USA - Sales for the first quarter of 2017 have taken a nose dive in the USA, but the top models remain the same.

• SUVs, Pickups increase their share of total market while cars continue to slide
• Ford’s F-Series trucks maintain their top selling position; Toyota Camry is best-selling car
• Volkswagen beginning to recover from effects of diesel crisis

Vehicle sales for the first quarter of 2017 fell 1.9% over the same period in 2016. Analysts had predicted a small increase for March sales but saw a decline despite reported high incentives spending. SUVs and Pickup Trucks continue to gain market share, with Honda’s 4.3% increase in share driven by sales from the CR-V and returning Ridgeline, which as re-entered the market after a two model year hiatus.

Once again, the top three best selling vehicles in the United States are the Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado, and Ram Pickup. Ford’s F-Series line of trucks continues as the best-selling vehicle overall, selling 205,281 units in the first quarter of 2017, up from 186,121 units during the same time period in 2016.

Gaining ground on the top three is the forth best-selling vehicle and the best-selling SUV, Nissan Rogue, selling 100,000 units in the quarter in sales for the first time. Toyota Camry remained the best selling car, despite declining sales (83,459 units vs. 96,244 units), followed closely by the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla (81,654 and 76,086 units respectively).

After years of declining sales, Volkswagen looks they might have turned the tide, increasing their sales by almost 7,000 units when compared to the same time period last year (76,293 vs, 69,316 units). These gains were largely driven by increased Golf family sales, which were up 48.2% for the quarter. VW has posted four consecutive monthly sales increases and will be introducing the Atlas full-sized SUV soon which should help it continue to show positive movement.

Continuing the trend of recent years, the market share of SUVs and Trucks continue to rise within the United States. In the first quarter of 2017, SUVs, Trucks, and Vans represented 58%, 5 percentage points more than what was seen in 2016. This increase was mostly due to the ever increasing popularity of smaller SUVs and crossovers like the Nissan Rogue, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4.

The biggest decline was seen in the D-Segment. The segment decline in sales by 2.5 percentage points, from 16.9% in Q1 2016 to 14.% in Q1 2017. This decline has been seen throughout the segment, including market leaders like Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, and Chevrolet Malibu.

While car sales were down overall, the A- and F-Segments (small cars and large luxury cars) actually had increases year-over-year. The Chevy Spark was up almost 40% for the quarter, while the new Lincoln Continental was a major reason for the gain in the F-Segment.

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.

USA RECALL - TOYOTA/LEXUS - A number of models have been recalled due to possible brake issues.

Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. today announced that it is recalling approximately 4,170 Model Year 2016 Toyota RAV4; approximately 90 Model Year 2016 RX 350; and approximately 12,400 Model Year 2016 ES 350.

The involved vehicles are equipped with a Brake Actuator assembly that enables enhanced brake control functions including the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Traction Control (TRAC), and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), among others. 

There is a possibility that a component inside the actuator could have been damaged during manufacturing, preventing the actuator from operating properly. This could cause a loss of vehicle stability control, increasing the risk of crash.

All known owners of the affected Toyota vehicles will be notified by first class mail.   

Toyota and Lexus dealers will check the serial number of the Brake Actuator and replace actuators assembled during a specific production period.

Information about automotive recalls, including but not limited to the list of involved vehicles, is subject to change over time.  

For the most up-do-date Safety Recall information on Toyota, Lexus or Scion vehicles, customers should check their vehicle’s status by visiting toyota.com/recall and entering the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). 

Safety Recall inquiry by individual VIN is also available at the NHTSA site:safercar.gov/vin.  

For any additional questions, customer support is also available by calling Toyota Customer Service at 1-800-331-4331 and Lexus Customer Experience at 1-800-255-3987.

NCAP announce four more 5 star cars

While some car manufacturers are presenting new models at the Geneva Motor Show, Euro NCAP is announcing today the results for four new cars. The Renault | ZOE, Skoda Octavia , Toyota Auris and Toyota RAV4 underwent Euro NCAP’s crash tests and have all achieved the overall five stars.

As from 2013, Euro NCAP is now providing consumers with information on the most widely available child seats throughout Europe. For each new car tested, details on the installation of a series of child seats will help parents to make the safest choice for their kids.

The organization is also rewarding Skoda for the following active safety systems available on the Skoda Octavia: Front Assistant, Lane Assistant, Multi Collision | Brake and Crew Protect Assistant.

 

Renault ZOE

Skoda Octavia

 

Toyota Auris

Toyota RAV4

Details on the latest test results can be found on the website. Stay tuned, the next results will be released on 24th April 2013. For media information,