America's "Top 20" Best-selling Cars in 2020

It was clear from the previous post that Ford was the most popular brand in the United States last year. Toyota and Chevrolet, placed next in the pecking order, were not far off though. Is the same trend observed in sales of individual models too? Let's find out.

Before we get into the details, here's the list of America's 'Top 20' best-selling cars in 2020:

F-Series tops the charts

Alright, this has become an annual affair, pandemic or not. 

• Ford's F-Series ended 2020 as the most popular vehicle in the United States of America. 
• This marks an incredible 39th year at the top of the sales chart for this behemoth.
• This is also the 44th year in a row the F-Series has finished as America's favourite pick-up truck.
• Remarkably, the F-Series managed this feat despite being in the last year of its life cycle and the disruptions caused by the pandemic.

With the next-generation F-Series - including the electrified 'PowerBoost' variants - already in the dealerships, the stars are aligned for Ford to mark four decades of leadership with this truck by the end of 2021. Watch this space.

Chevrolet and Ram trade places

• Finishing runner-up to the F-Series was its arch-rival from Chevrolet, the Silverado.
• After losing out to Ram's stylish new Pick-Up in 2019, the Silverado was back on top in its own little duel.
• That the Silverado managed to improve its numbers by 3% over 2019 despite the pandemic goes to show how good an outing the Chevy had in 2020.
• Ram was relegated to its usual third spot in the list and would be itching to get back ahead.   

SUVs, Crossovers and Trucks gain at the expense of sedans

• With over 430,000 units sold, Toyota's RAV4 was America's best-selling vehicle that wasn't a pick-up truck. Honda's CR-V came in next but the gap between the two is too big to make Toyota worry. In fact, with three models in the Top 10 and five in the Top 15, Toyota is sitting pretty. It's the competition that has to worry. 
• Toyota Camry - America's erstwhile favourite - is holding its own so far, managing to keep the Chevrolet Equinox and the other fast-rising SUVs and trucks behind. It's buddies from Japan - the Civic, Corolla and Accord - have all lost positions with each reporting declines of over 20%.
• GMC Sierra and Ford Explorer had an amazing run, growing their sales by 9% and an astonishing 21% respectively last year. Add the Sierra's numbers to the Silverado's and GM wins the great American pick-up war. Explorer's lead in the mid-size SUV segment gave Ford reasons to cheer though.
• Anything that wasn't a SUV, crossover or truck lost positions and reported a bigger drop in sales compared to those high-riding body-styles. Notable exceptions were Nissan's Rogue and Ford's Escape which should be a great cause of concern for the two brands.
• Two models each from Jeep and Subaru complete the Top 20 line-up with the latter's Forester ousting the former's Cherokee off the list.

While the trends are clearly visible, we shouldn't be reading much into 2020's sales figures as stated in the previous post. After all, it was an abnormal year. Let's wait and watch how the American market unfolds this year!

America's "Top 10" Best-selling Car Brands in 2020

None of us have to be reminded of the absolute havoc caused by the COViD-19 pandemic in 2020, taking millions of lives away and collapsing hordes of businesses. Now that the automotive industry has survived the trough and the car-makers are looking forward with cautious optimism, it's time to reconcile the numbers and see who shed the least blood in the year gone by.

As always, it’s the United States of America we’re going to start our analysis with. After a phenomenal run of five consecutive years when the number of new cars and trucks sold topped 17 million units, 2020 was quite a blow. Cumulative sales of 14.5 million units represented a drop of close to 15% compared to 2019. Given the circumstances though, there's not much to read into it. 2020, by all means, was an abnormal year and it would be prudent to wait and watch how the industry fares this year.

Based on the numbers reported, here's America's ‘Top 10’ best-selling brands:

Ford remains America’s favourite brand

• For a 11th consecutive year, Ford was America’s most popular brand. 
• With total sales of 1.94 million units, Ford was helped massively by the continuing popularity of the F-Series that’s now been America’s best-selling pick-up for 44 straight years. 
• Also boosting its numbers were the Explorer and Escape with the former ending 2020 as America’s best-selling midsize SUV. That should be a massive relief for the folks at the helm, given the much-publicized launch troubles the model went through in 2019. 
• With the Bronco Sport starting off well, the Mustang Mach-E garnering praise from everyone and the Bronco sitting on a pile of orders, 2021 should be a good year for the ‘Blue Oval’. It better be as Toyota and Chevrolet aren't very far away! 
• Spare a thought for the Fusion and Fiesta that are fading into the sunset as part of the brand’s strategy to exit cars and focus on SUVs and crossovers. The former, especially, will be missed in the United States.

