Mixed Reaction to New U.S. Models

October U.S. light-vehicle sales suggest mixed success for the industry’s new faces, according to WardsAuto data.

The next-generation Nissan Versa, which debuted in August, contributed to a 52.7% jump in the nameplate’s deliveries, compared with year-ago. Similarly, the all-new Kia Rio helped boost its sales by 14.5%.

Chevy Sonic’s first three months fell short of Chevy Aveo predecessor.

Demand for Volkswagen’s newest models, the redesigned Passat and Beetle, skyrocketed in October, compared with like-2010.

Beetle deliveries, excluding cabrio totals, jumped 232.1% in October vs. like-2010, while the Passat’s 5,040 sales were a whopping 825% above prior-year’s 545. All units were ’12 models, VW says.

Other new models saw red. A new Mazda3 debuted in October, but the nameplate’s deliveries fell 4.9% against like-2010.

The Hyundai Accent, Toyota Camry and Honda Civic, all redesigned for ’12, saw negative results of 6.6%, 8.5% and 1.9%, respectively.

Results were mixed for new nameplates.

The Chevrolet Sonic subcompact, in its third month, racked up 3,833 deliveries in October. That put the much-anticipated car in mid-pack compared with competitors such as:

The Sonic’s debut came up short compared with that of predecessor, the Chevy Aveo. The bow-tie brand sold 7,236 Aveos from November 2003 through January 2004, according to WardsAuto data, while the Sonic accounted for 5,539 deliveries in its first three months on the market.

However, Hyundai’s new Veloster 3-door coupe is outperforming the South Korean auto maker’s last coupe, the 2-door Tiburon.

Some 4,560 Velosters were sold between September and October, while the Tiburon needed six months, from September 1996 to February 1997, to accumulate more than 1,000 deliveries.

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