Best-selling cars forecast for 2013

For decades, a relatively small number of cars and light trucks have dominated U.S. sales, whether American, Japanese or European manufacturers built them. This trend goes all the way back to the Ford (F) Model T. The dominance of the market by a few vehicles continued this year, and 24/7 Wall St. forecasts it will continue in 2013.
Twelve million cars and light trucks were sold in the U.S. through the first 10 months of 2012. November auto sales out Monday are not included. According to sales data provided by Edmunds.com, about 3.7 million of these were from sales of just 16 of the more than 250 models available.
The models have more than one characteristic in common. They tend to be inexpensive sedans that get high gas mileage. Every vehicle on the list has a base price of under $25,000. Fourteen have base models that have four-cylinder engines, which tend to get better mileage than engines with six and eight cylinders.
And of the 16 top-selling models, Japanese manufacturers will continue to dominate the list next year. Of the seven best-selling cars for 2013, six are Japanese. The exception is Ford's F-150 pickup, which has been a staple model line of the No. 2 U.S. car company since the 1940s.

Japanese cars usually do well on consumer quality surveys, and these manufacturers, which include Toyota (TM), Honda (HMC) and Nissan, have been in the high-mileage end of the market since they became popular in the 1980s.
Based on sales data for the first 10 months of 2012 from Edmunds.com, 24/7 Wall St. has forecast the 16 cars and light trucks that will sell best in 2013. Using that data, we projected full-year sales and calculated the year-over-year percentage change in sales.
1. Toyota Camry
• 2013 sales: 483,977
• Year-to-date 2012 sales: 344,713
• Base price: $22,055
• Vehicle type: 4-door sedan, 4 cylinder
The Camry sits in the middle of the Toyota sedan model line — above the Corolla and below the Avalon in price. As is true of all high-selling models that sell hundreds of thousand of vehicles each year, the Camry comes in a number of versions. These include two hybrids, and what Toyota labels the XLE model, which comes with a 3.6-liter V-6 engine that generates 268 horsepower. In August 2011 Toyota released its first redesign of the Camry in five years. However, many auto industry watchers said the company played it safe, given that the dimensions were unchanged.
2. Ford F-150
• 2013 sales: 455,305
• Year-to-date 2012 sales: 351,177
• Base price: $23,670
• Vehicle type: 2-door pickup, 6 cylinder
The F-150 is the base model of Ford's large line of pickups. The first generation of the truck was introduced in 1948. The basic F-150 XL gets 23 mpg in highway driving. Of course, as engines get bigger, gas mileage drops. The FX2 model has a 5-liter V-8, which gets only 21 mpg in highway driving. The SVT Raptor sports model has a 6.2-liter V-8, which only gets 16 mpg in highway driving. The Limited model costs over $55,000 when fully loaded with all options. The restyled Ford F-150 costs $170 more than the previous year's model.
3. Honda Accord
• 2013 sales: 387,779
• Year-to-date 2012 sales: 276,196
• Base price: $21,680
• Vehicle type: 4-door sedan, 4 cylinder
The Accord comes in both a four-door base sedan and two-door coupe. The base engine for both is a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine. The sedan has an optional 3.5-liter V-6. Honda's full-size sedan competes against Toyota Camry and Chevrolet Malibu, both of which are on this list. Among the changes in the new Honda Accord, which went on sale in September, are a shorter length, a continuously variable transmission, and a new engine family. Honda calls it "the most sculpted and dynamic Accord ever."
4. Nissan Altima
• 2013 sales: 358,187
• Year-to-date 2012 sales: 258,663
• Base price: $21,700
• Vehicle type: 4-door, 4 cylinder
The 2013 Nissan Altima went on sale in June. It has different proportions and is more loaded with technology, although the changes aren't massive. "It looks different, at least a bit sexier than the existing model, but its mission remains the same: attract as many mainstream car buyers as possible," writes Greg Migliore of Autoweek. The fuel economy for the four-cylinder Altima is approximately 27 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway This goes down to 22 mpg and 301 mpg, respectively, for V-6 models.
