In Depth: Surprising Auto Sales Figures

It's not all gloom and doom for automakers. Amid news that auto sales in the U.S. have fallen to their lowest annual rate since December 1981 and lag 39.4% behind year-to-date sales at this point last year, some models are bucking the trend.

Fifteen cars from 10 automakers saw their sales hold steady or increase last month, when compared to year-over-year data from February 2008. Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche (other-otc: PSEPF.PK - news - people ) were the big movers, each with multiple models that gained ground.

The bad news, however, is that only two models from domestic automakers made the list: the Saturn Astra, which saw sales increase 30.3% over last year, and the Mercury Sable, with an increase of 35.5%. General Motors recently announced plans to halt production on all Saturn models and phase the brand out of existence by 2011.

Total sales by Detroit's Big Three are down 48.5% this year to date compared to last year. European brands were down almost half that.

Behind the Numbers
To find the cars that came through with recent sales success, we used February 2009 numbers from Autodata, a research firm in Woodcliff Lake, N.J. The numbers tally total U.S. sales for all brands on a year-over-year rate. Percentages are based on actual sales each month, and were not adjusted for more or less selling days per month.

Despite the gains, individual models don't reflect the industry at large; most of the cars with the strongest gains come from brands that lost ground last month. Audi's A5 and S5 coupes, for instance, gained 28.6% in sales from February 2008, but the brand declined 24.4% in overall sales. Models like the A3 (down 51.6% in February), A6 (down 47.5% in February) and A8 (down 67.5% in February) did more than their part to drag Audi down.

Similarly, the Nissan 350Z's 33% gain couldn't fully mitigate the brand's 37.1% loss compared to February 2008. All told, only Kia (0.4%), Smart (28.5%) and Subaru (1.4%) posted overall gains last month over February 2008.

Sign of the Times
Even models with only slightly decreased sales are cause for celebration in the grim economic climate. The Mercedes-Benz SLR Class is one such example: By merely maintaining its sales from month to month, it made our list of the best performers.

Some of the vehicles with the largest gains on our list got ahead because of product launches that had only just started in February 2008. Models like the redesigned Porsche Boxster had time to reach more robust sales figures by this year; it had practically nowhere to go but up.

A Perfect Storm for Sales
Other vehicles, like Hyundai's Accent and Elantra, benefited from several factors: the widely publicized win of the underdog Hyundai Genesis as North American Car of the Year at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show; Hyundai's unprecedented "Assurance" program, which allows new-car buyers to return their vehicle if they lose their job; and aggressive marketing through the month of February.

Hyundai commercials during two high-profile events, the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards, contributed to the increase in sales, says Chris Hosford, a spokesman for Hyundai. The shows tend to skew to male and female audiences, respectively, Hosford says, which presented a desirable balance in Hyundai's advertising budget.

"We feel that both of them are must-watch TV, and it's the kind of thing that people tend to watch live as opposed to Tivo, and therefore they tend to see the advertising to a greater extent than they might otherwise," Hosford says. "And then also they just have great numbers."

Affordable Luxury
Porsche, meanwhile, credited its higher sales numbers to mechanical updates on its most popular model--the Porsche 911 Carrera/GT3 gained 17.8% over February 2008--and to an "affordability campaign." The message: Owning or leasing a Boxster (up 127.4%) or Cayman (up 0.4%) may be less expensive than drivers assume.

"We're very hopeful that we've gained some traction," says Tony Fouldapour, a spokesman for Porsche. "We're optimistic because of the new models we have; we're able to offer something a little bit different to the consumer in the showroom. So we would hope that that momentum would continue, but it's very hard to predict."

Momentum was certainly a factor with the anomalies on our list. BMW's M3 Convertible, with its 999.9% increase, reflects nascent pre-sales that hadn't gained full traction in the marketplace last February.

"We really didn't get into the market until May [last year], so we're looking at probably another two months where you're going to see very little sales the previous year," says Tom Plucinsky, a spokesperson for BMW. "April, May and June are the hot months for convertibles."

