Sales of large SUVs in Europe have been in a downward trend in recent years and that trend continues in the first quarter of 2019 with a decline of 27% in deliveries as this remains the smallest segment of the European car market with fewer than 10.000 sales in the first three months of the year. Interestingly, this same segment is one of the largest in the United States representing over 12% of the total market with just over 500.000 sales in the first quarter, compared to just 0,2% of the European market. Every single nameplate in this class loses volume in Q1 of 2019 and four out of six are down by double digits with the remaining two down by single digits, both helped by recent model updates. The top-3 has been turned upside down with the new generation Hyundai Santa Fe reclaiming the top spot it last held in 2016, even though its sales are still down by 6%. The Santa Fe improves its share of the segment to 26,1% but its sibling Kia Sorento is still very close behind in second place despite losing more than a quarter of its sales. Hyundai-Kia now holds more than half of this segment as the 2017 leader Ford Edge sees its sales plummet by more than a third. The recently facelifted Toyota Land Cruiser gains share as its deliveries are down by just 9%, while the SsangYong Rexton is already down 30% despite still being the second freshest model in the class. The Mitsubishi Pajero (Montero in Spain, Shogun in the UK and Ireland) is down 78% after struggling with the new WLTP standards.
European sales 2018 large SUV segment
The large SUV segment is one of the smallest in Europe with fewer than 43.000 sales in 2018, down 20% on the year before. Compare that to the US where over 2 million of these vehicles were sold last year, up 3,4%.The entire top-3 loses share and the segment best seller barely managed to sell over 10.000 units last year. Unlike the midsized crossover segment, where some models are also available as 7-seaters, there are not a lot of new entrants to this segment in Europe, but brands are actually withdrawing their slow selling models, like Nissan which no longer sells the Murano and Pathfinder and Mazda which never really sold the CX-9 in significant quantities, as opposed to the US. The latest newcomer is the Ford Edge in 2016, but after storming to the top of the ranking in its first full year of sales, we have a change of leadership for the fourth consecutive year, as the Kia Sorento reclaims the top spot that the Ford Edge stole from the Hyundai Santa Fe just one year before.
European sales 2017 large SUV segment
The large SUV segment is one of the smallest in Europe with fewer than 53.000 sales in 2017, down 4%. Compare that to the US where almost 2 million of these vehicles were sold last year, up 9,4% and surpassing sales of midsized sedans for the first time. Unlike the midsized crossover segment, where some models are also available as 7-seaters, there are not a lot of new entrants to this segment in Europe, but brands are actually withdrawing their slow selling models, like Nissan which no longer sells the Murano and Pathfinder and Mazda which never really sold the CX-9 in significant quantities, as opposed to the US. Then again, Ford entered the segment in 2016 by bringing the Edge over from the States. And while absolute volume remains relatively low (16.000 in Europe vs. nearly 143.000 in the US), it has quickly become the segment leader with more than 30% share. However, the Edge was already down 31% in the last quarter when the segment as a whole lost 25% as the entire top-5 lost by double digits. Only the low-volume SsangYong Rexton gained volume thanks to the all-new generation now available in Europe. [Read more…]
European sales 2017 Q1-Q3 large SUV segment
At just 42.000 sales in the first three quarters of 2017, the large SUV segment is one of the smallest in Europe, in contrast to the US where it’s almost the largest segment as Americans buy 32 times as many of these cars than Europeans do, as American dealers have already sold almost one and a half million of these vehicles this year. And every single model in the US midsized (yes, they have an even bigger segment above these) crossover segment top-13 (out of 19) outsells the entire European segment combined. No wonder most of these models never make it to the old continent and the segment continues to shrink with Nissan not replacing its Murano and Pathfinder or Mazda its CX-9 as they have done in the US. Then again, Ford entered the segment by bringing the Edge over from the States. And while absolute volume remains relatively low (13.100 in Europe vs. nearly 105.000 in the US), it has quickly become the segment leader with a commanding 31,2% share. However, that can’t prevent the segment from losing 19% of its volume in Q3, as every other nameplate lost with double digits, except for the low-volume SsangYong Rexton. In fact, if it wasn’t for the Edge, the segment would be down 30% in the third quarter and down 19% in the first nine months, instead of up 4%.
