In 2017, the four-year streak of double digit growth of the Chinese domestic passenger car market ended as sales increased 2,6% to just over 24,2 million, down from +17,2% last year. This is the lowest growth rate in at least a decade and a halft, possibly longer (we don’t have exact data from before 2003). Still, it is a new annual record as sales have almost doubled since 2011 (12,3 million) and more than quadrupled since 2008 (5,6 million). [Read more…]
Archives for January 2018
Detroit Auto Show 2018: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – prototypes [w/ poll]
After discussing the what’s hot and what’s not in Detroit this year, let’s also bump heads on the prototypes and concept cars. Of course, these are all in different stages of market readiness, with the RDX and Insight virtually production ready, the Enverge and Xmotion merely hint at what could be, and the Q Inspiration and LF-1 Limitless [Read more…]
US car sales analysis Q4 2017 – Premium Compact segment
Segment loses more sales than any other bar the small sports segment, with only Infiniti QX30 seeing sales rise
Sales in the US premium compact segment fell by 27.5% to 19,531 in the fourth quarter of 2017, pretty much in line with the segment’s form in 2017, when sales fell overall by 25.9% to 86,495. Such a decline made this the second-fastest shrinking segment in the US in 2017, behind only the sports small segment, which experienced a [Read more…]
China car sales analysis December 2017
Sales of domestic passenger cars in China were slightly down in December 2017 as expected after record volume in the same month last year. With a volume of 2,59 million sales, the volume was down by 0,4%, the third month of decline in 2017. On the positive side, this is the highest volume of the year, as consumers pulled forward their orders for small cars (engines of 1,6 liters or less), as the sales tax on these cars returned to their normal level of 10% as of January 1st, up from 7,5% in 2017. We’ll discuss the full-year 2017 figures in a separate post, and will focus on December here: the only segment to show growth was that of crossovers and SUVs again, although even their growth has slightly slowed down [Read more…]
US car sales analysis Q4 2017 – Large SUV segment
Decline in the final quarter pushes segment into a loss in 2017, despite Nissan Armada’s surging popularity
Sales in the US large SUV segment fell by 6.9% to 102,710 in the fourth quarter of 2017, pushing the segment to an overall loss in 2017, with sales falling by 0.5% to 342,525. While this represents only a small fall on the 344,235 cars sold in 2016, itself an eight-year high, it is useful to keep in mind that this is less than half the number of cars sold [Read more…]
US car sales analysis Q4 2017 – Mid-sized SUV segment
Segment advanced to fourth largest as most models see good growth in 2017
Sales in the US mid-sized SUV segment rose by 10.3% to 542,547 in the fourth quarter of 2017, while overall in 2017 sales in the segment grew by 9.4% to 1,988,460. Such fast growth allowed the mid-sized SUV segment to overtake the mid-sized segment in terms of sales in 2017 for the first time, making it the fourth largest segment overall [Read more…]
Detroit Auto Show: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – production cars [w/ poll]
Like every year in January, Detroit shows off its resilience, its working-class glamour and its vitality when the doors open of the Cobo center, showing all the latest toys on wheels. Hundreds of auto executives, thousands of journalists and tens of thousands of potential car buyers assemble to look at shiny chrome, kick tires and listen to each [Read more…]
US car sales analysis Q4 2017 – Compact SUV segment
The largest segment got larger, while new cars are outperformed by established segment players
Sales in the US compact SUV segment, the largest of all segments, rose by 5.8% to 806,341 in the fourth quarter of 2017, while overall in 2017 sales in the segment grew by 4.6% to 3,159,468. What’s more, there seems to be no end in sight for this bonanza – not only did 2017 see a ton of new models debut in the market (Honda CR-V, [Read more…]
US car sales analysis Q4 2017 – Subcompact SUV segment
Segment continues to grow despite its first stumble in Q4’17
Sales in the US subcompact SUV segment fell by 6.0% to 103,825 in the fourth quarter of 2017, the first time ever the segment has encountered a quarterly fall in sales! Overall in 2017 the segment still gained sales, growing by 7.0% to 424,724, but there is feeling that with the first-generations of pioneers getting older the segment [Read more…]
US car sales analysis Q4 2017 – Minivan segment
Chrysler Pacifica fails to grab the lead as segment shrinks by an eight in 2017
Sales in the US minivan segment fell by 11.1% to 102,324 in the fourth quarter of 2017, perfectly “on pace” as far as its performance in 2017 is concerned, when the segment saw its sales fell by 12.5% to 484,618 , the first time the segment has dipped below the 500,000 mark since 2011. With just the new Honda Odyssey building up sales [Read more…]