That said, automakers have been hesitant to predict whether the positive sales for these particular models will continue. Most say they are simply focused on enjoying the gains while they last.

The NHTSA ranks the Volkswagen Jetta as one of the top safest small cars.

So, automakers responded -- and as a result, cars and trucks are much safer today than they were 30, 20, even 10 years ago.

One car segment that has especially benefited from this overall improvement in safety is the sub-compact category. And it's a good thing, too, because as gas prices have soared in the last two years, more buyers are turning away from big trucks, monster SUVs and gas-thirsty muscle cars in favor of smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Indeed, the small-car category is the fastest-growing segment in the U.S. auto industry, with sales increasing by 12 percent this year, and everyone expects that growth to continue as long as gas prices keep rising -- or even if they just hold steady and don't drop. That's why many automakers have even more sub-compact models in their product pipelines.

So, as Americans' buying preferences have shifted to smaller vehicles, the old debate about the safety of small cars has ignited anew. Some drivers who've been in an SUV for the last six years have been apprehensive about not being surrounded by a massive steel structure and a few dozen feet of sheet metal.

But those who have been forced to "go small" for economic reasons can take comfort in the fact that small cars are much safer today than they were just a decade ago. AOL Autos: Cars with the lowest ownership costs

According to the most recent available data released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the death rate in the smallest cars on the road has dropped to 106 per million registered vehicles, a significant drop from the 165 per million in 1996.

And today, 14 of the 17 top-selling small cars receive good frontal crash test ratings from IIHS, says Adrian Lund, IIHS president. A decade ago, none did. "That's obviously a huge improvement," stresses Lund. "Small cars are indeed much safer now than they were just a decade ago."

The IIHS is a non-profit group, funded by auto insurers, that conducts research on "how to prevent damage and injuries and deaths" in auto accidents, says Lund. AOL Autos: Most popular fuel-efficient cars

"There have been many new technological developments over the last 10 years, and all small cars now have front air bags, many of them have side air bags with head prevention, and many are getting electronic stability control," Lund continues.

"Plus, due to the crash testing conducted by us and by the National Highway Transportation & Safety Administration (NHTSA -- a division of the Department of Transportation), many of the automakers have improved the structural design of the passenger compartment -- which means there is less 'intrusion' into the compartment than there used to be if a crash occurs."

Here are six of the safest small cars on the road, according to NHTSA, which gave all six a frontal-crash-test rating of five stars, the organization's highest rating. AOL Autos: Safest small cars

Ford's small-car entry, the Focus, followed right behind these models, as far as NHTSA is concerned, with a four-star frontal-crash-test rating.

IIHS uses a different system of rating vehicles' crash-test results than NHTSA. And to illustrate the improvement in small-car safety, IIHS compared some current models to older models from the same car maker.

The current Chevy Cobalt, for example, got a "good" overall frontal-crash test rating from IIHS -- the organization's highest rating. Comparatively, the old Chevy Cavalier, which was produced from 1995 - 2005, received a "poor" overall frontal-crash rating. AOL Autos: Four fast cars for under $30,000

"The overall frontal rating," explains IIHS spokesman Russ Rader, "is based on the individual scores for each of the parameters we measure in the test -- such as the performance of the vehicle's structure; injury measures to the head, neck, chest, legs and feet, and the dummy's movement during the test."

Meanwhile, the old Dodge Neon (1995-'99) received a "poor" overall frontal rating, while its replacement, the current Dodge Caliber, scores a "good" rating from IIHS. AOL Autos: Best-selling small cars

And according to IIHS results, the Ford Focus's frontal-offset crash-test results have remained steady -- it received a "good" rating in that category from 2000-'08, although its 2000-'07 models received a "poor" rating when it came to side-impact tests when tested without the optional side airbags.

One car company that has emphasized the safety of small cars in recent years is Honda, which launched its "safety for everyone" initiative in 2003. As part of this initiative, the company announced the development of Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure, which bolstered occupant protection.

