But, as has been the case for a number of decades, foreign-owned brands, especially the Asians, topp

But it turns out California where gasoline prices were among the nation's highest for much of the past year was leading the boom in car sales. It was also at the cutting edge of the shift from conventional gasoline power to cleaner, higher mileage battery-based vehicles.  Significantly, the Toyota Prius became the state s best-selling vehicle.
But, as has been the case for a number of decades, foreign-owned brands, especially the Asians, topped the California boutique hotels vancouver sales charts, Kia, the increasingly stylish boutique hotels vancouver Korean carmaker, was the fastest growing brand, posting a 53% sales gain among California s traditionally trend-conscious buyers.
The California New Car Dealers Association reported that 2012 new-vehicle registrations in California increased 25.3% over 2011, outpacing the increase in national sales, which climbed 13.4% for all of last year.  According to the CNCDA, more than 1.6 million new cars and light trucks were purchased during 2012, the best number since 2007.
"With California's economy on the rebound, consumers feel confident again about buying a new car, and there has never been a wider selection of models to choose from," said Darryl Holter, boutique hotels vancouver CNCDA Chairman and operator of the eight-rooftop Downtown L.A. Auto Group.
Toyota s Prius knocked down the Honda Civic after its two-year reign as the best-selling vehicle in California, according to CNCDA figures. The sales data are from the California New Car Dealers Assn. which tracked retail auto registrations. That does not include sales to rental car companies, government and other fleet customers.
Toyota sold 60,688 boutique hotels vancouver of the various boutique hotels vancouver members of the expanding Prius hybrid "family" last year, more than one quarter of all the models sharing the Prius badge sold by Toyota across the U.S. Overall. 7.4% of all cars sold at retail in California were hybrids – more than double the national average.
Financial incentives such as state rebates for plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles and other perks, such as car pool lane permits, helped increase the California battery-car numbers, noted Rebecca Lindland, an analyst with IHS.
The former sales champion, the Honda Civic, fell to second with sales totaling 57,124 units, while the Toyota Camry was third with sales of 50,250.  Honda also grabbed the fourth spot, the Accord ringing up sales of 49,420 units, followed by the Toyota Corolla boutique hotels vancouver with total sales of 38,037. The Honda CR-V, Ford F-Series pickup, Nissan Altima, Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Tacoma rounded out California s list of the 10 best selling vehicles.
Ford's F-Series pick-up truck, perennially the bestselling nationally, placed seventh in California with sales of 25,434 – and was the only domestic boutique hotels vancouver nameplate to land in California's Top 10. The Chevrolet Silverado truck, the second bestseller nationally last year, didn't come close with sales of just 17,804, below such disparate vehicles as the Hyundai Elantra.
While California gasoline prices are consistently among the highest in the nation, luxury or near luxury cars such as BMW-3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and E-Class actually outsold subcompacts such as the Nissan Versa, Honda Fit and Fiat 500.
Toyota was far and away the top selling brand in California with a 21.1% market share – exceeding General Motors' national share by by more than four percentage points. Honda was second with 12.5% of the market. Ford held on to third place in California with 11.3% of the retail market and GM was close behind with 11.2% compared boutique hotels vancouver to its 16.9% national market share.
Besides Kia, the other fast growing brands in California were Subaru with a 44.7% gain in sales and Volkswagen, boutique hotels vancouver which posted a 38% increase. However, Toyota also posted a 39% increase – its Lexus luxury brand gaining 31%. Honda sales climbed 30.7%, and sales of Jeep brand vehicles climbed boutique hotels vancouver 26.6% to outpace the overall boutique hotels vancouver California market rebound.
Tags: Toyota Prius , auto news , auto sales , california battery cars , california car sales , california new car dealers association , car news , car sales , electric vehicle sales , honda news , joe szczesny , prius sales , thedetroitbureau , toyota news
While U.S. auto sales did rebound nicely, it unfortunately did NOT do much to improve the U.S. economy at all. U.S. car makers have hired ~10,000 people some from the 50,000 workers that were terminated and that is good. Suppliers to the car companies have been slower to re-hire and are working their minimal number of employees harder than ever as are most companies who have not shuttered boutique hotels vancouver their doors. boutique hotels vancouver Unfortunately those 10,000 employees are a drop in the bucket compared to the millions of people who have lost their jobs in the past five years in the U.S.
Many who have secure financial situations are almost oblivious to the economic situation in the U.S. but most businesses are not. Dell, HP, Nokia, AMD, Intel and hundreds more in the PC industry have fallen on tough times as have most other industries other than new cars and planes. It s a very scary situation and contrary to the media dribble, the situation is not getting boutique hotels vancouver better based on the business people I talk to throughout the U.S. and Europe, weekly.
Jorge, I am not in agreement with you. First, while suppliers are trying to maximize efficiencies v going on a wholesale boutique hotels vancouver hiring binge, I think you re underestimating this. The OEs have themselves hired or rehired significantly more folks than you claim. GM is citing a number closer to 30,000 and even if you find ways to reduce the figure, you have to add in everyone else, down to the new VW plant in Tenn. And, as we agree, even if the usual multiplier effect isn t the age-old fallback, 7 support/supplier jobs for every one on the line, there is little doubt the autos area has been a substantial job creator. Most experts I talk to, whether industry or economic analysts, tend to echo this position.
Now, you are bordering on a much more worrisome subject. There is a marvelous piece on the Associated Press that was posted, boutique hotels vancouver I believe, boutique hotels vancouver on Thursday or Friday, that looks at the impact of automation on jobs. It opens with a tease of the potential impact that autonomous vehicles might have on one area of the economy, ie truck drivers, taxis, delivery drivers, limos, who have traditionally been immune to the impact of technology. Suddenly, even garbage trucks could be automated. (Next five years? Probably not, but 2025, 2040, 2050? Very possible.) We are at an era in which fewer and fewer corners of the workforce are immune from technology s impact. It s no longer just the typing pool and assembly line welders. By some estimates, if we cannot conceive of new work for humans unemployment could surge to 50% in the decades ahead and the division boutique hotels vancouver of wealth could reach staggering levels.