America’s Top Ten Selling Vehicles in November

Many experts expect a strong December and sales will top 17.3 million units for the industry.

“We believe U.S. auto sales will continue to grow in 2016, based on the underlying strength of the economy, and we expect customers will continue to embrace crossovers and SUVs because they are meeting their fundamental needs for utility, comfort and fuel efficiency,” said Mustafa Mohatarem, General Motors chief economist, in a statement.

Indeed, crossover sales continue sell well but only two made the Top Ten. While American carmakers took the top three spots, Japanese carmakers took the remaining seven.

Perhaps the biggest loser in U.S. sales this November was Volkswagen. Sales plummeted 25 percent as car buyers turned their backs on the German carmaker caught in the well-publicized diesel-emissions scandal.

Here are the America’s best selling vehicles this November, according to Autodata Corp.

The Nissan Rogue was Nissan’s best selling vehicle, edging out the company’s midsize Altima with by 2,000 units. In November, Nissan sold 22,565 Rogues with sales skyrocketing 49.8 percent compared to November last year. For the year, sales have swollen 41.4 percent with Nissan selling 260,711 through the year.

The Rogue is a sharp, small crossover that many Americans seem to prefer over lower riding sedans. The Rouge is in a position to climb even higher up this list in the coming years.

The Toyota Corolla has lived most of its life as a top selling compact car. In November it came in ninth, one spot shy of the only other compact car to make the list, the Honda Civic. Sales fell 5.5 percent in November to 24,194 units, but sales are still up 7 percent for the year, as Toyota has sold 330,887 Corollas.

This car remains a practical choice for many consumers. It’s affordable, provides good gas mile and is extremely reliable; the automotive sales trifecta, judging by many Top Ten vehicles.

Even as Honda ramps up production of the the all-new 2016 Civic, car buyers are flocking to the previous generation Civic. In November, Honda sold 25,050 Civics, making its total for the year 302,588. That’s a slight annual increase of .6 percent.

The next generation Civic could very well crush this year’s numbers as it is more stylish, provides a slew of new technologies and even better performance. The new Civic is revolutionary compared to the top selling compact available now.

The Honda Accord barely beat the Civic in November, selling 25,566 cars in the month. Less than 500 vehicles separated the two. Accord sales are up 9.9 percent compared the same month last year. For the year, Accord sales are down 10.2 percent. However, Honda has already sold 320,501 Accords this year, and it will retain its crown as the No. 1 selling Honda in America for 2015.

This is a big sedan with a great second row and stylish interior. Furthermore, Honda has a well-earned reputation for reliable cars and that reputation was built on the Accord. Other mid-size sedans may have more exciting exteriors or more sporty handling, but only one beats on the U.S. sales charts.

Sales between the Honda CR-V and Accord were even closer than those between the Accord and the Civic. Honda sold 25,931 CR-Vs during November. The Accord, Civic and CR-V represent two-thirds of all Honda U.S. sales in November.

Compared to last November, CR-V sales dropped 12.9 percent, though for the year, sales are up 3.9 percent, as total sales in 2015 have reached 314,462.

The top selling small CUV remains there, with Toyota selling 27,368 RAV4s, the highest number of RAV4s Toyota has ever sold in a November. Sales spiked 30 percent up compared to the same month last year.

The RAV4 is the consumer choice for a small crossover that provides a higher riding position, comfortable ride and family utility.

Never underestimate the Toyota Camry, which is on pace to be the best selling sedan in America. Sales climbed 7.3 percent in November with Toyota selling 30,945 Camrys. Overall, Toyota should end up selling around 420,000 Camrys this year even though sales are currently down 1.2 percent.

Next year, could be even better, according to Toyota officials.

“The auto industry is on-track to exceed 2015 expectations,” said Bill Fay, group vice president and general manager for the Toyota Division, in a news release. “With the best Black Friday weekend in eight years, Toyota’s record sales of RAV4 and light trucks overall contributed to double-digit growth in November.”

Ram sales climbed to 36,407 pickups in November, a 2 percent increase over the same month last year. It was the company’s best November since 2003.

Ram also topped more than 400,000 pickups sold for the year, a month ahead of last year. Ram sales have risen 3 percent for the year.

Ram has launched of new Ram models this year including the Ram Rebel, which is more like an off-roading trim package than something like Ford’s Raptor. However, Ram’s growth suggests it has entered the primetime and is keeping up with Ford and Chevy.

Silverado sales climbed 5.1 percent in November with 45,001 pickups sold. For the year, Silverado sales are up 13.9 percent, selling a total of 537,552 pickups.

If pickup sales were combined with the GMC Sierra, GM’s other fullsize pickup, sales would total 61,528 units for the month, which is just behind the perennial monthly winner.

This should be a surprise to no one. The F-Series pickup trucks have led all auto sales for years. In November, Ford’s pickup saw sales a 10 percent increase over last November, even as the sales only climbed .4 percent companywide. Ford sold 65,192 pickups in November for a total of 695,142 pickups for the year. The F-Series will likely total more than 750,000 pickup sales for 2015.