"The 2009 Fit will be the latest small model to get ACE when it goes on sale in the next couple of months," says company spokesman Chris Martin. "With the intro of the new Fit, over 94% of Honda's sold in the U.S. will have the Advanced Compatibility Engineering technology."

A couple of years ago, automakers also adopted an initiative that will improve the safety for small-car drivers by agreeing to build trucks and SUVs with lower front ends.

"This should address the incompatibility between cars and trucks, says Lund. "Trucks have always ridden higher than cars -- which makes them inherently more dangerous to drivers of smaller cars in the event of an accident. So, by next year, we'll be seeing light trucks with lower structures," says Lund.

"In the event of an accident, that means that the front end of the truck will hit the bumper or door sill of the car, instead of hitting the car higher up, like in the passenger compartment, which in the past, has made drivers of small cars much more vulnerable to injury."

But, even though small cars have made big safety gains, it is true that big vehicles are still safer than small ones.

"The risk of dying in the smallest car, compared to the largest car, is still 2-to-1," says Lund. "But, now that people are being forced to make the switch to smaller vehicles due to economic considerations, with fuel prices being so high, it's a comfort for them to know that the smallest cars are so much safer than they were 10 years ago."

The current trend toward buying smaller vehicles also prompts Lund to point out that, "if you do want or need to go with a smaller car, it is important to pay attention to its crash-test ratings."

2009 Maserati GranTurismo S

One year after the GranTurismo coupe’s debut, it’s time to rev the car up a bit. The new GT S version can be recognized by its sinister alloy wheels and by its extra howl, coming from the exhaust pipes of the larger 4.7-liter V-8, up from the original 4.2 liters, which now packs a 440-bhp punch (up from 405).

Also new is an electro-actuated transaxle-mounted gearbox with sequential paddle shifters and an automatic clutch. The so-called MC-Shift system was adapted from Maserati’s exotic MC-12 mid-engine racer.

The GranTurismo S also benefits from new brakes, developed in conjunction with Brembo initially for the larger Quattroporte S sedan. The revised braking package feature front rotors made with a dualcast technology, which casts the units out of iron and aluminum. These discs are paired with aluminum mono-block calipers with six pistons.

The GranTurismo rides on a 115.9-in. wheelbase and is 192.3 in. in overall length. The GranTurismo’s sexy shape was created by the Italian design house of Pininfarina.

Mercedes-Benz ConceptFASCINATION

Okay, so the ConceptFASCINATION is purely a design exercise for Mercedes-Benz. That said, this wagon is especially handsome, and it hints at the future design direction of the next E-Class.

We liked how the stepped lateral edges of the hood come to a point just above the large grille emblem. Pronounced front fenders are complemented by rears with a new "J-shape" bend to them. The headlights and daytime running lights make use of both LEDs and fiber optics. Louvered trim inside the grille sections gives the car a pleasant face.

The interior of the ConceptFASCINATION boasts lots of chrome, aluminum, walnut and leather. And best of all, there's a humidor to keep your cigars fresh and a chilled compartment to keep your drinks cool.

Audi A1 Sportback Concept

Do you think the world is ready for a premium subcompact car with excellent fuel efficiency? Audi certainly does. That's why the Ingolstadt company has developed the A1 Sportback, a concept plug-in hybrid model just unveiled at the Paris motor show. At 157 inches long, the 4-door 4-seat A1 is about a five inches shorter than a Honda Fit, to give you an idea of its size.

Yes, that's small. And yes, the car is related to the 3-door Audi A1 design study from 2007. But the new 5-door A1 Sportback has a higher body with tauter lines that give it a much more muscular look. The boxy shape translates to loads of interior space, with a sporty dashboard wrapping around to blend attractively into the door panels. The seats, of note, are covered in a clear mesh-like fabric that accentuates the airiness of the interior.

