The Accord and Camry Continued to Dominate Midsize Car Sales Last Year
Both the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry have been in the hearts of American buyers for decades. Boasting reliability and affordability for families, the Accord and Camry have been some of the brands’ best-selling vehicles in lineup history. But with the era of SUVs and trucks ushering in, how well are the two midsize sedans selling?
Honda and Toyota dominated 2019 midsize car sales with the Accord and Camry
As Honda and Toyota’s flagship midsize sedans, the Accord and Camry remain America’s favorites in the segment. According to GoodCarBadCar, more Accords and Camrys sold in the U.S. last year than any other midsize car. Out of 23 total midsize sedans on the list, the Toyota Camry came out as the reigning best-seller, with the Honda Accord coming in at a close second place. Toyota sold a total of 336,978 Camrys in 2019 while Honda made 267,567 sales of the Accord.
But the Accord and Camry have been some of America’s best-selling sedans for years. The pair also placed as first and second in midsize sales for 2018, though each experienced a small decrease in sales with the 2019 model year. Not only do these two reign supreme in the midsize segment, but they do so with plenty of room to breathe since no one other midsize car even comes close in sales numbers. The next-highest-selling midsize cars in the U.S. in 2019 were the Nissan Altima and Ford Fusion, which still only sold around 200,000 and 160,000, respectively.
The Toyota Camry and Honda Accord’s domination with the midsize car can be better seen when broken down by quarterly performance. In the last quarter of 2019, for example, Kia sold 20,384 Optimas and Hyundai sold 19,098 Sonatas. As two popular cars, those quarterly sales numbers are not bad. But according to GoodCarBadCar, those numbers pale in comparison to the Accord with 63,104 sales and the Camry with 78,522. Within the midsize segment, it’s not even a competition; the Accord and Camry dominate.
Why cars like the Accord and Camry are still popular in an SUV/truck-driven market
In recent years, the popularity of the car has given way to consumers looking for space and function. SUVs and trucks are more popular today than ever before, dominating sales and driving changes in the industry. Few things remain the same in today’s market. Except for Honda and Toyota, of course.
According to Business Insider, “the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord are two of the best-selling and most respected cars in the world.” Known from day one for their reputation as “good family cars,” both use designs and engineering geared towards reliability, safety, and comfort. According to Auto Trader, its “their impressive reliability records” that have drawn in most loyal customers. But it’s not just dependability consumers want, with many also drawn to the Accord and Camry’s “reasonable pricing, roomy interiors, and lots of features per dollar.”
How Honda’s and Toyota’s car sales held up against all of America’s most popular vehicles
Though the Accord and Camry dominated the midsize car segment in 2019, it’s clear that SUVs and trucks are dominating the market overall. The Ford F-Series sold more than any other vehicle in America, with the Ram Pickup and Chevy Silverado falling into the second and third spots. But as SUVs and trucks dominate the top positions, it’s only cars from Honda and Toyota that earn a spot among the best.
According to GoodCarBadCar, Toyota earned the eighth-top-selling spot with its best-selling Camry, but also the 10th spot with the Corolla. Honda’s compact Civic performed better than the Accord, making it the vehicle with the ninth-best sales while the Accord falls into the 11th spot.
These four compact and midsize cars may seem to struggle to make it into the top 10 overall vehicle sales, but they are the only passenger cars within sight. The next top-selling car is the Nissan Altima, which still sits all the way back in the 18th position in 2019 sales. It seems Honda and Toyota are here to stay as America’s favorite car makers.