China and the US take the lead in Q1 sales worldwide, the UK takes the 4th biggest market title.

• Overall, 20.44 million units were sold across all segments in Q1 2016, largely driven by growth in the Chinese and European markets
• The SUV boom continued, with seven of the eight regions analysed posting double digit growth
• Ford, Honda and Mercedes posted the strongest growth, largely driven by their SUVs
• Volkswagen posted a 1% decline on the same period in 2015

In Q1 2016, 558,700 more units (LCVs and passenger cars) were sold compared with the same period in 2015 according to a report released today by JATO Dynamics. Global car sales totalled 20.44 million units, a 2.8% increase on the same period in 2015. 

Significantly, the market’s biggest brands posted declines, with Volkswagen declining by 1%, Hyundai by 3% and Chevrolet by 9%. Ford, Honda and Mercedes posted the biggest increases amongst the top 10 at 7%, 5% and 14% respectively.

In terms of models, the Toyota Corolla reported a 4.8% gain in Q1 2016 which saw it move up the ranking to become the best-selling vehicle for this period, knocking the Wuling Hongguang from the top spot.

The popularity of SUVs in China has been an ongoing source of growth, and the trend continued last quarter, with the country accounting for 36% of total sales in Q1 2016. Sales of SUVs in Europe (including Russia and Turkey) gave the overall market a boost with 20% growth and 1.11 million units sold.

SUVs continued to dominate across much of the rest of the world in Q1 2016, with the category increasing sales by 23% compared with the same period last year and five vehicles from the category entering the top 10 best-selling car ranking

These were the Nissan X-Trail, Honda HR-V, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Ford Escape. All regions included in the report posted positive growth for SUVs, with all except for Japan-Korea posting double digit growth. As a result of the growth, the market share of the SUV segment jumped to 27.4% compared to 23.0% in the same period of 2015. The growth in the SUV segment was offset by slower rises amongst the traditional segment leaders; Renault-Nissan kept the lead in the SUV category but its growth was half the average for the segment. The SUV category has room for improvement in India and South America as the segment only accounted for 15% and 14% of the country’s respective total volumes.

SUV growth also drove premium car volumes, with 2.15 million units sold, 833,300 of which were SUVs. Overall the premium category saw a dramatic 9% gain on the same period last year. The growth saw the category go from a 10.8% market share in Q1 2015 to 11.4% in Q1 2016. Europe was the strongest market for premiums, accounting for 43% of the global total. North America was second, losing ground at a 24% share, and closely followed by China-Taiwan with a 23% share of global sales.

Felipe Munoz, Global Automotive Analyst at JATO, concluded: “Q1 2016 saw dramatic changes as the SUV category increased its market dominance. The whole world wants a SUV, and this shift is evident in the brand ranking, as those that focused on this segment, were the brands that posted the largest gains.”

Grateful thanks to JATO Dynamics for the info and detailed figures.

TOWCAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS - Honda take the up to 1400kg title with the awesome HR-V.

The Honda HR-V has triumphed at the 2016 Tow Car Awards, with the 1.6 i-DTEC SE manual taking the class winner in the ‘up to 1400kgs’ weight class. 

Organised and judged by experts from Practical Caravan, What Car? and The Camping and Caravanning Club, a total of 41 cars were entered into the 10^th Tow Car Awards and over 440 cars have been tested since the awards were launched in 2006. 

The latest incarnation of Honda’s popular crossover launched last summer after a long hiatus and is already proving popular with Honda’s retail network which is unable to keep up with demand.  Originally launched in 1999, the first generation of the HR-V was an early pioneer of the small crossover segment.

Priced at £22,440, the 1.6 i-DTEC SE manual has a kerbweight of 1399kg, a maximum towing weight of 1400kg and a towball limit of 70kg.  It also comes with city brake active system as standard, electric windows and mirrors, Honda’s Magic Seats® and front and rear parking sensors.

