Sales of large SUVs in Europe are up an encouraging 18% after declining since 2006 when total segment sales topped 200.000 units. This year, the segment that’s traditionally the domain of Asian manufacturers with the occasional American model trying its luck isn’t even going to reach a fifth of that total. The top-3 of the segment hasn’t changed since, and the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento and Toyota Land Cruiser have even increased their share to a combined three quarters of segment sales.

The Santa Fe has more than recovered from its slow start of the year by lodging a very impressive third quarter, in which the model improved 83% on Q3 of 2013. I guess Hyundai has dealt with supply shortages of the Santa Fe, as its new generation has proven very popular in the USA, China and Russia, markets where SUVs and crossovers are much more popular. The new generation Sorento has just been revealed at the Paris Auto Show, and it may threaten its sibling if supply of the latter remains constrained. [Read more…]

Sales of large SUVs in Europe have rebounded slightly after years of declines. The segment moves with the market, up 7% for the first three months of 2014. All but two models see their sales grow for the period, although the segment remains a minor portion of the European car market, selling just over 30.000 units a year combined.

Despite sales down 11% due to a shortage of supply, the Hyundai Santa Fe stays on top. Considering the new generation Santa Fe is a runaway success in other parts of the world, where these kinds of vehicles are still sold like hot cakes, it is understandable that Hyundai doesn’t prioritize Europe when it comes to deliveries of its popular model. [Read more…]

The large SUV segment is following the path of the large MPV segment, decreasing 20% to just below 25.000 units in the first three quarters of 2013, but the premium brands are to thank for that. The premium large SUV segment sells five times the volume of the non-premium brands. While large MPV’s are mainly Europe-only models with the exception of Voyager, for most of the large SUV’s Europe is just an afterthought. More large SUVs are sold in the US and the Arabian Gulf states during a tennis game between President Obama and Secretary General Al Zayani than in 12 months in Europe.

Of the top players in the segment, only Hyundai Santa Fe is able to withstand the slide, with 635 more sales than in the same period last year, thanks to the introduction of the third generation, which is esthetically a huge step forward from the previous versions, which looked like someone had put them in an oven and they melted.

Kia Sorento has never been able to repeat the success of its first generation, due to unmemorable design. Sorento design stands out in the Kia showrooms, but not in a positive way and it is in desperate need of a Peter Schreyer make-over. But then again, could Kia care less about the European performance of Sorento, with 81.380 sales in the United States (-8%) in the first three quarters of 2013 vs. just 6.102 sales in Europe (-27%)? [Read more…]