Every month, our intrepid leader over at Autoblog crunches every automaker's U.S. sales figures and dutifully reports how well each brand is doing. This month continues the trend of fuel efficient vehicles recording record sales and closely mimics the trend of gas-guzzlers going down the toilet. The two brands which best seem to mark the turning of the tides, so to speak, are Mini and Hummer. Mini's brand of small, sporty and fun to drive coupe's 5,211 sales represented an increase of 40.5-percent over June of last year. Hummer's downward spiral also continues, as its 2,072 sales represent a 54.2-percent decrease from one year ago.

Honda managed to set a monthly record in June by selling a total of 142,539 vehicles -- an impressive 17.9-percent gain -- while its arch rival Toyota sunk 10.3-percent for the month. Part of this contrast in sales can be attributed to the fact that Honda does not offer any full-size trucks or SUVs while Toyota's sales figures are burdened by the huge Tundra pickup and Sequioa SUV. The Prius hybrid sedan, down 25-percent, continues to be plagued by supply issues, though demand for the fuel efficient vehicle remains very high.

[Source: Autoblog]

Although none of the Hummer models are really all that worse than any other body-on-frame SUV powered by a large engine, the ex-military marque is considered by many to be the anti-green brand. If that's how you feel, you'll likely be glad to hear that Hummer models are languishing on dealer lots all over the country. Hummer spokeswoman Joanne Krell suggests that the downturn in sales is directly related to the upturn in fuel prices. That makes sense, now doesn't it? Maybe not... Acura is the only brand that has seen similar drops in new registrations with nary a V8 engine in sight. All of this raises a few questions: Is the Hummer brand is just plain falling out of favor? If so, would flex-fuel engine options help their cause?

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]