European sales 2017 first half large SUV segment
At just 29.700 sales in the first half of 2017, the large SUV segment is one of the smallest in Europe, in contrast to the US where it’s almost the largest segment as Americans buy 32 times as many of these cars than Europeans do, as American dealers have already sold almost a million of these vehicles this year. And every single model in the US midsized (yes, they have an even bigger segment above these) crossover segment top-13 (out of 19) outsells the entire European segment combined. No wonder most of these models never make it to the old continent and the segment continues to shrink with Nissan not replacing its Murano and Pathfinder or Mazda its CX-9 as they have done in the US. Then again, Ford entered the segment by bringing the Edge over from the States. And while absolute volume remains relatively low (9.200 in Europe vs. 71.000 in the US), it has quickly become the segment leader with a commanding 31% share. However, that can’t prevent the segment from losing 3% of its volume in Q2, as every other nameplate lost with double digits. In fact, if it wasn’t for the Edge, the segment would be down 22% in the second quarter and down 12% in the first half, instead of up 17%.
European sales 2017-Q1 large SUV segment
At just 16.400 sales in Q1 of 2017, the large SUV segment is one of the smallest in Europe, in contrast to the US where it’s almost the largest segment as Americans buy almost 30 times as many of these cars than Europeans do. And every single model in the US midsized (yes, they have an even bigger segment above these) crossover segment top-13 (out of 17) outsells the entire European segment combined. Still, at +41% in the first quarter of 2017, this is one of the fastest growing segments in Europe, although that’s all thanks to one newcomer. This newcomer also breaks the Asian domination of the segment to put an American model on top in Europe for the first time ever. The Ford Edge has stormed up the charts since its launch halfway through 2016, but was unable to claim the full year top spot. But in the first quarter, the Edge has taken a controlling lead with over 31% share of the segment and more than 1.000 units ahead of its nearest rival.
European sales 2016 large SUV segment
Large SUVs are just a small part of the European market, making up just 0,36% of the industry, but at +16% in 2016, it grows faster than the overall market at +6,2%. Across the Atlantic, these vehicles make up 10,3% of the US market as Americans buy 33 times more of these SUVs than Europeans do. And every single model in the US midsized (yes, they have an even bigger segment above these) crossover segment top-14 (out of 17) outsells the entire European segment combined. If in the US 3 out of the top-4 models are from domestic brands, in Europe the South-Koreans have dominated this segment for years. Thanks to sales up 10%, the Hyundai Santa Fe reclaims the segment lead from its sibling Kia Sorento, down 7% despite being two years younger (2014 vs 2012). At the end of Q3 the Sorento was still on top with a very thin margin, but the Santa outsold it in Q4 for the second straight quarter to finish the year on top. However, Hyundai-Kia has lost 7,5 percentage points of its share of the segment compared to last year, and the culprit of this loss can be found in third place.
European sales 2016 Q1-Q3 large SUV segment
Sales of large SUVs are picking up back as 2016 progresses. After a 9% loss in Q1 and a 15,5% increase in Q2 the segment increases again by 15,6% in Q3 to bring the year-to-date growth to 8%, better than the overall market at +7,5%. All the existing and remaining models have single digit increases or losses, as all of the segment’s growth and more can be accounted for by the arrival of the Ford Edge. This newcomer has climbed up to third place, which means we’ve had a different #3 in each of the quarters this year, while the leaders have remained unchanged so far. In Q1 the Mitsubishi Pajero was on the podium, after Q2 the Toyota Land Cruiser had taken over, and now the Edge seems dedicated to hold on to this position for the rest of the year. The Hyundai Santa Fe actually outsold the Kia Sorento in Q3 and the two platform siblings are now separated by just 65 units year-to-date.
European sales 2016 first half large SUV segment
Sales of large SUVs are back into positive figures in the first half of 2016 after falling in Q1. Still, a 2% increase is slower than the overall market at +8,8%, but keep in mind segment sales surged 23% in 2015 thanks to the new generation Kia Sorento. The Sorento holds on to its segment leadership with sales up 5% while its sister model Hyundai Santa Fe loses 11%, but that’s only because it lost big in the first quarter of this year. In Q2, the Santa Fe improved its year-over-year volume by 2%. The two South Korean models still hold over 63% of the segment in Europe, not surprising considering they are unibody crossover while their nearest competitors are traditional body-on-frame SUVs; more capable off-road, but less efficient and less comfortable.
European sales 2016 Q1 large SUV segment
The large SUV segment in Europe shrinks 9% in Q1 of 2016 while the overall market grows by 8%, after the segment grew a healthy 23% in 2015. Only two models improve their volume on the same quarter of last year: the new leader Kia Sorento, boosted by the all-new generation, and the evergreen Mitsubishi Pajero. That leaves last year’s leader Hyundai Santa Fe in 2nd place with sales down 22%, probably thanks to cannibalization from both the new Sorento and the new Hyundai Tucson, even though that model is a class smaller. I have no substantiated explanation for the rebound of the Pajero, which started last year when it gained 22%. A small facelift hasn’t exactly turned the already 10 year old model into a hot fresh thing, especially since the engines are simply carried over.