Adding to the A1 Sportback's appeal is an advanced infotainment system that allows a driver to use a commercially available mobile phone as the car's phone, address book, nav system and audio player. It can also be used to control several of the car's numerous vehicle systems. All it takes is some additional software that's downloadable from Audi. The A1 Sportback driver, for example, can now plot a driving route in the comfort of his home, long before he or she even needs to get in the car. On the mechanical side of things, Audi's drive select system allows the driver to pick specially adapted configurations for the drivetrain, twin-clutch transmission and magnetic-ride shock absorbers.

Most important, the A1 Sportback has a super-efficient hybrid powertain, in which a turbocharged 1.4-liter 4-cylinder engine is aided by a 20-kw (27-hp) electric motor sandwiched between the engine and transmission. As a plug-in full hybrid capable of running at times purely on power provided by the lithium-ion batteries, this compact Audi is 30 percent more efficient than an A1 powered solely by the gasoline engine.

According to Audi, that means the A1 Sportback gets 60.31 mph in mixed-mode driving. Let's hope this compact Audi hybrid — or something very like it — makes its way to the U.S. soon.

Peugeot RC Concept

French automaker Peugeot says the RC concept at this year's Paris auto show is the missing link between the RC Spades/RC Diamonds mid-engine concepts from the 2002 Geneva show and the 908 RC from the 2006 Paris show.

The latest Peugeot RC concept is "a working laboratory of many future ideas and brings together numerous stylistic, engineering and technological ideas all in a single vehicle," according to the manufacturer. You'll remember the RC Spades and RC Diamonds from 2002 were rear/mid-engine sports cars, the Spades using a gasoline engine and the Diamonds a diesel. The 908 RC, on the other hand, was a luxury 4-door powered by a 700-bhp 12-cylinder turbodiesel from the Le Mans race car, the engine also mounted aft of the passenger compartment.

Although Peugeot's latest RC is also a 4-door with four seats, Peugeot is quick to join so many other manufacturers in calling it a "GT Coupe," as opposed to a sedan.

Unlike the outrageous 908 RC, the newest RC sports a hybrid drivetrain. Peugeot says the RC concept could theoretically develop a maximum power of 313 bhp from what the company is calling "a highly innovative hybrid architecture." Therefore the RC will have minimal impact on the environment, whether run in its gasoline/electric mode or fully electric.

While the RC concept showcases of future technologies and styling themes, this Peugeot is more about proving that environmentally friendly vehicles can also be fun to drive.

In Pictures: 2009's Fastest Cars Under $100,000

The top of our list belongs to a curvy speed machine: the 2009 Nissan GT-R R35. Born of the legendary Nissan Skyline GT-R models dating back to 1969, the 2009 GT-R officially drops the Skyline name. At 480 horsepower, it hits the 60 mph mark in 3.3 seconds and tops out at 193 mph.

This car is the fastest in the pack, but it doesn't necessarily make a statement--it might even get through a city commute without straining too many necks because, while it's sporty, it doesn't stand out the way other performance cars do.

Lotus, a British manufacturer of performance cars since the 1950s, does stand out, however, and uses a lightweight advantage to get two models onto our list: the Lotus Elise SC and the Lotus Exige S 240.

"[Some companies] are getting better performance by using lighter materials," says Omotoso. "Lighter cars go faster and get better fuel economy." Lotus models couple middleweight engines with light frames and aerodynamic designs to create cars that get stellar performance without the soaring prices of high-end engines.

Both cars cost a pretty penny--the S 240 clocks in at about $65,000 while its little brother costs about $10,000 less. But both reach the 60 mph mark quickly and both, with their sleek designs, definitely make a statement.

American Classics, Updated
If a Lotus is a little too bold to satisfy one's need for speed, there are always the updated American classics that serve more or less the same purpose.

"There's still room for the good old American muscle car," says Omotoso, who believes enthusiasts for timeless American favorites will exist for years to come. "People are demanding cars that remind them of their youth. These cars need interior and exterior touches of nostalgia to remind this audience of the original versions."

