Home or
Site Layout or
Site Index or
Quick Jumps or
Search Engine Directory or
The Mart
Auto News, Analysis and Editorial
By
WSJ's Lot Stay Time, Toyota Has 8 of Hottest 12
Bookmarking
Auto on Info pages
Home or
Site Layout or
Site Index or
Quick Jumps or
Search Engine Directory or
The Mart
Auto News, Analysis and Editorial
By
WSJ's Lot Stay Time, Toyota Has 8 of Hottest 12
Links to Amazon.com
Visitor support makes this site possible. Please shop at Amazon.com via Auto on Info. Thank you. Packing and Camping Equipage Arc'Teryx backpacks JanSport backpacks Eagle Creek backpacks Kelty backpacks Marmot backpacks Columbia backpacks Victorinox backpacks Timberland backpacks Samsonite backpacks Gregory backpacks Katadyn water filters and purifiers Nalgene water bottles Marmot sleeping bags Kelty sleeping bags Exped sleeping bags Mountainsmith sleeping bags Thermarest / Therm-a-Rest sleeping pads Exped sleeping pads Guide Gear sleeping pads NRS cots Byer of Maine cots Outdoor Research stuff sacks To view more trekking and camping items, icons, and search phrases, click here. Biz and Consumer Lit BusinessWeek Consumer Reports magazine Consumer Reports Used Car Buying Guide 2005 Auto on Info August 2005
By WSJ's Lot Stay Time, Toyota Has 8 of Hottest 12
The Wall Street Journal reports that Toyota Motor Corporation has eight of the twelve hottest selling automobiles in the U.S. in July 2005. The eight include all three from the Scion line - the Scion tC, the Scion xB, and the Scion xA, three from the Toyota line - the Toyota Prius hatchback, the Toyota Avalon sedan, and the Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, and two from the Lexus line - the Lexus RX 330 sport utility vehicle and the Lexus GS sedan (GS300/GS430).
The eight vehicles are depicted in the following table in descending order of lot stay time.
Toyota's Hottest Sellers in July 2005, by WSJ's Lot Stay Time 2005 Toyota Prius 2005 Scion tC 2005 Scion xB 2005 Scion xA 2005 Toyota Avalon 2005 Toyota Tacoma 2005 Lexus RX 330 2005 Lexus GS 430 The above links are to onsite review pages. The Prius, Toyota's environmentally friendly hybrid that is powered by both battery and gas, was the fastest mover in July 2005, as it was in September 2004 through July 2004, per the August 11, 2004, issue of the Wall Street Journal.1 (Site manager was unable to find, and consequently unable to report on, the hottest ten for the months of August 2004 through June 2005, but likely the Prius was the hottest seller for these months as well.)
The extraordinary popularity of the 2004 and 2005 editions of the Prius is likely a consequence of several factors. (1) The 2004 and 2005 editions of the Prius are mid-size vehicles. (2) They have a new power-train technology that delivers greater acceleration and more miles per gallon.2 (3) The 2004 edition was a Consumer Reports' 2004 Top Pick3 and 2004 Quick Pick4, with a CR predicted short-term reliability in the highest category.3,4,5 (4) The 2005 edition is a 2005 CR Top Pick6, a 2005 CR Reliability Quick Pick7, a 2005 CR Fuel Economy Quick Pick7, and a 2005 CR Owner Satisfaction Quick Pick7, with a predicted short-term reliability in the highest category8. Nonetheless, the Prius has an infrequently occurring stalling glitch (see "Prius Has Stalling Glitch, NHTSA Commences Investigation," Auto On Info, June 2005).
The Journal reports that the average number of days that the Prius was on a U.S. lot in July 2005 was 9; this compares with a lot stay of 6 days in July 2004 (see "Toyota Has Four of July 2004's Hottest Selling Top Ten; Honda, BMW, and DaimlerChrysler - Each Two," Auto on Info, August 2004.) The Scion tC had the second shortest lot stay time of 10 days.
