U.S. auto sales in June 2012 bet expectations, growing by a whopping 22 percent from the same period last year. In the compact car segment, the Honda Civic reclaimed the top spot, having recovered from the devastating effects of last year’s Japanese tsunami. The Toyota Corolla / Matrix came in a close second, while the Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus and Hyundai Elantra, three of the cars that benefited the most from the Japanese misfortune, make up the remaining top five.
It is important to note that despite swapping places with the Japanese on the list, Chevrolet, Ford and Hyundai’s compact sedans aren’t really that far behind, thus demonstrating how competitive the segment has become (it’s not just the Japanese that make good cars nowadays). We wouldn’t be surprise to see the gap close even further in the coming months.
| Model | June ’12 Sales | June ’11 Sales | % Change | Year-to-Date |
| Honda Civic | 27,500 | 17,485 | 57% | 162,582 |
| Toyota Corolla | 26,647 | 18,872 | 41% | 151,726 |
| Ford Focus | 21,186 | 21,385 | -1% | 131,423 |
| Chevrolet Cruze | 18,983 | 24,896 | -24% | 113,884 |
| Hyundai Elantra | 17,655 | 19,992 | -12% | 97,769 |
| Volkswagen Jetta | 11,598 | 14,513 | -20% | 72,519 |
| Nissan Sentra | 9211 | 8077 | 14% | 55,984 |
| Mazda3 | 8835 | 8612 | 3% | 59,527 |