Toyota and Chevrolet close in

• With 1.84 million cars and trucks sold in 2020, Toyota came in second with just 100,000 units separating it from the top spot. That’s a number that can easily be overhauled with just one very successful new model. With the RAV-4 going all guns blazing, the Camry holding fort amidst an onslaught of crossovers, SUVs and trucks and the Tacoma, Corolla and Highlander pitching in with significant sales of their own, Toyota is sitting pretty. That they are the runaway leaders when it comes to 'hybrids' also helps. 
• Going into 2021, the folks at Chevrolet would be a happy bunch. Though the 1.74 million units sold in 2020 and the 11% drop over 2019 might indicate otherwise, the new-generation Silverado family - in their first full year in the market - had a successful run and was one of the few nameplates that grew vis-à-vis 2019. Yes, the Silverado (and it’s sibling, the GMC Sierra) posted growth over 2019! Equinox and Traverse did well too with the former leapfrogging popular Japanese sedans like the Civic, Corolla and Accord. 

Nissan falters, Kia put up a strong fight

• Honda, in fourth is all alone, with Chevrolet far ahead and Nissan dropping off quite significantly behind. CR-V is the brand’s best-seller but unable to mount a challenge to the ever-popular RAV-4. Civic and Accord are the other big-sellers with both experiencing sharp drops as SUVs and crossovers continue to run rings around sedans. 
• Clinging onto fifth position behind Honda is Nissan. The Japanese brand has been grappling with a myriad of issues and this 33% drop in one of its biggest markets would’ve already set the alarm bells ringing in Japan. Something has to be done, soon. The recent redesign of the Rogue, Nissan’s best-seller, is a step in the right direction. Unfortunately for them, their once-strong sedans are in freefall mode right now! 
• Not far behind is Jeep, FCA’s crown jewel. After a few years of unprecedented growth when the brand could do no wrong, Jeep saw its sales drop 14% to under 800,000 units. With the exception of Gladiator, the drop was seen across the line-up with everything from the Renegade all the way up to the Grand Cherokee ending up in red. 
• Ram came in seventh with almost the entire sales coming from the brilliant new Pick-up. While the flagship 1500 TRX has mesmerized truck-lovers with its insane power and torque in a bid to woo the Raptor-loving crowd, the fact that the Ram Pick-up fell behind its arch-rival Chevrolet Silverado within a year of getting ahead would be of great concern to the brand.
• Hyundai had a better year compared to the other brands in this list, with sales dropping just a shade under 10% compared to the prior year. The Korean brand’s efforts on getting one crossover after another to the market seems to be paying off with the Tucson, Santa Fe, Palisade, Kona and Venue more than making up for the fall in sales of the Elantra, Sonata and Accent sedans. 
• Subaru’s dream run came to a screeching halt in 2020 with the Japanese brand reporting a 13% decline in sales compared to their all-time high figures achieved in 2019. As always, the Forester and Outback led the charge for Subaru in what has now become the Japanese car-maker’s most important and possibly most profitable market. 
• Rounding off the Top 10 is Kia, capping a remarkable year in which it saw its sales slip in just lower single digits. Of course, it’s still worse than brands that grew in 2020 – like Mazda, for instance – but those brands don’t sell as much as Kia. Shining bright in Kia’s line-up was the Telluride. The last I heard, the Korean car-maker wasn’t able to produce as many as they could sell. Also helping matters are their stylish new launches like the Sorento and K5.

