April's Fastest- and Slowest-Selling Cars

April's fastest-selling cars mixed luxury models with recent redesigns and, oddly enough, a few oldies. The Audi Q5 and Q7 — frequent speedy sellers despite their age — met the likes of the BMW X3, Land Rover Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz GL-Class and Lincoln MKZ. A couple 2014 redesigns also made the list: the Subaru Forester and Chevrolet Impala.

It's good news for Ford's Lincoln division, whose redesigned MKZ has been hampered by production setbacks during its launch. Both the MKZ and MKZ Hybrid were among April's fastest-selling cars, reprising the cars' March appearance — but with a key difference. As we reported on April 2, March's brisk sales pace didn't translate into higher sales, but that changed in April. Lincoln shoppers bought 4,012 MKZs and MKZ Hybrids, up 115.4% versus April 2012. It was the best month in the nameplate's seven-year history, Ford proclaimed.

A few oddball cars often land among the fastest sellers, and April was no exception. The current Scion xB hatchback hit dealerships in May 2007 while Nissan introduced the current Frontier pickup truck at the 2004 Detroit auto show. In car years, the elder Nissan is somewhere between actors Michael Caine and Christopher Plummer — and it hasn't aged as well. But the Frontier and xB spent little time on dealer lots in April, and both have minimal incentives. Go figure.

April's slowest sellers document the continuing sales trickle for two cars: the Acura ILX Hybrid and Chevrolet Malibu Eco. Both variants make up a good chunk of their respective nameplates in Cars.com new-car inventory, but they took 150 and 229 days, respectively, to move. Contrast that with April's 51-day monthly average, which stayed about even with March (48 days) but came in a bit slower than April 2012's 45 days.

Here are March's fastest and slowest sellers:

Why Luxury Sales Could Thrive in 2013

Leather-clad luxury cars may seem the domain of an affluent few. After all, this year's best-selling luxury car through March — the Mercedes-Benz C-Class — ranked 51st among all cars. But the group may be poised for a comeback. Total sales improved 12.3% in the first three months of 2013, outpacing the industry's 6.4% gain. By year's end, one in every 7.5 new cars sold in 2013 could be a luxury model.

That would buck a trend several years in the making. Luxury cars, including Buick, hovered around 13% of the new-car market from 2005 to 2010. In 2011 that share slid to 12.9%, and in 2012 it tumbled to 12.6%.

It seemed counterintuitive, given the wealthy are alive and well.

March's Fastest- and Slowest-Selling Cars

We won't have March sales results until later today, but the month's fastest- and slowest-selling cars depict that a couple automakers are catching a break. With a faster-charging option, more cargo space and a lower starting price, the 2013 Nissan Leaf landed a spot among March's fastest-selling cars — this after meeting less than half of Nissan's sales expectations in 2011 and 2012. In March, the all-electric hatchback averaged just seven days to sell. Leaf sales increased 13% through February, so we'll see if Nissan's little EV pulled off an automotive Florida Gulf Coast University last month — or if the faster pace drove few actual sales.

Meanwhile, the redesigned Lincoln MKZ, which was beleaguered by a slow ramp-up in dealer supply, also hit its stride. Lincoln dealers needed just 14 days on average to sell an MKZ. That beat rivals like the Lexus ES 350 (35 days, on average) and Acura TL (50 days). Other movers include the usual slate of redesigns, from the redesigned Subaru Forester to Toyota's fourth-generation RAV4. Flagship luxury SUVs had their day, too: Mercedes-Benz's GL-Class marked its sixth month on the list, and Land Rover's Range Rover flagship had its third.

Despite a cooler March versus last year's record warmth, SUVs represented a similar share of the month's fastest-selling cars. Nine of March's 17 fastest-selling cars were SUVs; that's about even with March 2012, when eight of 17 fast sellers were SUVs.

Ford Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Over Unintended Acceleration

Consumers in 14 states have filed a class-action lawsuit against Ford over unintended acceleration in cars built between 2002 and 2010. The suit, which was filed in a West Virginia U.S. District Court on March 28, alleges that Ford models built between 2002 and 2010 with electronic throttles can allow unintended acceleration. The vehicles in question, which include nearly three-dozen Ford, Lincoln and Mercury nameplates, lack a brake override system. Ford began installing the system in its U.S. cars in 2010.

Plaintiffs want compensation for lost resale value as well as brake-override retrofits, according to one of several law firms representing the plaintiffs. Ford began installing brake-override systems in certain European vehicles as early as 2005, the suit claimed via the Detroit News.

Unintended acceleration from electronic throttles raises a familiar storyline. From September 2009 through December 2010, Toyota recalled some 12 million cars over unintended acceleration, eventually spending well over $1 billion to settle lawsuits and pay civil fees associated with the recalls. The automaker's electronic throttles encountered heavy scrutiny, but a government panel later found that driver error, stuck gas pedals and bad floormats were to blame.

