New Ram Pickup contributes to robust growth, as segment almost bests all-time record
Sales in the US Large Pickup segment rose by 2.1% to 2,420,162 in 2018, making it the third-best year on record, close behind 2,450,000 or so that were sold in 2004 and 2005. With the rollout of the new Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra and RAM Pickup, as well as their different variants, continuing in 2019, it is entirely possible that [Read more…]
The European car market seemed to be on another year of growth after the first half of 2018, when sales were up 3%. After July, the year-to-date figure was up 3,5%, but then the introduction of the new WLTP fuel efficiency standards caused total chaos in the sales charts. August sales were up 26,3% as carmakers rushed to register unsold non-compliant model/engine combinations before the September 1 deadline. From that date onwards, only vehicle types that had been tested under the new standard for fuel consuption and emissions testing were allowed to be sold as new vehicles in Europe. As a lot of model/engine combinations had not been tested yet and would no longer be available in Europe until they were tested. Some brands and manufacturers were better prepared than others, but overall the market sunk by more than 7% in each of the last four months of the year and this adverse effect will continue to negatively influence the European car market in the first few months of 2019. December was actually the worst month of the year, both in terms of absolute figures (just over 1 million sales) and in comparison to the year before (except for the dramatic September month of course), with a decline of 8,6%. [Read more…]
Segment grows by more 15% even before Ford Ranger and Jeep Gladiator swell sales in 2019
Sales in the US Small Pickup segment rose by 15.9% to 524,231 in 2018, the first time sales have climbed over half a million vehicles in almost two decades, and not far off the record the segment set in 1999, when 543,438 were sold. What’s more, with the Ford Ranger and the long-awaited Jeep Gladiator pickup finally arriving in the coming [Read more…]
Rising Ford Expedition sales lift the segment into the black, while the Nissan Armada loses steam
Sales in the US Large SUV segment rose by 4.6% to 358,118 in 2018, a return to growth after the small decline in sales the segment experienced in 2017. However, while the total number of cars sold in the segment was the highest it has been since 2008, it still was less than half of the record the segment set in 2001, when more than 750,000 [Read more…]
Sales rise over 2 million cars for the first time on the back of solid, if unspectacular growth
Sales in the US Mid-sized SUV segment rose by 3.4% to 2,056,905 in 2018, the first time ever the segment has sold more than 2 million cars, and a huge increase on only 800,000 cars in 2009. Moreover, with many of the segment-leading models about to be replaced, including the Ford Explorer and Toyota Highlander, the segment should see its [Read more…]
Jeep models shine as segment tops 3.5 million and double-digit sales growth continues unabated
Sales in the US Compact SUV segment rose by 12.6% to 3,557,102 in 2018, making it by far the largest segment in the US, some 50% larger than the second largest segment (Large Pickup). What’s more, despite its size it still recorded the fourth-fastest growth rate in 2018, and was the only segment with total sales over 1 million to record [Read more…]
The frantic pace of growth continues as new Ford EcoSport, Hyundai Kona and Nissan Kicks find success
Sales in the US Subcompact SUV segment rose by 31.5% to 601,943 in 2018, a significant increase on the 6.5% growth rate the segment recorded last year, and more in keeping with the almost-40% growth rate it recorded in 2016. This once again made it the quickest-growing segment, significantly outpacing the 20% growth rate recorded by the [Read more…]
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…]