Last week General Motors (GM) and Volkswagen (VW) had an argument about who was the biggest global car seller in 2011. Now Jeep and Chrysler say they deserve some love too.
The carmaker points to an analysis by automotive site Edmunds.com, which shows new U.S. car registrations grew 12 percent last year. Some of the biggest increases came from Jeep and Chrysler, whose registrations grew 55 percent and 48 percent, respectively, in 2011.
"Ever since it debuted its 'Imported from Detroit' ad during last year's Super Bowl, Chrysler has seen its popularity surge among car shoppers," said Jessica Caldwell, Senior Analyst at Edmunds.com. "Everyone likes a good comeback story and consumers are helping Chrysler write the next chapter."
Sandwiched between Jeep and Chrysler was Kia, whose national registrations grew 54 percent in 2011. Hyundai joined its South Korean counterpart among the top five fastest growing brands, climbing 30 percent.
Registrations of cars built in Japan fell last year – not because Americans suddenly lost interest but because they weren't available in their normal quantities, thanks to last year's earthquake and tsunami.
Lexus registrations, for example, declined more than any other automotive brand. The luxury carmaker fell 12 percent in 2011, a rate that doubled the next biggest drop from mainstream counterpart Toyota, which fell six percent. Honda registrations were down three percent.
Among the 10 largest U.S. markets, only three outpaced the national average. Chicago led the top 10 markets with 16 percent growth in 2011, followed by Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth at 14 percent each. The New York market had the slowest growth among the top 10, with a year-over-year increase of just four percent.
