The small crossover class is still the fastest growing segment in the US in the first half of 2021 as the class grows by 50% in an overall market up 29%. As a result, small crossovers grow their share of the US car market to 8%, from 6.8% in the first half of 2020 and 7.2% in all of 2020. And 2020 already was a record year for the class, as every year since the segment was created in 2010 by the Nissan Juke and Mini Countryman, and new entrants continue to be launched so the class is set to continue to draw customers away from small and compact cars.
The Subaru Crosstrek loses its leadership of the segment as the brand is hurt by chip shortages more than other brands, allowing the Honda H-RV to top the charts for the first half of the year, despite being one of the oldest models in the class. The HR-V has been largely unchanged since 2015 and has been redesigned this year for other markets, but Honda is planning to launch a different version of the HR-V in North America, which will be larger than the international version. The Hyundai Kona jumps onto the segment podium, passing the Chevrolet TrailBlazer. The latter’s sibling Buick Encore GX also outsold the TrailBlazer in Q2 but remains behind for the year to date. The Nissan Kicks complets the top-6, all of which are up by 40% or more, while last year’s leader Chevrolet Trax is down 31% into #7 due to cannibalization of is slightly larger sister model TrailBlazer. The same happens to the Trax’ clone Buick Encore which is down 37% into 15th place. The Mazda CX-30 and Kia Seltos each double their sales or more, while the Jeep Renegade completes the top-10 but loses market share.
Another loser is the Ford EcoSport, down 13%, allowing the Toyota C-HR to narrow the gap in Q2. The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is up 43% for the year, but drops from 10th place in Q1 to #13 after Q2. Hyundai launched a smaller crossover below the Kona last year, and the Venue is up to 16th place with just over 15,000 deliveries. We also welcome the Volkswagen Taos to the charts in Q2 with its first nearly 5,000 deliveries.
Luxury brands see their share of the class decline to 12.8%, down from 14.8% in the first half of 2020 and 15.3% in all of 2020. Best selling luxury small crossover is still the Audi Q3 at #14 overall, and at +85% it’s also the best performing luxury model. The Volvo XC40 is its nearest rival, up 56% to an overall 17th place. The Cadillac XT4 was on the luxury podium in Q1 but dropped to 6th after Q2 and it loses 13% on last year. The Mercedes-Benz GLA jumps to third place and it up 36%, it is followed by the BMW X1, up 56% and the Lexus UX, up 30%. The Mini Countryman is up 61% and jumps ahead of the Range Rover Evoque, down 36%. The BMW X2 and Jaguar E-Pace remain niche players in the class.
US small crossover sales 2021 – first half
| Small SUV segment | 2021-H1 | 2020-H1 | Change | 2021 Share | 2020 Share | |
| 1 | Honda HR-V | 68.441 | 36.895 | 86% | 10,3% | 8,3% |
| 2 | Subaru Crosstrek | 64.214 | 45.732 | 40% | 9,7% | 10,3% |
| 3 | Hyundai Kona | 50.996 | 30.767 | 66% | 7,7% | 6,9% |
| 4 | Chevrolet TrailBlazer | 48.367 | 6.702 | 622% | 7,3% | 1,5% |
| 5 | Buick Ecore GX | 44.679 | 11.857 | 277% | 6,7% | 2,7% |
| 6 | Nissan Kicks | 43.962 | 23.162 | 90% | 6,6% | 5,2% |
| 7 | Chevrolet Trax | 35.047 | 50.708 | -31% | 5,3% | 11,5% |
| 8 | Mazda CX-30 | 33.904 | 16.956 | 100% | 5,1% | 3,8% |
| 9 | Kia Seltos | 32.185 | 14.078 | 129% | 4,8% | 3,2% |
| 10 | Jeep Renegade | 31.294 | 26.859 | 17% | 4,7% | 6,1% |
| 11 | Ford EcoSport | 26.304 | 30.155 | -13% | 4,0% | 6,8% |
| 12 | Toyota C-HR | 24.443 | 21.424 | 14% | 3,7% | 4,8% |
| 13 | Mitsubishi Outlander Sport | 23.983 | 16.785 | 43% | 3,6% | 3,8% |
| 14 | Audi Q3 | 18.445 | 9.967 | 85% | 2,8% | 2,3% |
| 15 | Buick Encore | 15.255 | 24.271 | -37% | 2,3% | 5,5% |
| 16 | Hyundai Venue | 15.050 | 7.171 | 110% | 2,3% | 1,6% |
| 17 | Volvo XC40 | 14.866 | 9.520 | 56% | 2,2% | 2,1% |
| 18 | Kia Niro | 11.817 | 8.252 | 43% | 1,8% | 1,9% |
| 19 | Mercedes-Benz GLA | 10.617 | 7.797 | 36% | 1,6% | 1,8% |
| 20 | BMW X1 | 10.022 | 6.440 | 56% | 1,5% | 1,5% |
| 21 | Lexus UX | 9.524 | 7.349 | 30% | 1,4% | 1,7% |
| 22 | Cadillac XT4 | 7.966 | 9.140 | -13% | 1,2% | 2,1% |
| 23 | Mini Countryman | 5.351 | 3.320 | 61% | 0,8% | 0,7% |
| 24 | Volkswagen Taos | 4.939 | 0 | New | 0,7% | 0,0% |
| 25 | Mazda CX-3 | 4.040 | 4.757 | -15% | 0,6% | 1,1% |
| 26 | Range Rover Evoque | 3.819 | 6.011 | -36% | 0,6% | 1,4% |
| 27 | BMW X2 | 3.367 | 4.054 | -17% | 0,5% | 0,9% |
| 28 | Jaguar E-Pace | 1.470 | 1.896 | -22% | 0,2% | 0,4% |
| 29 | Fiat 500X | 668 | 678 | -1% | 0,1% | 0,2% |
| 30 | Infiniti QX30 | 1 | 133 | -99% | 0,0% | 0,0% |
| Segment total | 665.036 | 442.836 | 50% |
Source: Manufacturers.