Against the Odds: The 10 Top Selling Vehicles of June

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If you’re an automaker, chances are Wall Street was betting against you going into the June sales month. But on a side note, there’s a good chance you outperformed expectations — that seemed to be the theme for June, as nearly every major automaker surprised projections with better-than-expected sales performance during what was said to be a rather depressed month.

General Motors (NYSE:GM) was expected to show a decrease year-on-year of 6.3 percent. But the company, working it’s way through the largest single-year spate of recall campaigns in automotive history, actually tacked on 1 percent for the month. Toyota (NYSE:TM) also eked out a gain, spurred by a 10.1 percent surge at Lexus, despite two fewer selling days during the period when compared to a month ago.

Nissan and Volkswagen, however, were dragged down, though Fiat Chrysler Automobiles leapt 9.2 percent, trouncing estimates calling for growth of just 5.9 percent. Honda (NYSE:HMC) fell by 5.8 percent, but it was far better than the 7.4 percent that analysts were anticipating. Ford (NYSE:F) similarly fell 5.8 percent, with projections calling for declines of 6.6 percent.

According to TrueCar data, the average transaction prices for vehicles sold in June actually dropped by 2.2 percent month-over-month to $32,281 — down about 1.4 percent over June of last year, as dealer incentives continue to inch upwards, Cars.com said.

Here are the 10 biggest sellers from last month for your browsing enjoyment.

10. Honda CR-V

Honda is a reliable, versatile, family favorite CR-V clung on to the number 10 spot in June, fending off competition from Nissan and Toyota and having moved 26,129 units during the month, a 1.7 percent decline over the same month of last year. Honda has sold 154,692 CR-V units in the U.S. since January, and despite the shortfall for June, the car remains up 6.1 percent on the year.

9. Ford Focus

With the pending release of the 2015 model year (pictured), Ford’s Focus compact continues to do well, moving 26,266 models (both the hatch and sedan) during the month of June — a 13.5 percent leap over the June of 2013. That brings the Focus’ year-to-date total to 120,956, or down 10.3 percent versus the year-ago levels, despite the sprint last month. The Focus is facing more internal competition than ever from the Fiesta, and the Chevrolet Cruze has also been doing quite well, adding more stress to the compact’s sales.

8. Ford Fusion

Ford’s Fusion has been a sales powerhouse since it was first released in its latest form for the 2013 model year. It didn’t show any signs of slowing through June, as it racked up sales amounting to 27,604 units, also 13.5 percent above the sales achieved in June of last year. This brings its yearly totals so far to 165,498, or 2.7 percent above sales seen during the same period a year ago.

7. Toyota Corolla

The venerable Toyota Corolla — which is perpetually locked in a global battle with Ford’s Focus over the biggest selling nameplate worldwide (and as both companies will tell you, theirs was the better seller) — experienced a rousing month of June as it moved 30,945 units, a hearty 17 percent gain over the June sales of last year. This brings the compact’s yearly sales total to 174,354 units, or 9.7 percent up over the same period a year ago.

6. Honda Civic

Honda’s amicable Civic is enjoying its 2014 mild refresh, and consumers appear to be, too. Honda sold 32,301 Civic cars — inclusive of the hybrid models — during the month of June, bringing it’s year-to-date tally to 167,097 Civics sold — a sales bump of 5.3 percent versus the first six months of 2013. A new Fit model, though it doesn’t directly compete with the civic, might put some strain on Civic models, as it could lure potential buyers from the popular compact line.

5. Honda Accord

One of America’s favorite sedans (second favorite, to be precise), the Honda Accord, saw sales gain 2.1 percent for June with 32,329 models moved off the dealer lots. For the year so far, Honda has actually seen demand fall versus the first six months of 2013 by 0.8 percent, to 185,278 units, and although the company has yet to release the plug-in hybrid variant and just released the new conventional hybrid version, it’s unlikely that these models will contribute greatly to sales volume.

4. Ram Pickup

After shaking up the Chevy Silverado earlier this year, sales of the Ram pickup line have tamed somewhat, although the nameplate is still well ahead. Ram sold 33,149 units in June, bringing its year-to-date total 203,860 trucks sold — gains of 11.8 percent and 19.7 percent, respectively. Ram has had an immensely successful year, accentuated by being the first midsize pickup manufacturer to bring a diesel engine to the segment.

3. Toyota Camry

Ever the fighter, Toyota’s beloved Camry sedan hung on to the third highest selling position for June, as a revamped model looms on the horizon. Toyota sold 40,664 Camry sedans last month, a gain of 13.4 percent versus the June of a year ago. Between January 1 and Jne 30, Camry sales reached 222,540 units, or up 7.2 percent year-on-year for the period. As the next generation model nears its debut, Toyota will likely be upping its incentives on the current model to keep the cars moving and retain its best selling car designation.

2. Chevrolet Silverado

Chevrolet’s Silverado was bumped into third place in May, but regained the silver for June as it added 0.6 percent onto its sales from June of last year, with 43,519 units sold. This sets the Silverado back on the year-to-date sales by 0.8 percent however, with 240,679 units moved since January. The continued recalls that General Motors has initiated haven’t seemed shown any detrimental effect on Chevy’s truck sales, or sales in general.

1. Ford F-Series

The perennial best seller retained its title through June, despite the F-Series line of pickups selling 60,650 units – down 11 percent versus the same month a year ago, though Ford still has an ample margin to work with before losing its best selling crown. So far this year, Ford has sold 365,825 F-Series trucks, a level that slides 0.5 percent below sales from the year-ago period. However, the real test will come later this year, when Ford’s production is constrained for factory retooling.

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