Toyota's Scion line is a newer line designed to satisfy the needs and desires of youth, but have proven to be immensely popular with Baby Boomers as well. The Scion tC is too recent to have a CR predicted reliability; the Scion xA and the Scion xB both have a CR predicted short-term reliability in the highest category9.
The Toyota Avalon is a North American made large sedan, which had been, until recently, of very modest reliability relative to other Toyota products, but of excellent reliability relative to all other North American made large sedans. Consumer Reports says of it, "The Avalon has always been a sensible alternative to large domestic or upscale luxury sedans."10 CR's 2005 predicted short-term reliability is in the second-highest category.10
The Toyota Tacoma is a North American made pickup truck; nonetheless, it has a solid reliability history. One or more versions are on the Auto on Info's Best of 1996 (for vehicles 6-to-8 years of age), Best of 1997 (for vehicles 5-to-7 years of age), Best of 1998 (for vehicles 4-to-6 years of age), Best of 1999 (for vehicles 3-to-5 years of age), and Best of 2000 (for vehicles 2-to-4 years of age); however, Consumer Reports gives it a predicted short-term reliability only in the second-highest category8. Its safety awards are impressive; the 2005 two-wheel drive Tacoma received perfect scores on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's frontal (driver-impact and passenger-impact) and side (driver-impact) collision tests and the 2005 extended cab Tacoma received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Best Pick Frontal designation for its lofty performance on the Institute's crash tests.
Toyota's luxury Lexus line leads the auto industry in reliability, and has lead it since the inception of its data history in 1990. The 2005 Lexus RX 330 is a 2005 CR Owner Satisfaction Quick Pick7, a 2005 CR Overall Quick Pick7, and a 2005 CR Top Pick11, with a CR predicted short-term reliability in the second-highest category12. However, it should be noted that about half of the 2005 Lexus RX 330 sport utility vehicles sold in the U.S. from January 2005 through July 2005 were manufactured in North America13 and there are no data as to whether these will be, on average or as consistently, of a reliability stature comparable to that of the made-in-Japan RX 330s.
The Lexus GS300/GS430 sedan too has a CR predicted short-term reliability in the second-highest category.14
The one remaining Reliable Two model on WSJ's July 2005 Hot Off the Lot list is the Honda Odyssey minivan. It is a 2005 CR Top Pick6, with a CR predicted short-term reliability in the second-highest category.15 Auto on Info's yet unpublished Reliability Percentranks for the most recent years - 2000, 2001, and 2002 - will show the Toyota Sienna (also with a CR predicted short-term reliability in the second-highest category8) to be of a higher reliability stature; however, both are of mediocre reliability stature relative to other Toyota and Honda products and of excellent reliability stature relative to any Big Three minivan offering.
Honda's Hottest Seller in July 2005, by WSJ's Lot Stay Time 2005 Honda Odyssey The above link is to an onsite review page. Other models on the July 2005 list are the Infiniti M35/M45 sedan, the BMW 7 Series sedan, and the BMW 5 Series sedan and wagon.
The Infiniti M35/M45 sedan is too new to have a CR predicted short-term reliability, but the Infiniti line has had a Reliability Percentrank average comparable to that of the Lexus.16
Both the BMW 7 Series and the BMW 5 Series earned a CR 2005 predicted short-term reliability in the lowest category.17 Both people and cars can comfortably rely on reputations for earnings for at least a decade beyond merit.
