For the first time in almost 60 years, an automaker has outsold General Motors in Canada. Ford, Chrysler and Toyota each sold more cars and trucks than GM in February.
Chrysler sales plunged 27% while Ford's sales went down 15.4%. GM's sales were down a stunning 56.7%.
In the United States, Ford's sales are also down a whopping 48% in February compared to last year.
According to market research polls part of the problem is the lack of financing and 27% of potential new car buyers changing their mind and buying an used car instead. They go to the dealership, can't get financing to buy the car, and decide to buy used because they don't have any other choice.
In other news...
THE TESLA ELECTRIC SPORTS CAR IS COMING TO CANADATesla Motors Inc. said today it has started taking orders for its Tesla Roadster from Canadian customers willing to pay the sports car's luxurious price tag. The Roadster, which competes directly with high-performance vehicles from Porsche and Ferrari, can travel from zero to 100 kilometres per hour in four seconds.
"The Tesla Roadster competes with any sports car in its class for acceleration yet is twice as energy efficient as a Toyota Prius," the company says. When recharged through a standard household outlet, on average, the car would have 85% fewer greenhouse-gas emissions than an equivalent gasoline-powered sports car.
More than 1,000 Canadians have subscribed to an online newsletter looking for the latest updates from Tesla (made in California), which is named after inventor Nikola Tesla. Buyers will have to pay somewhere around $120,000, half of which must come up front as a $60,000 USD deposit. In return, they'll get the first highway-capable electric car built and sold in North America.
Tesla will start delivering the cars in Fall 2009. Tesla is currently producing about 10 Roadsters per weekOn March 26th the Model S, Tesla's four-door sedan, will be unveiled. It's expected to sell at a base price of $57,400 USD and will be available for sale in the second half of 2011.
Other car manufacturers are rushing to introduce electric cars or plug-in hybrid vehicles over the coming few years, including giants Ford, Toyota, Nissan and Chrysler.
See Also: Can Electric Cars be Sexy?
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