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auto news > Recession Busters Recession Busters11 April 2009. Author: admin |
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2009 Cadillac CTS Affordable subcompacts, such as the Fit and Hyundai Accent, are the cars attracting the most buyers these days. The reason is obvious: They best fulfill the needs of people who want the lowest possible cost of ownership (i.e., reasonable monthly payments, fuel bills that are easy to swallow and maintenance costs that wont break the bank). Gold-standard cars trusted models such as Hondas Civic and Accord, and Toyotas Corolla and Camry did see single-digit sales drops in 2008. Yet that counts as a victory in this market, especially when their competitors sales are sinking like the Dow Jones in comparison. spokesman Wade Hoyt said the company has historically grown its market share during bad economic times because of its reputation for quality and reliability. Thats an important consideration when people are being careful with their money, says Hoyt. A handful of models also have benefited from well-received redesigns not just cosmetic enhancements and have reaped sales rewards as a result. Those include the compact Mercedes C-Class sedan, Subaru Forester and even the full-size Toyota Sequoia SUV. View Pictures: Strong new products, even in this environment, can still win with consumers, says Jeff Schuster, head of forecasting for J.D. Power and Associates. These kinds of models get another sales boost from pent-up demand, as savvy consumers hold off on buying the outgoing model until the new one arrives. http://autos.msn.com Recession Busters |