Dataium: BMW 328 Tops 2011 ASI New-Car Ranking

According to Dataium’s Online Shopping Trends report, car buyers ended 2011 with a bang, with leads increasing by 18 percent. And the company also revealed this week the top new vehicles of 2011, according to its Automotive Shopper Intensity rankings.

And the ASI showed  the top new vehicle this past year was the BMW 328, rising 18 percent to claim the No. 1 spot. As a brand BMW also saw gains, rising 21 percent as a whole this past year.

Following the BMW 328 was the popular Ford F-150, which showed a 17 percent gain. The Blue Oval nameplate also saw gains, rising 23 percent as a brand.  

And rounding out the top five were the Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry and Audi A4, rising 31 percent, 23 percent and 18 percent, respectively.

And though those top five units seemed most desirable for shoppers this past year, according to the report, many other units saw big index jumps, as well.

In fact, one Korean nameplate saw one of its units jump by almost 50 percent. The Kia Optima rose by 46 percent, marking the biggest gain for any one unit.

The Volkswagon Jetta also saw a significant jump, rising by 41 percent. Also in the European OEM’s lineup,  the VW Passat rose by 21 percent.

And with more good news for the Korean manufacturers, the Hyundai Sonata rose by 33 percent in the index.

And in reporting the highest ASI gains for 2011 by OEM, Dataium painted a similar picture, with Korean automakers on the rise.

Hyundai and Kia topped the list, with 42 percent and 37 percent gains, respectively.

Nissan’s luxury brand notched the No. 3 spot, with Infiniti rising by 34 percent. Rounding out the top five, Ford came in with a 23 percent gain, and BMW rose by 21 percent.

Dataium’s ASI index  is designed to project car sales 30 to 45 days in advance.

To view the complete Automotive Shopper Intesity Rankings for 2011, see here.