David Motton, Tow Car Editor of Practical Caravan magazine, commented: “Towing at a steady 60mph, the HR-V is as comfortable and composed as you could wish for. It kept its cool in our violent lane-change test, too. We kept increasing the speed of the test, and the Honda kept on going just where the driver pointed it. With 221lb ft of torque, there's enough pulling power for respectable performance when towing, going from 30-60mph in 16.8 seconds with a caravan in tow. It's a very impressive tow car for little more than £22,000.  The verdict: great stability and a practical, ingenious cabin.”

Phil Webb, Head of Cars at Honda UK, commented: “The powerful diesel engine in the relatively small HR-V makes it perfect for towing, providing owners with very good driveability whilst retaining strong fuel economy.  Couple the increased height compared to a hatchback, making for fantastic visibility, with the slightly more comfort orientated suspension settings, for a more relaxed drive, and customers have a winning combination.”

Honda the best, the Germans the worst under latest Warrent Direct SUV/4x4 figures.

• Honda HR-V tops list of most dependable rugged vehicles
• Unlucky SUV owners may get bills of up to £16,000

The Honda HR-V is the SUV most likely to keep you on the road during the approaching winter period, according to a new study by Warranty Direct.

SUVs and 4x4s now claim 11% of the market – up from 4.5 per cent in 2000* – as motorists are attracted by better ground clearance and a more commanding driving position. However, they do not always live up to their reputation for ruggedness.

Warranty Direct analysed its 50,000 live policies, using the Company’s unique Reliability Index (www.reliabilityindex.com) to measure overall reliability by combining rate of failure, average mileage, age and repair cost.

Honda’s HR-V (99-06) performed significantly better than other SUVs, with only one in 10 recording a fault in the last 12 months. The Suzuki Jimny was second most reliable in the sector, with one in five suffering a breakdown each year.

While the average SUV repair bill is £420, Warranty Direct reports that costs can soar as high as £16,000.

Top 10 rated 4x4/SUVs

(A lower Reliability Index rating means the vehicle is more reliable and less expensive to run)

Make	Model	Year	Reliability Index Score	Average Repair Cost (£)	Largest Claim (£)
Honda	HR-V	(99-06)	38	305.15	1,587.91
Suzuki	Jimny	(98-)	54	312.14	1,374.40
Suzuki	Grand Vitara	(05-)	54	312.14	1,374.40
Honda	CR-V	(07-)	58	355.11	1,602.34
Mitsubishi	Shogun Pinin	(99-06)	68	391.45	978.41
Nissan	Terrano	(93-07)	72	215.39	854.55
Nissan	X-Trail	(07-)	73	338.38	3,161.33
Volvo	XC60	(08-)	74	282.04	773.92
Citroën	C-Crosser	(07 - )	80	368.84	1,753.22
Hyundai	Tuscon	(04 - )	81	260.51	1,201.67

The 10 best performing SUVs are dominated by Japanese and Korean manufacturers, although Swedish manufacturer Volvo is cheapest to fix, with the lowest ‘largest claim’ cost of the top 10.

At the other end of the scale, the Mercedes-Benz GL is the least reliable of the off-roaders, with eight in 10 breaking down each year. The Audi Q7 and Audi A6 Allroad are not far behind in a list populated mostly by European manufacturers.

Bottom 5 rated 4x4/SUVs

(A higher Reliability Index rating means the vehicle is less reliable and more expensive to run)

Make	Model	Year	Reliability Index Score	Average Repair Cost (£)	Largest Claim (£)
Mercedes-Benz	GL	(06-)	501	598.57	16,115.38
Audi	Q7	(06-)	466	703.05	15,438.42
Audi	A6 Allroad	(00-05)	462	516.05	15,350.00
Land Rover	Range Rover	(02-)	417	561.51	12,820.46
Porsche	Cayenne	(03-)	416	624.73	11,260.44

Warranty Direct managing director, David Gerrans, said: “The SUV market segment has developed significantly in recent years. In comparison to some other vehicles, they are fairly expensive to run but our study shows that there are reliable SUVs available which are not too costly.

“An SUV vehicle is most definitely the transport of choice for motorists during winter; not only is the driving position more commanding, but they are more likely to withstand challenging conditions.”

Warranty Direct cover starts from as little as £15 a month. For more information on the reliability of your vehicle, visit www.reliabilityindex.com, or for a quote on cover www.warrantydirect.co.uk.