Focus has potential to outsell Corolla

[MinisterofDOOM]

I'm amazed how strong the dislike is for the Corolla among enthusiasts here. I totally get they're not exciting, though it might be fun to autocross one and beat a few sports cars with it. They're more nimble than folks think.

It's actually not dislike. It's just that it's the only option that DOESN'T do something noteworthy. So it's not going to be picked. It's like me and baseball. It's not that people DON'T want me on their team. It's just that they want everyone else on their team first.

People looking for "a car" will buy Corollas.
People looking for a SPECIFIC car will not.

It's not dislike. It's selectivity.

[Jesda]

I'm amazed how strong the dislike is for the Corolla among enthusiasts

If this was a forum dedicated to potted plants then maybe I'd be amazed.



It doesn't matter how nimble you perceive the Corolla to be or how it performs on paper. In reality it's numb lifeless, and soulless because there is a total lack of a connection between the driver, the machine, and the road. The throttle behaves like a Nintendo controller while the steering is drenched in syrup. That's what makes it an appliance.

Edmunds sums it up perfectly:

the 2011 Toyota Corolla is no longer the class leader it once was. The Corolla's fuel economy used to be a benchmark, but now it gets thumped by the new Hyundai Elantra's EPA-rated 40 mpg highway and 33 mpg combined. Interior quality is another area in which the Corolla finds itself outclassed. And while the Corolla has never been described as being fun to drive, the current car feels so disconnected from the road that you may find yourself thinking you're playing a very dull video game.

http://www.edmunds.com/toyota/corolla/2011/

There is not one reason to buy a Corolla over its competitors except for its reputation, and that reputation no longer reflects reality.

[Ace2cool]

If I were to buy a new car right the hell now, it'd be a Ford. They're the only ones apart from Hyundai that are sparking any form of interest in me.

[Bubba1]

Jesda, I'll have to test drive a new Corolla to see if they've deteriorated as much as you and Edmunds say, as the ones I've driven were all 2008 or older. And those I felt all handled nimbly and predictably. My main gripes with the Corolla have been straightline performance, thin paint, and cheapie interior materials. But with virtues including 30+ mpg and above avg reliability, I felt comfortable buying one for my son.

I see I have a different perspective than many enthusiasts. I'm the type that can find just about any car fun to drive. And while many are determined to get extra power/grip, to me, finding a car's limit happening at a lower speed simply means the fun starts earlier. I guess that's unusual.

[Jesda]

Jesda, I'll have to test drive a new Corolla to see if they've deteriorated as much as you and Edmunds say, as the ones I've driven were all 2008 or older. And those I felt all handled nimbly and predictably. My main gripes with the Corolla have been straightline performance, thin paint, and cheapie interior materials. But with virtues including 30+ mpg and above avg reliability, I felt comfortable buying one for my son.

I don't believe they've deteriorated much; they've likely just failed to keep up with the competition. The last one I rented (2012) matched the Edmunds impression perfectly. I did notice that the chassis was fine with some potential hidden away under a layer of fat, but everything that was supposed to connect the driver to the outside world or the machinery was completely missing. The interior in the '08, at least to me, is also a good bit nicer.

[frapjap]

BOOM! It just happened!!

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/09/ford ... e-in-2012/

Last August, Ford made a few waves by claiming that the Ford Focus was, at that point, the top-selling car in the world. The automaker failed to account for variations of the Toyota Corolla wearing a different name (such as the Auris and Matrix), however. With official data from Polk coming in now, Ford is able to say that the Focus was, in fact, the best-selling nameplate in the world last year.

Using new-car registrations (which doesn't factor in fleet sales), the Polk data shows that a total of more than one million Focus models around the world. Strong sales in the US and China have led to a 16 percent increase in year-over-year Focus sales from 2011 that helped to create even more of a gap between it and the second-best global seller, the Corolla.

Ford also had the Fiesta and F-Series listed in the top 10 for worldwide nameplates, but what's even more impressive is the fact that the F-Series is only sold in North America. Scroll down to see the list (compiled by Ford using Polk data) of the top global sellers last year and a press release from Ford.

2012 2011
1

Ford Focus

1,020,410 879,914



2

Toyota Corolla
872,774 819,376



3

Ford F-Series
785,630 713,657



4

Wuling Zhiguang
768,870 729,328



5

Toyota Camry
729,793 558,800


6

Ford Fiesta
723,130 764,415



7

VW Golf
699,148 716,358



8

Chevrolet Cruze
661,325 606,825



9

Honda Civic
651,159 606,825



10

Honda CR-V
624,982 507,353


News Source: Polk via Ford

[Bubba1]

Impressive that Ford not only has 2 of the top 3 sellers, they have 3 of the top 10.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I just bought a bunch of Ford stock today.
GO BABY GO!

[MinisterofDOOM]

I wish:
A: I had money to spare for buying Ford stock
B: I could go back to 2009 for just a few minutes.

I hate it when:
Companies quibble so semantically over sales numbers that rebadges, badge-engineered copies, and spin-offs get sucked into the mix. Yes, yes, yes, the F150 is the best-selling truck in America unless you combine Sierra and Silverado (which are the same damn thing). Yes, the Corolla outsells everything if you call everything a Corolla. Yes, the Focus outsells the Corolla if you ignore fleet sales. Yes, the Impala has sold five times as many cars as have ever existed if you include fleet sales.

I don't really give a s***. Since when do sales numbers matter to me as a consumer? Oh, they don't. Nor do they mean JACK DIDDLY SQUAT as far as the quality, desirability, or any other trait of the product itself. This particular situation is the perfect proof. You have polar opposites in the compact game running one-two in sales numbers.

I don't care about sales numbers (I'm looking at you, Nissan). I care about GOOD CARS. GOOD CARS. BUILD GOOD CARS.

Ford: well done. You're building Good Cars and succeding through it.
Toyota: Shame on you. You're building laurel-resting laziness and succeeding through it.

"And thus I demonstrate the terrible danger of a gliding, passionless mediocrity, a movement without ambitions or aims."

So I've discovered the truth: the Corolla is Pure Evil.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I can't wait to see the day that either MOD snaps, or he becomes emperor of the earth.

[nissangirl74]

I expect a celebration of his reign with lots of fireworks, which he won't attend.

[Bubba1]

I can't wait to see the day that either MOD snaps, or he becomes emperor of the earth.

or both. Of course in that case, I wouldn't want to be beside his motorcade in a Corolla with chrome trim...

[Jesda]

I don't care about sales numbers (I'm looking at you, Nissan). I care about GOOD CARS. GOOD CARS. BUILD GOOD CARS.

Ford: well done. You're building Good Cars and succeding through it.
Toyota: Shame on you. You're building laurel-resting laziness and succeeding through it.

"And thus I demonstrate the terrible danger of a gliding, passionless mediocrity, a movement without ambitions or aims."

So I've discovered the truth: the Corolla is Pure Evil.

YOU ARE A PATRIOT.