5. Honda Civic
• 2013 sales: 357,621
• Year-to-date 2012 sales: 254,716
• Base price: $15,755
• Vehicle type: 2-door coupe, 4 cylinder
The Civic is one of Honda's lowest-priced models and comes in seven versions. The first, and least expensive, is a coupe. For slightly more money, $18,165, the Civic is available in a sedan version. As befitting the low-end model of any large manufacturer's line, Honda offers a hybrid version, which gets 44 mpg in highway driving, as well as a natural-gas version. Fully loaded, the natural-gas version has a sticker price over $31,000. Sales of the Honda Civic have already grown from 221,235 in 2011 to 254,716 in the first 10 months of 2012. The restyled Civic is expected to come out in 2013.
6. Toyota Corolla
• 2013 sales: 333,933
• Year-to-date 2012 sales: 237,844
• Base price: $16,230
• Vehicle type: 4-door sedan, 4 cylinder
The Corolla is Toyota's low-end sedan. Part of its appeal is its 34 mpg in highway driving. Toyota markets the Corolla against the Honda Civic Sedan and Hyundai Elantra. Among its advantages over its competition are standard climate control and a CD player. Sales of the Corolla in the first 10 months of the year have already surpassed 2011's total of 226,342. The Corolla's most recent redesign was in 2007. Still, it was the best-selling compact car in 2011. Insiders have told Autoguide that the 2014 Toyota Corolla will be a "dramatic change."
7. Honda CR-V
• 2013 sales: 327,955
• Year-to-date 2012 sales: 233,586
• Base price: $22,695
• Vehicle type: 4-door crossover, 4 cylinder
The CR-V is Honda's base crossover vehicle. Its small 185-horsepower engine gets 31 mpg in highway driving. The CR-V comes in six versions, which include relatively standard options, such as all-wheel drive. The high end EX-L has a satellite navigation system and a base price of $30,195. The 2012 model, which went on sale in June 2011, included cutting-edge technology features, such as a standard Pandora radio interface and a text-messaging feature that reads messages and allows people to choose one of six automated replies.
8. Ford Fusion
• 2013 sales: 290,424
• Year-to-date 2012 sales: 206,855
• Base price: $21,700
• Vehicle type: 4-door sedan, 4 cylinder
The Fusion is Ford's midsize sedan and comes in four models. The base Fusion gets 34 mpg in highway driving. For consumers more interested in an environmentally friendly car, the Fusion Hybrid gets 47 mpg on the highway. The highest-priced Fusion Titanium AWD costs $36,550 fully loaded, nearly twice as much as the base model. With its 2013 Fusion, Ford became the first car company "to offer a sedan with gasoline, hybrid and plug-in power trains that the automaker expects to result in "a triple crown of best-in-class gas, hybrid [and] plug-in efficiency," according to Car Connection.
9. Chevy Silverado 1500
• 2013 sales: 282,627
• Year-to-date 2012 sales: 248,533
• Base price: $22,595
• Vehicle type: 2-door pickup, 6 cylinder
The Silverado is the midpriced model among Chevy's pickups, between the $17,474 Colorado and $35,980 Avalanche. Chevy offers three other versions of the Silverado, which are priced well above the 1500 — a hybrid, the 2500 HD, which has a 395-horsepower engine, and the six-wheel 3500 HD. As with many pickups, the 1500 comes in both two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive models. The 2014 Chevy Silverado will debut Dec.13 and will be featured at the Detroit auto show in January, although no major details about the truck have been released.
10. Ford Escape
• 2013 sales: 273,846
• Year-to-date 2012 sales: 219,907
• Base price: $22,470
• Vehicle type: 4-door SUV, 4 cylinder
The Escape is the entry model of Ford's SUV/crossover line. It weighs 3,500 pounds, carries up to five people and gets 33 mpg in highway driving. At the other end of the Ford SUV range is the Expedition, which can carry up to eight people, weigh as much as 6,000 pounds and be priced as high as $49,525, getting an average of 14 mpg in city driving. Probably because of the differences in fuel economy, Ford sold 19,832 Escape models in October vs. 2,943 Expeditions. The 2013 Ford Escape, which debuted in November 2011, is slightly longer and wider than previous versions and has a stronger engine.