Source for hottest dozen: "Hot Off the Lot," Wall Street Journal, August 11, 2005, p. D3
1 "Hot Off the Lot," Wall Street Journal, August 11, 2004, p. D4
2 "Toyota Announces 50-Percent Boost in 2005 Prius Hybrid Production To Meet Unprecedented Demand," at http://pressroom.toyota.com/photo_library/display_print.html?id=20040803b
3 Consumer Reports, April 2004, pp. 8,9
4 Consumer Reports, May 2004, p. 53
5 Consumer Reports, April 2004, p. 73
6 Consumer Reports, April 2005, p. 7
7 Consumer Reports, April 2005, p. 31
8 Consumer Reports, April 2005, p. 76
9 Consumer Reports, April 2005, p. 71
10 Consumer Reports, April 2005, p. 73
11 Consumer Reports, April 2005, p. 6
12 Consumer Reports, April 2005, p. 61
13 "Toyota Reports Best-Ever Sales Month," August 2, 2005, at http://pressroom.toyota.com/photo_library/display_release.html?id=20050802b
14 Consumer Reports, April 2005, p. 60
15 Consumer Reports, April 2005, p. 54
16 Table I-MVRP
17 Consumer Reports, April 2005, p. 42,43
Links to Amazon.com
Men's Fine Tie Clips and Ties Forzieri tie clips Men's Ties by Villa Bolgheri Men's Ties by Jos. A. Bank To view more men's ties, icons, and search phrases, click here. Men's Watches Men's Watches by Casio Men's Watches by Cartier Men's Watches by Omega To view more men's watches, icons, and search phrases, click here. Fine Women's Watches Women's Watches by Van Cleef and Arpels Women's Watches by Movado To view more women's watches, icons, and search phrases, click here. Wallets for Men and Women Rolf’s wallets The Sak wallets Sydney Love wallets To view more fine wallets, icons, and search phrases, click here. Handbags Gucci handbags Prada handbags RG House of Florence handbags Caterina Lucchi handbags Ellington handbags To view more fine handbags, icons, and search phrases, click here. Business Totes, Business Briefs, and Briefcases for Men and Women L.A.P.A. briefcases Hartmann briefcases Schlesinger briefcases High Sierra briefcases To view more business totes, business briefs, and briefcases, icons, and search phrases, click here. Tell your friends, colleagues, and coworkers, "I bought it at Amazon.com via Auto on Info." Addendum dated August 15, 2005
In the most recent issue of Consumer Reports - more specifically, on page 51 of the September 2005 issue of Consumer Reports, both the Toyota Avalon and the Infiniti M35 are awarded Quick Pick designations and the M35 is accorded a predicted short-term reliability in the second-highest category.
Internet's provisioner of detailed auto quality news and information since 2001
Automotive News Menu Pages Auto Manufacturers: Toyota - Honda - Subaru - Nissan - Ford - Chrysler - General Motors - Volkswagen Topics: Reviews - Recalls - Safety Investigations - Safety Test Results - Automotive Excellence - Automotive Dishonor, Discredit, or Demerit - Lawsuits - Automotive Finances - Car and Truck Sales and Market Shares - Auto on Info
Search Engine Directory This table is provided primarily to give the visitor quick access to those search engines that site manager has found to be more consistently useful for information acquisition. For descriptions, strengths, weaknesses, comments, and other names and formats by which the following search engines are known, go to Search Engine Directory Page. Search Engines Yahoo! Teoma Wisenut DMOZ Gigablast Metasearch Engine
Product Search Engine
Comments: Shopping at Amazon.com via this link helps support this site.
Auto on Info Standings for Selected Search Phrases on Auto News
Site Rank in Results for Search Phrase Car Quality News Site Rank in Results for Search Phrase Auto Quality News Site Rank in Results for Search Phrase Auto News First by Yahoo! Search from 5,230,000 results First by Yahoo! Search from 3,510,000 results Thirty-ninth by Yahoo! Search from 37,600,000 results First by MSN Search from 1,110,112 results First by MSN Search from 716,283 results Fifteenth by MSN Search from 7,682,302 results Fifteenth by Google from 3,730,000 results Tenth by Google from 2,400,000 results Eightieth by Google from 7,450,000 results Standings are as of 14/03/2004.
