Car companies usually have a few competitors that they target, be it for benchmarking or simply for stealing sales. This list is usually a short one of a few top sellers and performers. For example, a car company would be crazy not to target its new family sedan at the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, Mazda6, Ford Fusion, or Chevrolet Malibu. Simple enough. But Hyundais Genesis goes up against one of the largest possible cross-sections of competitors that weve seen: At the Genesis' debut in Detroit this winter, their promo video showed the car competing against the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series. Of course there are tons of cars in that class, such as the Infiniti M35, Lexus GS, Acura RL, Audi A6, to name a few.  read more »

Ford Motor Co . got another shot in the arm from Tuesday when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported the automaker had more vehicles than any other manufacturer on itss list of safest vehicles sold today. The IIHS reported that Ford had 16 of the top-rated vehicles, followed by Honda with 13. General Motors and Toyota each had eight vehicles on the list. Seventy-two cars, trucks and SUVs received the top safety pick designation for 2009, more than double the number of vehicles in the 2008 model year and three times the number in 2007. The jump is due primarily to automakers increasing anti-rollover technology in more vehicles. The top-rated vehicles are the best in protecting people in front, side and rear crash tests based on institute evaluations during the year. The vehicles are required to have electronic stability control, or ESC, to qualify for the award. IIHS said electronic stability control is now standard on virtually all new SUVs and three-quarters of passenger cars for the 2009 model year. ESC is also standard on more than one-third of 2009 pickups. Fords list of top-rated vehicles included Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan midsize cars with optional ESC; the Ford F-150 pickup, Ford Edge and Ford Flex midsize sport utility vehicles; and the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner small SUVs. The list also included the Mazda Tribute, which has the same underpinnings as the Escape and Mariner. Fords Volvo vehicles also made the list. Honda and its Acura unit had vehicles in nearly every category, including top-sellers such as the Honda Accord; the Honda Civic 4-door with optional ESC; and the Acura MDX and RDX midsize SUVs; and the Honda Fit with optional ESC. The Fit is the first mini-car to earn the safety award. General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. both had eight vehicles on the list. GM's included the Cadillac CTS and the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook large SUVs. Toyota's top performers were the Toyota Corolla with optional ESC, Toyota RAV4, Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Tundra and Scion xB. Electronic stability control senses when a driver may lose control and automatically applies brakes to individual wheels to keep the vehicle stable and avoid a rollover. It helps motorists avoid skidding across icy or slick roads or keep control when swerving to avoid an unexpected object in the road. The absence of the technology became a focal point of lawsuits filed against Ford in the 1990s and early 2000s when tires were blowing on Ford Explorers, often causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle before a crash. IIHS said Chrysler LLC was the only major automaker that did not receive a single award. They said Chrysler could have picked up five awards if the head restraints had been improved in the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring, the Sebring convertible and the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country. The report comes at an opportune time for Ford, which, along with GM and Chrysler, is asking Congress for bailout loans . Many members of Congress, as well as pundits and critics, have been lambasting Detroit automakers for the last several weeks for failing to stay competitive with Asian automakers.  read more »

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Buick wants to be known as a premium automaker, but none of the vehicles the brand has rolled out over the last five years have fully lived up to their luxury billing. The 2008 Buick Enclave could be the one that breaks Buick's mediocrity streak. At first glance, the Enclave is just another new crossover SUV with a standard V6, a choice of front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, and seven- and eight-passenger seating configurations. But step inside and it's a different story from other Buick s. The cabin doesn't look like it was built to a price; rather, it comes across as a product of thoughtful design, with artistic curves to the dash, shapely front seats and Tiffany Blue-inspired illumination. On the whole, the '08 Enclave is a step up for Buick and a viable entry in the premium crossover SUV class.  read more »