Cars that fit the bill are the Corvette Z06, which hits 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, as well as two modified Ford Mustangs. For those more interested in buying American and big performance, but don't care as much about nostalgia, there's the Dodge Viper, which reaches its heart-pounding 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds with the second most powerful engine on our list.

Speed Meets Comfort
But speed also comes in some surprising packages, particularly luxury models that don't--on first appearance--look as though they pack quite the same punch. But they do.

Mercedes-Benz has three 2009 models on our list. The C63 AMG, Mercedes-Benz's base-level performance sedan, sports one of the weaker engines on our list, but with a 0 to 60 mph of 4.3 seconds, it's doubtful any driver would notice. Matching its speed and power, believe it or not, is a wagon--the E63 AMG. It may not have the cool factor of a Corvette but keeping pace with one is pretty cool in its own right.

Is speed important in a sedan? Weigh in. Add your thoughts in the Reader Comments section below.

A Cadillac, the 2009 CTS-V, also makes the list after getting an upgrade. (So much for the old-man image.) Despite its large and heavy styling, the CTS-V hits 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 191 mph.

So with the category of speedy cars expanding, could they eventually muscle out demand for cars that cost five or 10 times as much? Omotoso doubts it.

"People know names like Ferrari, and there are enough millionaires there's always going to be a demand for those cars. They're a combination of performance and heritage, and a Ferrari customer isn't the same as a Corvette customer."

Or a luxury sedan customer, for that matter. But with the performance market expanding, they can at least all keep pace with one another.

In Depth: 2009's Fastest Cars Under $100,000

© Ford 7. (tie) Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR Base MSRP: $88,575 0-60: 4.3 seconds HP: 540 Torque: 510 lbs.-foot *2008 model data Related Stories World's Fastest Cars Fastest Fictional Cars

© Mercedez-Benz 7. (tie) Mercedez-Benz E63 AMG Base MSRP: $88,575 0-60: 4.3 seconds HP: 507 Torque: 465 lbs.-foot Related Stories World's Fastest Cars Fastest Fictional Cars

© Lotus 6. Lotus Exige S 240 Base MSRP: $64,890 0-60: 4 seconds HP: 240 Torque: 170 lbs.-foot Related Stories World's Fastest Cars Fastest Fictional Cars *2008 model data

© Saleen 4. (tie) Saleen Dark Horse Extreme Mustang Base MSRP: $90,000 0-60: 3.9 seconds HP: 620 Torque: 600 lbs.-foot Related Stories World's Fastest Cars Fastest Fictional Cars

© Chevrolet 3. Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Base MSRP: $73,925 0-60: 3.7 seconds HP: 505 Torque: 470 lbs.-foot Related Stories World's Fastest Cars

© Dodge 2. Dodge Viper SRT10 Base MSRP: $89,520 0-60: 3.5 seconds HP: 600 Torque: 560 lbs.-foot Related Stories World's Fastest Cars Fastest Fictional Cars

© Nissan 1. Nissan GT-R R35 Base MSRP: $79,090 0-60: 3.3 seconds HP: 480 Torque: 430 lbs.-foot Related Stories World's Fastest Cars Fastest Fictional Cars

Lexus IS250 Sports Concept

By Stuart Schwartzapfel

The Lexus IS250 Sports Concept, which made its debut at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, lacks the unreal features and outlandish design of most futuristic show cars. In fact, it looks just like the production IS250 sedan on streets today, save for a slew of sporty design details, influenced by the high-performance Lexus IS-F that's currently available. The concept distinguishes itself from the currently available IS variants through design. Its 19-inch wheels, for example, feature cross-drilled, two-piece rotors—specialty equipment which provides better cooling than conventional designs. Enlarged air-intake vents in the front improve engine cooling.

The Verdict: A slightly tamer Lexus sports sedan that still looks fast.

Stuart Schwartzapfel is a regular contributor to BusinessWeek.com. He has studied the automotive marketplace and works as an advertising and marketing strategist for major manufacturers. He does not write about any car brands for which he currently works.