Accord, Camry Top October Midsize Sedan Sales

The mix-up in the hotly contested midsize sedan segment seems to be over as Japanese manufacturers recover volume. The Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, which had been in short supply in the wake of the 11 March earthquake in Japan, have regained the foothold as leaders of the segment. They are, however, being closely chased by the Hyundai Sonata, Ford Fusion, and Nissan Altima.

Sales of the Toyota Camry were 22,043 in October, representing a decline of 8.5 percent year-over-year. That brings the car’s year-to-date sales to 251,564, which is similarly 8.8 percent below the pace set last year. However, the Camry is on track for sales to recover as inventory increases. Moreover, the launch of the 2012 model is expected to draw more customers to dealerships. “The all-new 2012 Camry launch is off to a great start,” said Toyota Motor Sales vice president Bob Carter. The company has 35,000 units of the 2012 Camry en route to dealerships as of writing.

The Honda Accord had been hit much harder by the Japanese supply crisis: at the end of September, its annual sales total was down 16.1 percent compared to the first nine months of 2010. In October, however, a greater supply of vehicles meant monthly Accord sales jumped to 22,589 — up 9.4 percent versus a year prior. That brings the car’s cumulative sales tally to 203,603 so far this year, down only 13.8 percent from the first ten months of 2010. “As dealer inventories continued to replenish in October, we saw increased momentum over last month’s sales,” said Honda vice president of sales John Mendel.