Even in a market where compacts and SUVs are so popular, theres still room for the good old-fashioned family sedan. Below are the fastest- and slowest-selling four-doors on the market, in both non-luxury and luxury segments. The non-luxury Movers had to meet our sales threshold, while the Losers had to meet a much lower sales threshold to make the list. Luxury sedan Movers because of their more expensive nature and lower sales figures had a slightly lower threshold than their non-luxury counterparts, but still had significant sales numbers. Top 10 Sedan Movers 2008 Toyota Prius: 15 days 2008 Pontiac G8: 16 days 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid: 16 days 2008 Chevy Malibu: 21 days 2008 Lincoln Town Car: 21 days 2009 Toyota Camry: 22 days 2009 Hyundai Sonata: 29 days 2008 Toyota Avalon: 31 days 2008 Chevy Impala: 32 days 2008 Hyundai Azera: 35 days Top 10 Sedan Losers 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix: 130 days 2008 Kia Amanti: 125 days 2008 Hyundai Sonata: 120 days 2008 Mercury Sable: 108 days 2008 Ford Taurus: 103 days 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis: 92 days 2008 Dodge Avenger: 85 days 2008 Buick Lucerne: 75 days 2008 Pontiac G6: 67 days 2008 Chrysler Sebring: 62 days Top 10 Luxury Sedan Movers 2009 Acura TSX: 4 days 2008 BMW M3: 13 days 2009 Jaguar XF: 16 days 2008 Lexus IS F: 17 days 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300: 18 days 2008 BMW 528i: 20 days 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350: 20 days 2008 BMW 328xi: 21 days 2008 BMW 535xi: 22 days 2008 BMW 328i: 24 days Top 10 Luxury Sedan Losers 2008 Jaguar S-Type: 189 days 2008 Mercedes-Benz E63: 112 days 2008 Jaguar X-Type: 112 days 2008 Jaguar XJ8 L: 106 days 2008 Acura RL: 99 days 2008 Acura TSX: 87 days 2008 BMW M5: 83 days 2008 Lexus GS 460: 74 days 2008 Acura TL: 68 days 2008 Infiniti M35: 64 days What the Numbers Say Not only has Toyota dominated the hybrid market with its Prius and Camry hybrids, but those cars also top the heavier-volume segment of all sedans. Otherwise, the predictable hot new cars are selling quickly as well, i.e. Pontiac G8 and Chevy Malibu. The Losers lists are populated by outgoing models and some poorly received recent debuts, like the Dodge Avenger and Ford Taurus.  On the luxury side, BMW rules the top 10 with five different models. The 3 and 5 Series are still doing very well, despite being on the market for a few years with little updating. Mercedes new C-Class is also doing quite well.  read more »

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The doors are opening to the public at the Chicago Auto Show, and we would hate for you to head to the show without first learning which new production and concept cars won our hearts and minds. Chicago wasn't as impressive as Detroit in either the number of debuts or their importance, but for economy-car buyers, muscle-car fans and families, there's plenty to see. Cars.com's David Thomas, Joe Wiesenfelder and Mike Hanley weigh in on each of them. GMC Denali XT Concept Hybrid Pickup David Thomas: Winner This was really the only concept car shown in Chicago, but it could have stood out even among the cornucopia of concepts in Detroit. I loved the proportions of this thing. In person, it appears much more like a car in terms of size and height. And even if this specific hybrid V-8 powertrain isn't for real yet, GM could put the splendid V-6 from the Cadillac CTS in it and have a gem of a "thing." Joe Wiesenfelder: Winner I think it's cool-looking, too, but I appreciate it mainly because it's a smallish car-based pickup at a time when pickups are largish and truck-based. The notable exception is the Honda Ridgeline, which I like a lot but hasn't been the success Honda had hoped it would be. The difference in the Denali XT is the midgate, which I think is the key missing ingredient in the Ridgeline. Mike Hanley: Winner GMC found a way to make a crew cab pickup truck sporty with the Denali XT, which rides low to the ground like a car but retains the rugged looks of a pickup. With its claimed increase in gas mileage, a production version of the Denali XT would give truck enthusiasts the look they want without the penalty at the pump.  read more »