Mercedes-Benz pips BMW in the luxury race

• From the very beginning of 2020, Mercedes-Benz has been leading the luxury race from BMW. While the former is yet to report its full year sales, only a very poor showing in the fourth quarter would be able to dislodge Mercedes-Benz from the top. The GLC, GLA and GLE raked in good numbers apparently while the E-Class continue to be a popular choice amongst sedans. 
• With sales of 278,732 units in 2020, BMW reported a 18% decline compared to the previous year. That resulted in the brand losing its lead from 2019. Within the lineup, the X series of SUVs have been very popular and fast displacing sedans as the mainstay of the brand. 
• Lexus proved its resilience and reported 275,041 units sold last year, placing it just a few thousand units behind BMW. The RX was the undisputed best-seller for the Japanese brand with the NX and ES sedan also adding considerable numbers.

Now that we've seen the Top 10 best-selling brands in the United States, the list of Top 20 best-selling cars would follow in the next post. 

All-new Mahindra XUV5OO spotted testing

The joint-venture with Ford might not be happening any more but the folks at Mahindra are going to have a busy year.

With the new Thar firing on all cylinders forcing the car-maker to ramp up capacity, two of their best-selling models are also getting ready for launch later this year. One of them, the all new XUV5OO, was caught testing on the outskirts of Chennai, not far off Mahindra's R&D Center.

Despite the heavy camouflage, it is clear Mahindra is looking to tone down the design and styling of the second-generation XUV5OO. The elimination of paw-shaped door handles and the reduced heft on the rear fenders are proof of that. Still, there are enough cues to not mistake it for anything but an XUV like the tipped-forward stance and the kinked-up window line. This restrained aggression bodes well for the new XUV5OO as it's likely to lock horns directly with the upcoming Tata Gravitas that wears sleek and contemporary clothes.

The interiors are likely to be significantly better than the current model with a plethora of features and improved build quality, fit and finish. Earlier test mules were seen with loads of kit including a flat-bottomed steering wheel and a two-tone dashboard with a long, continuous screen incorporating the instruments and infotainment.

Powertrain options are likely to be carried over from the Thar. The 2.0-liter 'mStallion' petrol and the 2.2-liter 'mHawk' diesel would be on duty, albeit in higher states of tunes. Both would have a choice of 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions with All Wheel Drive likely to be on offer in select trim levels as well.

Mahindra, together with Tata, have been flag-bearers of safer cars in the Indian market with the XUV3OO currently holding the distinction of the safest mass market car on sale. Expect that to continue with the XUV5OO.

So, if you're in the market for a three-row SUV, please wait. All pointers indicate the all-new XUV5OO should be worth it!

Picture Credits: Karthik Chandrasekar

50 Years of Range Rover - Here's how the world's most-popular luxury SUV evolved over the years!

While 2020 has been a year to forget for almost everybody, Land Rover had reasons to celebrate. Their flagship Range Rover turned 50 this year!

From being a single model positioned at the top of the Land Rover line-up in 1970 to a full-blown sub-brand of sorts with a four-strong lineup in 2020, Range Rover has come a long way in these 50 years. With each successive generation, Range Rover kept moving up the ladder in terms of price and positioning, always offering customers an enticing combination of ultimate luxury with go-anywhere prowess. Just as well as Range Rover was one of the pioneers of "luxury off-roading" when introduced.

For me, the best aspect of Range Rover has to be the fact those off-roading credentials do not come at the expense of aesthetics. The iconic silhouette, clamshell hood, floating roof and continuous waistline have all stood the test of time, evolving over the years to look fresh and contemporary.

As 2020 draws to a close, I thought it would be good to wrap up the year with a post dedicated to Range Rover's evolution and the many feats it accomplished along the way.

Debut

The 4x4 leisure market was growing worldwide and Jeep was making merry with its Wagoneer. Land Rover felt it's Defender was too basic to suit lifestyle audiences and take the fight to the Jeep. After making the first prototype in 1966 and fine-tuning it over the next four years, Land Rover introduced the Range Rover to critical acclaim in 1970. 

