Segment continues its gentle decline, propped up by aging Dodge Grand Caravan and new Honda Odyssey
Sales in the US Minivan segment fell by 0.5% to 482,185 in 2018, their lowest level since the car market bottomed out in 2009. Overall, this puts the segment roughly where it was in the mid-1990s, before a boom in uptake took total sales to almost 1.3 million cars in 2004. And it’s not just the customers who have been fleeing the segment – the [Read more…]
After discussing the 2018 China car sales ranking by brand, let’s zoom in on which models were the movers and shakers of the past year. And the Chinese car market is not only one of the most diverse with no less than 575 different nameplates in our ranking up from 531 in 2017 and 502 in 2016, but also one of the most dynamic, with big movements [Read more…]
In 2018, light vehicle sales in China declined for the first time since 1990, as 23,27 million passenger cars were sold, 4% fewer than in 2017. Including minibuses and light and heavy commercial vehicles, the total car market in China declined 2,8% to 28,1 million in 2018. Sales of new energy vehicles (battery electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell [Read more…]
Segment shrinks to a third of what it once was, as new models fail to spark sales revival
Sales in the US Large segment fell by 18.9% to 317,289 in 2018, a third of the 2006 peak of over 1,000,000 cars, and their lowest level in over 30 years. Arguably, this segment is pummeled by a perfect storm of factors buffeting the market: (1) move from traditional sedans to crossovers (2) move from mainstream manufacturers to luxury ones [Read more…]
Segment experiences second year of double-digit sales decline as Camry and Accord fail to reignite sales
Sales in the US Mid-sized segment fell by 13.7% to 1,697,498 in 2018, making it the second year in a row that sales in the segment have declined by more than 10%. With sales down by a third since their peak in 2015, the Mid-sized segment is another piece of evidence just how quick the shift toward crossovers has been over the past few years. [Read more…]
Segment experiences arguably its most drastic sales decline yet
Sales in the US Compact segment fell by 12.3% to 1,548,650 in 2018, the second sharpest sales decline in the past three decades, less bad only than the 17% sales decline the segment experienced in 2009. The difference is that overall market sales fell by 17.2% in 2009, whereas overall car sales rose in 2018. These two statistics emphasize just [Read more…]
After looking at the November 2018 brand sales ranking, let’s take a closer look at which models were moving up the charts. Traditional leader Volkswagen Golf is still on top, despite a double digit decline, but there’s a close battle for second place with the soon-to-be-replaced Renault Clio staying just ahead of the all-new Volkswagen Polo. In [Read more…]
Segment posts a decline of over 20% for the second consecutive year of 20% plus decline
Sales in the US Subcompact segment fell by 20.7% to 374,518 in 2018, making it the second year in a row that the segment has lost more than 20% of sales. As a result, total sales are now 43% lower than their 2014 peak. Moreover, with no new entrants on the horizon and with many manufacturers debating on whether to even replace [Read more…]
European car sales have been on a wild ride in the second half of 2018, due to the introduction in September of a new fuel efficiency and emissions testing standard called WLTP (Worldwide harmonized Light vehicle Test Procedure), to which many manufacturers have found themselves unprepared. After September 1st , only vehicle types that had been tested under the new standard were allowed to be sold as new vehicles in Europe. That meant that every version of every model sold in the continent needed to be retested, but despite working round the clock, the testing agencies just didn’t have enough capacity to get this done in time. With some vehicle/engine combinations “illegal” after September 1st, automakers rushed to register these vehicles in August, leading to a 26,4% sales gain in what’s usually the slowest month of the year by far. However, as these unsold vehicles still needed to end up in consumers’ hands, sales in September suffered a backdrop of 23,1% as for the first time in modern history fewer cars were sold in September than in August. In the following months, sales continued to suffer from the continued backlog of pre-registered but unsold vehicles as well as reduced availability of certain model/engine combinations. Some manufacturers have been hit harder than others, with VW Group and Renault-Nissan among the hardest hit by the new testing procedures.
Mitsubishi Mirage takes the sales crown as Mini Cooper stumbles; Fiat 500 and Smart ForTwo wither away
Sales in the US Minicar segment fell by 10.3% to 76,442 in 2018, making it the fourth straight year of decline. Overall, total segment sales have fallen by over 40% since their peak in 2014, a trend that may well continue in the near future with no new models on the horizon.
