The past year may have been the best for the auto industry since 2007, but not every manufacturer had exemplary sales. While some automakers boasted record sales thanks to added features, new technology and improved vehicle maintenance, others floundered.
The best of the best
To the surprise of very few, trucks from the Ford F-series claimed the top spot as the best-selling line in 2012. More than 645,000 units were sold, which, while down from the 900,000 Ford trucks bought by drivers in 2001, 2004 and 2005, still was strong enough to continue the brand's dominance, AutoBlog reports. This was the 31st year in a row the Ford line has taken the title.
The Chevrolet Silverado was another truck to make its way into the top 10, coming in at number two with more than 418,000 sales in 2012. Sedans took most of the remaining spots, as the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Honda Civic rounded out the top five. The Camry has been the best-selling car in the U.S. for some time, and the strong performance of the auto industry in the U.S., combined with the model's popularity, almost pushed the car into second place. It was just 14,000 vehicles behind the Silverado.
All the rest
When it comes to the not-so-great of 2012, Mitsubishi stands a cut above - or below - the rest. The automaker's i-MiEV was the lowest-selling model of the year, excluding discontinued vehicles or unique cars with price tags in excess of $100,000, AutoBlog reports. Only 588 units were sold, which only narrowly edged the 702 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportbacks bought by drivers in 2012.
Other vehicles landing in the top 10 worst-selling cars of the year including somewhat pricier models, such as the Cadillac Escalade EXT, which commands more than $63,000 and sold just under 2,000 units, and the Nissan GT-R, which sells for about $96,000 and reached about 1,200 drivers. However, numbers for the EXT are separate from the standard Cadillac Escalade sales, which may have altered the results.
Several luxury producers also landed on the worst-selling list, with the BMW Z4, Audi TT and Acura ZDX ending the year with low sales. These models are all priced around $40,000 to $50,000. The price may have deterred some drivers, or the cars simply may not have caught on with the general public, but either way several manufacturers may find themselves facing tough decisions about redesigns and auto repair in 2013.