Toyota cars leading the sales pack
South Florida drivers prefer import sedans
Import sedans remained the top choice for car buyers and lessees in South Florida during the first three months of 2018, while vehicle purchasers nationwide continued to prefer big powerful pickup trucks.
The Sun Sentinel asked the automotive market reporting firm IHS Markit to compile a list of bestselling personal vehicles for the two dominant South Florida designated market areas — Miami-Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce — during the first three months of 2018, to compare with a list the company produced last year for the first three months of 2017.
As it did last year, IHS Markit provided a list of new-car registrations issued during the period — meaning the list includes retail sales, consumer leases, fleet sales to rental car agencies and other bulk buyers, and a relatively small number by auto dealers and manufacturers. Sales and leases to consumers make up roughly 80 percent of the list, according to the company, which does not release figures for retail leases and sales only.
Sedans made by Japanese automakers again topped the list — with Toyota’s Corolla remaining in the top spot despite 730 fewer registrations than the same period last year. Meanwhile, Toyota’s Camry, last year’s No. 3 car, moved into the No. 2 spot, supplanting its main rival Honda Accord, which fell to sixth place.
New Accord registrations declined by 1,311, or 36 percent, to 1. 2. 4. 2,306 in the first three months of 2018, while Camry registrations increased by 1,158, or 36 percent, to 4,416.
The same scenario occurred nationwide, but on a smaller scale, as new Camry registrations increased 10.3 percent, while Accord registrations percent.
Accord’s declining sales have been the subject of considerable head-scratching in the automotive press over the past few dropped 13.6