Recall Alert: 3,037 Ford and Lincoln Sedans and SUVs

Ford is recalling 3,037 model-year 2012 Taurus and 2012 Lincoln MKS sedans and 2013 Ford Explorer SUVs due to leaky fuel tanks, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles were manufactured between July 19, 2011, and March 15, 2012, and their fuel tanks may have a marginally sealed side seam, which may not be strong enough in an impact. This could cause the tanks to leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

Ford will begin notifying owners on April 22, and dealers will inspect the fuel tanks and replace them as necessary for free. Owners may call Ford customer service at 866-436-7332 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236; for more info, go to www.safercar.gov.

Related
Recall Alert: 2011 Ford Explorer
More Safety News on Cars.com
Read about Other Recalls

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2013 Lincoln MKS

The redesigned 2013 Lincoln MKS may look more like an executive's car than a mom mobile, but it handled family duty without any problems, says Cars.com Family reviewer Sara Lacey. Its spacious backseat allowed plenty of room for her two school-aged kids, and the trunk easily handled all their luggage for a trip.

2013 Lincoln MKS Family Review

Five New Cars Earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+

Well, that was a quick turnaround. Just seven months after eight of 11 luxury cars blew the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's new small-overlap frontal test, all five cars in the latest IIHS small-overlap test scored Acceptable or Good — the top two of four possible scores.

The 2014 Mazda6 sedan, 2013 Honda Civic Coupe and Civic Sedan, 2013 Volvo XC60 SUV and 2013 Lincoln MKZ sedan passed IIHS' most challenging frontal test, which simulates a 40-mph impact with a rigid barrier that overlaps just 25% of the front of a car. All five cars earned IIHS' Top Safety Pick+ ("plus") honor, a rank above Top Safety Pick status.

IIHS said in 2012 that some 10,000 annual highway deaths in the U.S. occur from frontal collisions, and nearly a quarter of those occur because of so-called small overlap situations.

The 2013 MKZ is the first car that documents an automaker's improvement in the same test. In August 2012, its predecessor scored poorly, allowing a belted crash-test dummy to careen toward the A-pillar rather than the front airbag. The redesigned MKZ offered better front-airbag protection, earning the car an Acceptable score. The Mazda6 scored Acceptable, too.

Lincoln Expects 2013 MKZ Supply to Hit Full Speed by April

Looking for Lincoln's redesigned 2013 MKZ or MKZ Hybrid that you saw advertised during the Super Bowl? You might have to wait a while. Cars.com national inventory has just 781 new 2013 MKZs in stock. That’s a drought compared to the rival Acura TL and Lexus ES, which each have more than 6,000 new 2013 sedans on Cars.com.

Blame a slow ramp up for the redesigned car, which went on sale late last year. The Detroit News reports Lincoln dealers should have enough cars to sell by April.

Those dealers sold just 453 MKZs in January. That's down 73% from January 2012 when the midsize luxury sedan was Lincoln's best-selling model. The plunge hobbled Lincoln sales to a 32-year low, notes Ward's Auto via Bloomberg News. The torpid sales pace came because Lincoln heightened its quality inspections, Ford sales chief Ken Czubay told Bloomberg on Feb. 1.

How The Automakers Scored in Super Bowl XLVII

Wondering which of the automakers that advertised in Super Bowl XLVII got the biggest bang from their buck, whether it was from social buzz (people tweeting or posting on Facebook) or through driving consumers to Cars.com to search for their cars and trucks?

Well, we've got answers for you. The winner on the buzz front was Ram, whose "Farmer" ad featuring the voice of the late radio great Paul Harvey drew lots of accolades. As for driving consumer action, Toyota took home the trophy. Check out our infographic below for all the details. Click on it for a larger version.

Car Talk Names Winner in Ugliest Car Contest

Last month we invited you to join us in the democratic ridicule of finalists in the Ugliest Car Contest organized by Tom and Ray Magliozzi, hosts of NPR's "Car Talk" radio show. The votes have been tallied, and it's time to inaugurate the ultimate unattractive automobile currently in production: the Nissan Juke.

What about the Juke offended the most? Those bulbous, froglike headlights situated atop the hood. Not only did voters consider the headlights homely, but some noted the additional creep factor of feeling like they were being watched in the driver's seat. It seems some people just can't take a Juke.

In second place, things also didn't shape up well for the Nissan Cube, whose right angles were all wrong for voters. Finally, in third, the Lincoln MKT's aggressive grille was off-putting for voters who felt the crossover was gnashing its teeth at them.

It should be noted that the Fiat Multipla, which was winning handily as of Jan. 23, was disqualified when contest organizers realized it was no longer in production.

For the full rundown on the Car Talk Ugliest Car Contest, click here.

Related
Car Talk: What’s the Ugliest Car?
Top 10 Ugliest Car Grilles
Top 10 Ugly Cars