility segment, the Toyota RAV4 was tops with nine units sold in the first quarter of the year. That translates to an 18.75 percent share of the market for SUVs.

The Toyota Highlander was the second best-selling SUV with six units sold and 12.5 percent of the market. Five Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota FJ Cruiser units have so far been snapped up and the models are tied at third with 10.42 percent market share each.

Ford Escape and Kia Sportage (four units and 8.33 percent market share each), Mazda CX9, Nissan Pathfinder, and Hyundai Tucson (three and 6.25 percent each), Mitsubishi Outlander and Honda CR-V (two and 4.17 percent), and Nissan Rogue and Toyota 4 Runner (one and 2,08 percent each) make up the rest of the SUVs sold in the first quarter of 2008.

General Motors took the lead in the vans segment with nine of its makes sold in the first three months of the year. This represents 37.5 percent of the market.

The Toyota Sienna has sold four units so far and that is 16.67 percent of the market, while the Ford E-Van and the Kia Sedona cornered 8.33 percent of the market each after disposing of two units each. Mazda Mazda5 captured 4.17 percent of the market with one unit sold, while B-Bird sold six of its buses to total 25 percent of the market for vans.

Joeten Motors is the distributor for Nissan, Ford, Honda, and Kia. Microl Corp. sells Toyota and Chevrolet. Triple J Motors peddles Mazda, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, and Suzuki.

CADA reported last Wednesday that new car sales totaled only 52 in March 2008 after 68 units were sold in the same period last year.