Honda, Toyota Finish 1st, 2nd in O.C. for ’91

Despite an improved showing by domestic cars dealers in Orange County last year, car buyers still looked to Honda and Toyota more than any other brand.

The two Japanese car makers finished first and second in total car sales in Orange County for the first 11 months of 1991, according to R.L. Polk & Co., an automotive market research firm.

Honda, with a total of 12,909 new car sales, captured 13% of the market while Toyota’s 10,148 sales were good for a 10.9% share.

Chevrolet, with a batch of new models, finished in third place, up from fifth in 1990.

Ford, which had little new to offer consumers in 1991, dropped to fourth place from third in Orange County sales the previous year.

Nissan was the fifth-best selling make in the county through November, moving up from sixth place the year before.

Honda and Toyota also supplied the best-selling car models in the county last year. Honda’s Accord, the county’s top seller every year since 1988, finished first again in 1991 with 8,174 sales.

Honda’s Civic captured second place in Orange County with 4,205 sales.

Toyota’s Camry was third with 3,822 sales

In what the company’s district sales manager says was a fluke apparently caused by a large fleet sale to a rental company, Cadillac’s Coupe deVille made its first appearance on the local list of top sellers, with 2,996 sales.

If early sales figures for its restyled 1992 models are any indication, however, Cadillac may be making a comeback. Boosted by rave reviews in the nation’s automotive press, Cadillac’s four Orange County dealers are reporting 200% sales increases from last year, said Mark Oberkircher, district sales manager for General Motors Corp.’s luxury car division.

The fifth-largest seller was the Chevrolet Geo--actually a series of cars made for GM’s Chevrolet division by several Japanese car makers as well as by the NUMMI facility in Fremont, a joint venture of Toyota and General Motors.

Ford’s Taurus and Escort were the only other domestic nameplates on the list of top-selling car models, the Taurus in sixth place and the Escort in ninth.

O.C.’s Auto Picture: Who’s Hottest

TOP-SELLING MAKES

Passenger cars, ranked by the number of registrations in Orange County, January to November,1991:

1991 1990 % Chg. 1989 Rank/Make Sales Rank/Sales 1990 Rank/Sales 1. Honda 12,909 1 14,478 -12.2% 3 12,222 2. Toyota 10,148 2 12,223 -20.4% 2 13,760 3. Chevrolet 9,176 5 7,757 +15.5% 5 7,679 4. Ford 8,791 3 10,428 -18.6% 1 15,671 5. Nissan 5,565 6 7,636 -37.2% 4 9,136 6. Pontiac 4,144 * * N/A 13 3,128 7. Buick 4,024 11 2,932 +27.1% 14 2,916 8. Cadillac 3,929 9 3,097 +21.2% 10 3,620 9. Acura 3,614 8 3,494 +3.3% 8 4,258 10. Mazda 3,111 7 3,558 -14.4% 7 4,367 * Didn’t make the survey

NOTE: Volkswagen was the 10th most popular car in 1990; Hyundai was the ninth most popular car in 1989, and the sixth most popular car in 1988; BMW was the 15th most popular car in both 1989 and 1988.

TOP-SELLING MODELS

Ranked by the number of registrations, January to November, 1991, for Orange County:

1991 1991 1990 % Chg. 1989 Rank/Make-Model Sales Rank Sales 90-91 Rank Sales 1. Honda Accord 8,174 1 8,904 -8.9% 1 7,106 2. Honda Civic 4,205 3 4,736 -12.6% 7 3,257 3. Toyota Camry 3,822 2 5,047 -32.1% 3 5,479 4. Cadillac Coupe 2,996 * * * * * deVille 5. Chevrolet Geo 2,754 6 2,704 +1.8% * * 6. Ford Taurus 2,619 * * * 5 4,082 7. Toyota Corolla 2,311 5 3,032 -31.2% 2 5,538 8. Nissan Sentra 2,281 7 2,695 -18.1% 6 3,697 9. Ford Escort 1,832 * * * 8 2,921 10. Acura Integra 1,737 9 2,116 -21.8% 4 4,258

* Didn’t make the top 10

Source: R.L. Polk & Co.

Researched by DALLAS M. JACKSON / Los Angeles Times