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Infographic: Seven ways to look at 2011 U.S. car sales

Sherrice Gilsbach
Associate Online Editor

January 18, 2012

Despite a still sluggish economy and the tragic tsunami in Japan, 2011 was the year people started buying cars again.

Nearly all vehicle types had encouraging sales numbers, with midsize sedans and crossovers experiencing the highest sales volumes. According to pricing data provided by ALG, a company that compiles and analyzes automotive data, vehicles priced between $20,000 and $40,000 were the most in demand.

Hybrid sales took a dip in the U.S. for 2011, dropping 2 percent from 2010; plug-in hybrids could do nothing but grow since they were not available prior to 2011. But in the end, only 17,813 plug-in hybrids and electrics sold last year. With all the green hype, we expected the number to be higher.

The infographics below paint a picture of 2011 U.S. auto sales. As global sales numbers emerge in coming months, we’ll expand the canvas.

2011 Auto Sales Data

1

GM was able to regain its top spot through 2011 with the highest total sales, but both Ford and Toyota will be aiming for that target throughout 2012.
2

Cars priced between $20,000 and $30,000 stole the show this year.
3

Who knew pickup trucks would be in such demand? Manufacturers appreciate this statistic as it proves "need" buyers are coming back. High sales numbers today show a combination of factors at work: One, people can't wait any longer to replace their old trucks, and two, incentives may be at work.
4

What we find interesting here is how crossovers, or CUVs, beat out their larger SUV counterparts. The line between crossover and SUV has been slowly fading.
5

North America is the primary producer of cars with Japan taking second place and Europe third.
6

This graphic may come as a surprise because many of us imagine anything "green" increasing in sales year over year. However, that's not so for the hybrid-vehicle market, which showed a slight decline in 2011 compared with 2010 sales results.
7

Let the plug-in race begin! 2011 saw the introduction of the Mitsubishi i, Smart ED, the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf. For this first lap, Nissan takes the lead, but the future is wide open for this segment with new entries being added on a regular basis. For 2012, we'll see the Ford Focus EV and the Prius plug-in join the mix.