Fun With 2021 U.S. Auto Sales: Who Beat Who?
The mighty rose and fell in the auto industry in 2021. A critical shortage of microchips helped determine winners and losers in U.S. sales for the year more than any other factor. Aberration or not, the surprises are worth noting when companies deemed too-big-to-fail fall off their long-held perches and underdogs ascend to new heights.
Business publications have splashed plenty of ink in the annual presentation of final U.S. auto sales as another year came to a close. We won't go all corporate and financial here at MotorTrend but there were some unexpected plot twists that deserve to be pointed out—regardless of any asterisks due to chip shortages.
Toyota Topples GM For the First Time
The biggie: after decades of U.S. sale supremacy, Toyota beat General Motors in 2021. GM sold 2.2 million vehicles, but Toyota had about 114,000 more for a total of 2.3 million.
Toyota executives were quick to say the lead is not sustainable. GM will be back on top as chip supplies normalize. The semiconductor shortage hurt all automakers, but some were hit harder than others. GM and Ford were among the more heavily pummeled. Toyota was the poster child for how to—almost—survive the chip crisis.
Toyota is no stranger to pinchpoints from key parts shortages. After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, Toyota put an early warning system in place to monitor its supply chain. The result is that the inventor of the concept of lean manufacturing and just-in-time delivery became a hoarder. Once warned, the Japanese automaker stockpiled chips and was able to keep building and selling vehicles full steam while the competition was playing whack-a-mole in determining which vehicles took priority in receiving chip rations and which plants faced temporary downtime on any given week.
As the shortage stretched out and was exacerbated by a fire at the Renesas Electronics chipmaking plant in Japan, and then COVID-19 outbreaks that forced closure of facilities in southeast Asia that test and package chips, Toyota was finally forced to idle some plants. But in the end, Toyota saw 10 percent sales growth in the U.S. in 2021 while GM saw a 13 percent drop because it lost hundreds of thousands of units of production.
Hyundai-Kia Leapfrogs Over Honda
Hyundai-Kia outsold Honda for the first time, moving up to the fifth spot with almost 1.5 million vehicles sold. That was about 22,500 more than Honda. The two brands under the Hyundai Motor Company umbrella continue to be a juggernaut. This one will be interesting to watch in 2022 because the Korean brands show no signs of slowing down and have impressive vehicles hitting the market.
The Hyundai group still has work to do to catch Stellantis at just shy of 1.8 million, or Ford at almost 1.9 million.
Ford EVs Coming for Tesla
Ford, which was considered a bit of an EV laggard until fairly recently, ended 2021 in second place when it comes to U.S. sales of electric vehicles. Credit goes to the new Mustang Mach-E; Ford sold more than 27,000 of the electric crossovers.
King of the EV castle continued to be Tesla which had a banner year. How banner we don't know exactly as it the automaker does not break out U.S. sales.
General Motors was out of the running in 2021, not because of the chip shortage, but because the Chevrolet Bolt was all but sidelined for much of the year by a recall due to risks of fire from bad cells in its batteries and a recommendation to park outside.
Ford Mustang vs. Dodge Challenger vs. Chevy Camaro
The muscle car sales wars are legendary, and we never tire of the jostling, even though their makers don't always give them the love they once received.
We have a cool toppling this year. The Dodge Challenger actually stole the title in 2021. The coupe is no spring chicken, and this wasn't a chip shortage win. Credit energetic execs behind the Dodge brand who never say die. Efforts to keep the Challenger fresh led to a 3 percent increase in sales, bringing the total to 54,314 muscle cars sold and the highest full-year share ever at 21 percent of the albeit-small segment. (Dodge Charger also grew market share to a career-best 30 percent, more testament to pixie dust being sprinkled liberally over at Dodge).
That pushed the Ford Mustang to second place. A 14 percent drop resulted in a final sales tally of 52,414. For the bronze: the Chevy Camaro saw sales plummet almost 27 percent, netting 21,893 sales. The once-mighty Camaro must be missing its long-time engineer: Al "Mr. Camaro" Oppenheiser, who was reassigned to the GMC Hummer EVs and is busy crabwalking and hurtling 9,000 pounds of SUV from 0-60 in 3.0 seconds. It probably doesn't help that today's Camaro doesn't look all that different from the last one, or the one before that...
Big Truck Wars
No surprises here: Ford took the title for best-selling truck in the U.S. for the 45th straight year, selling more than 726,000 F-Series. Ram came second at just under 570,000. The Chevrolet Silverado could get a needed boost from the electric version coming—the Chevy came third in 2021 with almost 520,000 U.S. sales.
Who said following auto sales isn't fun?
