Toyota Brands Taking a Hit
The grumblings over Toyota recalls are starting to rear their ugly head as interest in several of the brand's popular models declined sharply in February on Cars.com.
According to the most recent Cars.com Consumer Search Index, which tracks the fluctuation of consumer contact with dealers originating from the site, six of the top 10 decreases were for Toyota models including Rav4, Corolla, Camry, Highlander, Prius and FJ Cruiser. GM rounded out the top 10 decreases, with four models experiencing sharp declines in consumer interest - Sierra 1500, Corvette, Tahoe and Equinox.
The Korean manufacturers Hyundai and Kia benefited directly from Toyota's troubles.
Interest in the new Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai Tucson and the Kia Sorento skyrocketed in the month of February according to Cars.com.
In addition to the two Korean manufacturers, Ford continued its strong performance on the site which has helped propel the manufacturer past GM in terms of total sales for the first time since 1998.
The Hyundai Sonata topped Cars.com's list of new cars experiencing the largest increase in consumer contacts to dealers, with a whopping 106 percent increase. The Sonata was followed by the Hyundai Tucson at 83 percent and the Kia Sorento at 69 percent. Ford also had three cars in the top 10. The new Fusion, Escape and F-150 ranked 6th, 7th and 8th respectively.
The Toyota Sienna, which wasn't part of the recall and received positive reviews on Cars.com for its recent redesign, went against the grain and ranked 4th out of the 10 vehicles experiencing the largest increase in consumer contacts to dealers.
"The aggressive marketing efforts on the part of Hyundai and Kia are working when it comes to generating interest among car shoppers," said Cars.com Editor in Chief Patrick Olsen, in a press release. "It's nothing short of surprising to see the activity that the new Toyota Sienna has generated, considering all the turmoil surrounding the automaker's recalls."
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