Sales of all models fall as segment dips below 100,000 for the first time in over a decade
Sales in the Subcompact segment fell by 18.7% to 99,099 in the first quarter of 2018, declining below the 100,000 level for the first time in over a decade. Given this rate of decline, it is far from clear whether the already-revealed new Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio, or the incoming Kia Soul, will be enough to inject enough new vigor into a segment that customers seem to be abandoning for larger Compact and more trendy Subcompact SUV cars.
Highlights:
- Nissan Versa is back on top of the segment standings after losing the battle with Kia Soul in 2017, despite losing 18% of sales compared to 10% for its Korean competitor
- Sales of the Hyundai Accent collapsed by half as the new model is slowly phased in, causing the model to drop from third in 2017 to sixth in Q1’18
- Ford Fiesta and Honda Fit were the least-bad performers in fourth and fifth, a particularly good performance for the aged Ford, which had already been replaced in other markets by a new generation model
- Sales of Toyota models fared rather poorly: while sales of the Yaris iA, once a Scion-branded version of the Mazda 2 sedan, fell by only 15%, this is flattered by the fact that the brand clearly switched its focus to this model, all but abandoning its original hatchback offering, the Yaris (sales down 88%), while its hybrid Prius C saw its sales fall by 40%
- Towards the end of the standings, the past-its-sell-by-date Chevrolet Sonic battled on, losing 21% of sales, while the Kia Rio suffered even more than its Hyundai cousin during the model handover, losing almost two-thirds of its sales from Q1’17
Note: “AP” designates models that are classified in the Alternative Power segment, presented here for comparison; clicking on the model name opens the sales data page for that model; clicking year in the legend turns the display for that year on/off
NaBUru38 says
As unbelievable as it sounds for Europeans and Latin Americans, the subcompact hatchback market in the United States seems about to collapse. Manufacturers won’t bother to import them anymore.
Losange says
Well, unlike the European B segment, the American subcompact segment has always been a collection of different cars. The Versa (Note), Soul and Fit (Jazz) are compact MPVs, the Prius c is a hybrid and the Accent and Yaris iA are small sedans which is a non-existing concept in the Europe; ergo, the segments are incomparable.
Tom says
Great articles. Keep up the good work. Your statement about the Kia Rio does not match the chart. The chart shows an increase from 2017 to 2018 not a drop.