Milestones

• It took 12 years for Range Rover to reach the production milestone of 100,000 units
• Sales rose over the next two decades with production crossing 500,000 units in 2002
• Over the last decade and half, Range Rover has been the growth engine for Jaguar-Land Rover contributing significantly in terms of volumes as well as revenue

Fun Facts

• Range Rover has featured in over 1,400 movies and television shows
• Range Rover has starred in five James Bond movies; That's just two short of Sean Connery and Roger Moore - both of whom starred in the lead role in 7 movies - and more than all other actors that have played James Bond
• Range Rover has been a popular choice amongst celebrities globally; Well-known personalities to have owned Range Rover include Her Majesty the Queen, basketball legend Michael Jordan, Hollywood star Tom Cruise, ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, Indian skipper Virat Kohli and a whole gamut of Bollywood stars including Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Anushka Sharma
• At the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Land Rover did the unthinkable and unveiled the Range Rover Evoque Convertible Concept; While many thought the world's first luxury SUV convertible would remain a concept, Land Rover went ahead and put it into production from late 2015
• A near-identical copycat of the Range Rover Evoque exists in China (where else?) in the form of Landwind X7

Staying true to its roots while remaining relevant over a span of 50 years is no mean feat. Range Rover has accomplished just that. So, how did the model evolve over the years? 

Read on, to find out.

First Generation (1970 - 1994) 

Now fondly called the Classic, the original Range Rover was only available as a two-door model with an aluminum Rover V8 engine, full-time four-wheel-drive and all-wheel disc brakes. It struck a chord with buyers almost immediately. The rest, as they say, is history.

It wasn't until 1981 Land Rover found the need to add a four-door model to the line-up. Though the initial models were fairly utilitarian with vinyl seats and washable dashboard made of plastic, convenience features like power steering, carpeted floors, air-conditioning, leather upholstery and wooden interior trim were added over the years. From becoming the world's first 4x4 to feature Anti-lock Braking System in 1989 to being the first-ever SUV equipped with electronic Traction Control System and automatic air suspension in 1992, this generation of Range Rovers had quite a few firsts to boast of in it's 25-year life span.

It was also during this period Range Rover's reputation for unrivalled all-terrain capability was cemented with a series of high-profile endurance runs.

• In 1972, Range Rover became the first vehicle to complete an 18,000-mile Trans-America expedition staged by the British Army including crossing the dangerous Darien Gap in South America
• In 1974, Range Rover completed a 7,500-mile trek across the Sahara Desert in just 100 days
• In 1977, Range Rover topped the 4x4 class of the 18,750-mile London-Sydney marathon, the longest-ever speed-based rally
• In 1979, Range Rover won the first-ever Paris-Dakar rally followed by another triumph in 1981

The classic Range Rover finally bowed out in 1996 after a 2-year overlap with its successor and a production run of 317,615 units.

Second Generation (1994 - 2001)

Internally named 'P38a' after the building in which it was developed, the second-generation Range Rover debuted in 1994 offering better off-road capability, better on-road behaviour, more luxurious interiors and technological advancements including an advanced electronic air suspension. The powertrain lineup expanded as well with the V8 petrol engine now available in 3.9-liter and 4.6-liter displacements in addition to a BMW-sourced 2.5-liter diesel.

In 1999, Land Rover joined hands with furniture designer Lord Linley to come up with what was the most luxurious and the most expensive Range Rover then. Inching past the six-figure price barrier (It was priced £100,000 at launch), the Linley special edition featured a hand-finished black paint job, bespoke interiors finished with black leather upholstery, piano black trim inserts and uncommon niceties like an on-board television, VCR player and satellite navigation. Just ten of these were made, making it one of the most exclusive Range Rovers you can lay your hands on!

Third Generation (2001-2012)

Range Rover entered the new millennium with the arrival of the bigger, more spacious and more luxurious third generation model, codenamed L322. As a result of this upmarket move, Range Rover had a cabin that would serve an S-Class owner just right! It was a big deal, given that none of the off-road chops Range Rovers were known for had been compromised.

Planned and developed under BMW ownership, the L322 Range Rover shared a lot of its components with the 7-Series initially. Powering this generation were V8 petrol engines from BMW until 2005 and Jaguar after that. Diesel mills were sourced from BMW first and Ford later. Technological highlights include the addition of 'virtual' instrument cluster in 2010 and the first-in-industry dual-view infotainment display. It's remarkable how both of those high-end features of the day have filtered down to entry-level cars these days.

This generation saw the nameplate expand with the introduction of the Range Rover Sport in 2005 and the Range Rover Evoque in 2011. Both of these models have established themselves as successful off-shoots of the Range Rover nameplate and are currently in their second generation.