11. Chevy Malibu
• 2013 sales: 251,403
• Year-to-date 2012 sales: 189,094
• Base price: $22,390
• Vehicle type: 4-door sedan, 4 cylinder
Chevy markets the Malibu as its sporty but modestly priced sedan. The GM (GM) division says the Malibu is "inspired by the athletic stance of Camaro," one of the Chevy sports cars. There is also a high-mileage, four-door version, the Malibu Eco, which gets 37 mpg in highway driving. The Eco gets some of its power from energy stored in a lithium-ion battery. The redesigned 2013 Malibu, which came out in the spring of 2012, went on sale in nearly 100 countries. Although the new car is slightly shorter than previous models, it is wider, helping to improve interior room.
12. Chevy Cruze
• 2013 sales: 247,870
• Year-to-date 2012 sales: 199,721
• Base price: $17,130
• Vehicle type: 4-door sedan, 4 cylinder
The Cruze is one of Chevy's anchors in the high-mileage car race and gets 38 mpg in highway driving. According to parent company GM, the Cruze has the "best fuel economy of any gas engine in America." The Cruze comes in nine versions, the most expensive of which, the LTZ Auto, has a base price of $23,550. Compared with most of the vehicles on this list, the Cruze is expected to grow modestly. Chevrolet is projected to sell 239,665 models in 2012, which is around 8,000 cars more than were sold in 2011 and around 8,000 less than projected 2013 sales.
13. Chevy Equinox
• 2013 sales: 247,468
• Year-to-date 2012 sales: 182,249
• Base price: $23,755
• Vehicle type: 4-door SUV, 4 cylinder
GM's largest division by sales has 17 basic models, which include cars, crossovers, SUVs and pickups. The Equinox is the least expensive of the crossover/SUVs in the group, with a base price of just $23,755. The vehicle seats five people, and higher-end models have a V-6 engine. Chevy boasts that the Equinox has gotten good marks from Kelley Blue Book, a leading industry research resource. The car has estimated fuel efficiency of 32 mpg in highway driving and 182 horsepower, ranked third and fourth, respectively, out of 18 four-door 2013 SUVs Kelley Blue Book rates.
14. Ford Focus
• 2013 sales: 243,965
• Year-to-date 2012 sales: 205,006
• Base price: $16,200
• Vehicle type: 4-door sedan, 4 cylinder
Ford, the only one of the Detroit Three U.S. car companies that did not file for bankruptcy during the recession, has a small fleet of high-mileage cars. The Focus and its stablemate Fiesta get 38 mpg and 39 mpg in highway driving, respectively. The Focus is available in a high-performance ST version, and an electric model, which is priced at $39,200 but gets 99 mpg in highway driving. Ford released a new Focus in 2011, the first redesign in 11 years. It also completely revamped the Detroit plant where the vehicle is made.
15. Hyundai Sonata
• 2013 sales: 235,218
• Year-to-date 2012 sales: 192,119
• Base price: $20,995
• Vehicle type: 4-door sedan, 4 cylinder
The Sonata, Hyundai's slightly more expensive four-door sedan, can cost over $32,000 when all possible accessories and packages are added. Hyundai's marketing claims about the cars were severely damaged recently when a government investigation forced it to change inaccurate mpg estimates. Both Hyundai and Kia Motors, which has also been implicated in a lawsuit over the probe, have agreed to give current and former owners prepaid debit cards compensating them for the estimated amount of additional money they spent on gas tied to the lower gas-mileage results.
16. Hyundai Elantra
• 2013 sales: 215,721
• Year-to-date 2012 sales: 167,087
• Base price: $16,815
• Vehicle type: 4-door sedan, 4 cylinder
The Elantra is one of two cars that Hyundai, a relative newcomer to the market, has on the list. Despite entering the U.S. market many years after foreign-owned manufacturers, such as Toyota and Honda, Hyundai has done extremely well with its low-priced cars. The South Korean company now has a 4.9% share of the U.S. market. Hyundai says the Elantra gets 38 mpg in highway driving, which is probably one of its attractions. Although the Elantra has historically been a sedan, the 2013 Elantra also features hatchback and coupe models.