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The next-generation Honda Civic Type R is on the way. If you've kept up with the latest buzz, then you've seen the red, black. and white camouflaged prototypes several times now. The eagerly awaited hatchback will debut this year as a 2023 model and once again is offered with a manual transmission—an option fast disappearing from the Civic family here in America. But while we continue to wait for the hot hatch's official unveiling, Honda has released footage of the Type R-still under that red, white, and black wrap-zipping through the Suzuka Circuit in Japan. This is essentially video of the same car captured in still photography last month at the same track.When the 2023 Honda Civic Type R finally arrives, it should feature a more powerful 2.0 turbo-four, somewhere in the ballpark of 315 to 335 hp. In keeping with its track duties and sportier appearance, the front-drive hatchback will come fitted with red-painted Brembo brake calipers as the previous model. As for the inside, it appears that Honda is installing an updated version of the cloth bucket seats in the intense Flamin' Hot Cheetos color.The teaser video gives us a sense of the all-new Type R's feral capabilities. Listen to that turbocharged sound—okay, at least in this clip, it doesn't sound like much, but the drone-y engine at least seems quick. We can't wait to try out the grip provided by those sticky Michelin Pilot 4S tires or the pull of that turbo I-4 for ourselves, as we expect the less manic-looking hatchback to push performance limits even harder than the predecessor while upping its already surprising maturity even further.
The Bronco name is redolent of history and nostalgia, but when this iconic brand was rebooted for the 2021 model year—first as the Ford Escape-based Bronco Sport compact crossover, then later as proper 4x4 SUV foil for the Jeep Wrangler, with two or four removable doors and open-top options—the styling of both variants served up a modern interpretation of the OG Bronco design cues. Two model years in, the 2023 Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport lineups seek to strengthen their already overt visual ties to the first-gen Bronco with new retro Heritage edition packages.Two Heritage Editions Per BroncoTo keep nostalgia affordable, Ford is offering both the Bronco Sport and the big Bronco (two- or four-door) as a mid-level-spec Bronco Heritage edition or a better-equipped Heritage Limited Edition. Each will feature a fun throwback pastel color palette, Oxford White accents, and vintage Bronco script badging, and all will be offered with few option packages to choose. And in paying homage to the original GOAT (Goes Over Any Terrain), every Heritage edition comes standard with the most aggressive rubber available on the base model.That means 17-inch Continental All-Terrains on the 1.5-liter Bronco Sport Heritage, Falken Wildpeak A/Ts on 2.0-liter Bronco Sport Heritage Limited variants, and the Sasquatch package's 35-inch-diameter Goodyear Territory tires on all big Broncos. A full-size spare also comes standard.2023 Big Bronco Heritage Model UpgradesTwo- and four-door Bronco Heritage editions start from a Big Bend equipment basis available with a four- or six-cylinder engine and manual or automatic transmission. Heritage Limited models build from a Badlands basis, and hence are 2.7-liter V-6, 10-speed-automatic-only. Both are upgraded with the Sasquatch off-road package and use the more retrolicious square-top fenders introduced on the Everglades model. Each shares a new white grille based on the Black Diamond model's grille insert, featuring F-O-R-D lettering in red (all other Broncos, save the Raptor, spell out "Bronco" here).Base 2023 Ford Bronco Heritage and Limited models get unique wheel treatments, with the base wheel painted white with a steely look, and the Heritage Limited wheel leaving only the outer rim white with a black center and a "dog dish" cap covering the lug nuts. Both designs feature a Bronco horse on the center cap. Each gets the Bronco script from the '60s along with a tape-stripe job, with the entry Heritage making do with a decal and the Limited getting a proper chrome badge. Exterior color options for the Bronco Heritage include Race Red (very close to the original Rangoon Red), black, Carbonized gray, Cactus gray, and Azure gray. You'll have to pop for the Heritage Limited to get the most fun colors: Robin's Egg blue (based on the 1966 color Arcadian Blue) will be available at launch, with Yellowstone (Ford Prairie Yellow) arriving later in 2023 and, and a more medium Peak Blue coming in 2034. All Heritage Broncos and Bronco Sports get an Oxford White roof, and standard assist steps.Inside, all models get a white dashboard with red accents on the assist handles, vent aiming knobs, bungee straps on the map and seatback pockets, and steering wheel stitching. They also all get a modern riff on plaid seats, and the auxiliary switches are standard. For the base Heritage edition it's a gray denim-type cloth joined with light-blue stitching on the bolsters and vinyl inserts printed with sort of a digital plaid in shades of white, light blue, and grays. Heritage Limited models get brown leather accented by white and red stitching on the bolsters, and a plaid pattern of perforations in varying sizes.2023 Ford Bronco Sport Heritage ModelBronco Sports share a steel-wheel-look design (in white, with bronco center caps), but the two variants get unique white grilles. The base 1.5-liter Heritage edition shares the Big Bend grille design, but here it's flanked by the fancier (Outer Banks and up) headlamps with LED daytime running lights. The Limited runs the Badlands grille. Both are rendered in white with red BRONCO lettering. Here again the base model makes do with a Bronco script decal, only this time it's reversed out of the white bodyside stripe. Heritage Limited models get a chrome Bronco script, here augmented with a red box that includes the word "Sport" and a bucking bronco. Heritage Limited models are functionally equivalent to the Bronco Sport Badlands, and that model's underbody armor can be ordered as an option on base Bronco Sport Heritage editions. Bronco Sport Heritage models offer seven paint options including Robin's Egg Blue; Heritage Limited Editions can only be had in Robin's Egg Blue, Yellowstone Metallic and Peak Blue.Interior color schemes echo those of the big Bronco, with worsted-look cloth and plaid-pattern vinyl on the base car, set against the Navy Pier (blue) cabin colorway, complete with red and light blue stitching on the bolsters. The Bronco Sport MOLLE strap storage system on the front-row seatbacks includes Navy Pier straps and Race Red zipper grips. Both variants get white accents on the dash and doors, but they're far less dramatic than the broad swathe of white on the bigger Bronco. All Heritage models also get an "Established 1966" plate like the ones all big Broncos get, only here the little Ford grille lettering is painted red.Bronco and Bronco Sport Heritage Pricing, AvailabilityThe Bronco Sport Heritage edition will start at $35,840, with Limited models at $46,250—not bad, considering a Big Bend with the all-terrain tire upgrade currently goes for $32,425 and a Bronco Sport Badlands with leather and Falkens starts at $40,995. The Bronco Heritage two-door starts at $45,900 with the 2.3-liter seven-speed stick, up from $44,960 for a Big Bend with Sasquatch and the auxiliary switches package (add about $2,100 for the four-door). A two-door Heritage Limited will start at $68,490, up from $55,765 for a Badlands Sasquatch with leather and the 2.7L V-6/10-speed powertrain. Sales start this September, with an allotment of just 1,966 copies of the 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Heritage Limited Edition and the Ford Bronco Heritage Limited Edition to commemorate the year of the original truck's debut, with each run to be divided between the three colors and the Bronco's body styles. As with the Everglades and other models, ordering priority will be granted to current reservation holders who choose to change their order. 2023 Ford Bronco (Heritage Edition) Specifications 2023 Ford Bronco Sport (Heritage Edition) Specifications BASE PRICE $45,900-$68,490 $35,840-$46,250 LAYOUT Front-engine, 4WD, 2- or 4-pass, 5-door SUV Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV ENGINES 2.3L/275-hp/315-lb-ft turbo direct-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4; 2.7L 315-hp/410-lb-ft twin-turbo port- and direct-injected DOHC 24-valve V-6 1.5L/181-hp/190-lb-ft turbo port- and direct-injected DOHC 12-valve I-3; 2.0L/250-hp/277-lb-ft turbo, direct-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4 TRANSMISSION 7-speed manual, 10-speed auto 8-speed auto CURB WEIGHT 4,750-5,100 lb (mfr) 3,600 lb (mfr) WHEELBASE 100.4-116.1 in 105.1 in L x W x H 173.7-189.5 x 76.3 x 73.8-73.9 in 172.7 x 74.3 x 71.4 in 0-60 MPH 6.6-7.9 sec (MT est) 6.5-8.6 sec (MT est) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 16-18/17/17-18 mpg (est) 21-25/26-28/23-26 mpg (est) EPA RANGE, COMB 287-374 miles (est) 368-416 miles ON SALE September, 2022 September, 2022 Show All
Ford's Director of North American Product Communications Mike Levine sure loves to share stuff about all things Blue Oval on Twitter. That is, of course, his job, but lately some of that sharing has included peeks at hotly anticipated new 2022 Ford Bronco models such as the Raptor and the Everglades. As shared on the Bronco6G forums, Levine has helped make it look as though Ford is really taking the capability of the ultimate adventuring Bronco very seriously—well, mostly seriously.Snow Testing, In California?If you've been unaware of conditions here in California, we've come mostly out of our drought with a very rainy end of December 2021 and into the middle of January 2022. This has also led to some amazing snowfall in the mountains of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Especially so near Death Valley, the relatively flat land between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.This seemingly rare instance of precipitation in California apparently was perfect for some snow testing of the upcoming 2022 Bronco Everglades. From the looks of the first image, the camouflaged Everglades prototype—apparently the same one seen testing back in December of 2021—hasn't changed much. It's also "Mr. Plow"-ing its way through a snow-covered trail just ahead of another Bronco. The second image shows it roosting its way forward in an impressive display of snow flying out from the wheel wells.Another Interesting Feature?Also visible in this preview? The seamless onboard integration of onXMaps via Apple CarPlay in the Bronco. This allows drivers with the app to display trail maps with topographic and satellite views on the Bronco's touchscreen, a handy feature when out trail driving—certainly handier than holding your phone while wheelin' or using a dash mount like it's 2012. What we're interested in is if this isn't a sneak peak into the interior of the Everglades as the images are cropped just enough to potentially hide its factory installed snorkel.
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