Fourth Generation (2012 onwards)

2012 saw the introduction of the fourth-generation Range Rover, codenamed L405. Bragging rights this time came in the form of its aluminium construction, a leaf taken out of Jaguar's book. By becoming the world's first SUV to make significant use of the light metal, this generation of Range Rovers benefitted from reduced weight, improved strength and increased efficiency. 

As it did with every prior generation, Range Rover moved further upmarket in price and positioning. The fact that exterior styling and interior appointments matched that move helped its cause. Engine options include 3.0-liter V6 petrol, 5.0-liter V8 petrol, 3.0-liter V6 diesel and 4.4-liter V8 diesel paired to a ZF-sourced 8-speed automatic transmission.

The inevitable electrification happened in 2013 with the first Range Rover Hybrid making its debut. Other high points include the launch of the Range Rover Sport SVR - the world's fastest SUV at the time - in 2014 and the addition of the sexy Velar as the fourth model of the Range Rover line-up in 2018.

During this tenure, Range Rover was back doing what it did best in its first iteration.

• In 2013, three Range Rover Hybrids completed a 9,950-mile endurance expedition following the ancient Silk Route from the UK to India
• In 2018, a Range Rover Sport Plug-in Hybrid became the first vehicle ever to climb the towering 45-degree, 999-step staircase to Heaven's Gate in China 

Range Rover Fifty

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Range Rover, Land Rover introduced the Range Rover Fifty earlier this year. Based on the Autobiography trim level, this special edition is an ode to the original Range Rover with a production run that's limited to 1,970 units. Yes, you got that right. 1970 was when the Range Rover was originally introduced.

Being a special commemorative edition, the Range Rover Fifty gets a slew of bespoke features like exterior accents painted in Auric Atlas (that's black for you and me), unique 22-inch alloy wheels, a special colour palette including Tuscan Blue, Bahama Gold and Davos White that are replicated from the original's palette. A special 'Fifty' script can be seen on the exterior badging, headrests, dashboard and the illuminated doorsills. There's also a '1 of 1970' badge on the center console to remind owners of their ride's exclusivity.

What does the future hold?

With the current-generation model on its final legs, a new Range Rover is likely to debut in the next year or two. With electrification and autonomy being the buzz words in the industry, I'm sure the new Range Rover is going to embrace one or both of them in some form or the other. It's going to be interesting. Just wait for the baton to be passed on!

Porsche rolls out one-millionth Cayenne

When Porsche took the wraps off the Cayenne at the 2002 Paris Motor Show, it left the show-goers, fans and automotive enthusiasts across the world shocked. 

What were they thinking? How can Porsche – known for their pure-bred sportscars like the iconic 911 – think of making an odd-looking SUV like this? What a crazy decision, this! These were just some of the questions and statements hurled at the German car-maker. Guess what? Porsche had the last laugh. 

In just over 18 years, Porsche has rolled out 1 million units of the Cayenne from its assembly line at Leipzig, Germany. The landmark model was a GTS painted in Carmine Red, headed to a German customer. 

In all these years, the Cayenne has gone through three generation changes, defied physics with its incredible handling despite riding high off the ground, made its mark in the tough Transsyberia Rally on more than one occasion, holds a Guinness World Record for towing the gargantuan Airbus A380, blossomed into a handsome brute of an SUV, spawned the trendy Cayenne Coupe and forced brands from Lamborghini to Rolls-Royce to sit up and take notice. That it managed all of these looking right at home in the porch of a 5-star hotel as well as traversing through slush and snow makes the Cayenne Porsche's ultimate all-rounder.

Debuting at a time when the SUV boom was still in its infancy, the Cayenne was well-placed to capitalize as demand for high-riding vehicles like these soared across segments and price bands. As a result, Porsche's luxury SUV bet saved the brand from folding up and sowed the seeds for the success and reputation it enjoys today.

With the Macan mimicking the same success formula in a smaller package, Porsche now has two best-sellers in its range bringing in all the money needed to develop their sports cars and more. So, the next time you see the brilliant new 911 out on the road, thank the Cayenne! 

Just so you know, the 911 took 54 years to achieve the same feat.