Ten For the Road--And Five Are Trucks or SUVs

The list of the top 10 bestselling vehicles for calendar year 2004 provides an interesting look at America's taste in motorized transportation (unit sales are in parenthesis):

• Ford F-Series (939,511)
• Chevrolet Silverado (680,768)
• Toyota Camry (426,990)
• Dodge Ram (426,289)
• Honda Accord (386,770)
• Ford Explorer (339,333)
• Honda Civic (309,196)
• Chevrolet Impala (290,259)
• Chevrolet TrailBlazer (283,484)
• Ford Taurus (248,148)
  Source: Automotive News Data Center

Will these rankings still prevail after all 2005 sales are accounted for? I think most of the rankings will stay as is, at least if gas prices don't rise much more than they already have. What surprised me is that Nissan is nowhere on the list. And if it weren't for the big Dodge Ram, DaimlerChrysler wouldn't be represented either. Whatever happened to the popularity of minivans?

It will be interesting to see if the new retro-style 2005 Ford Mustang can sneak onto the list. If I were a betting man, I'd place a little money on the pony car. I'm seeing a lot of new Mustangs, some driven by college students and some driven by people who were in college when the original Mustang first came out in 1964. A car that can attract buyers of all ages has a good shot at the list. Even so, the new model won't push the original's sales record. That first model took the country by storm and sold over 400,000 units. At less than $3,000 the car was a steal. Especially compared to the price of a nice, original 1964 Mustang today. I wish I still had my 1965 convertible. I'd be rich!

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