Chart Of The Day: U.S. SUV/Crossover Market Share Rises To 34% In May 2015

by Timothy Cain

Published: June 4th, 2015

chart of the day u s suv crossover market share rises to 34 in may 2015

In May 2015, for the fifth consecutive month, more than one-third of the new vehicles sold in the United States were SUVs and crossovers. Year-over-year, the share of the market earned by utility vehicles increased from slightly less than 32% to slightly more than 34%, a gain equal to 50,000 extra sales in a market which saw passenger car volume tumble by nearly 30,000 units.

Led by the Honda CR-V, which was actually down 1% in May 2015, the U.S. SUV/crossover market was strengthened by new products last month. May was the second full month for the Jeep Renegade in what turned out to be the highest-volume month in the Jeep brand’s history. Not only did Jeep sell more than 20,000 Wranglers for the first time ever, not only did Jeep break the Cherokee’s sales record, but they also sold 4,416 copies of the Renegade.

Honda added 6,381 HR-Vs in the model’s first month on sale. With the new XC90 increasingly available, Volvo sold 741, a 60% year-over-year improvement. Chevrolet reported its first month with more than 5,000 Trax sales.

And among the higher-volume vehicles, the Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota RAV4, and Nissan Rogue all posted double-digit percentage gains. Overall SUV/crossover sales jumped 10% as a result. Sales of the category are up 12% to nearly 2.4 million through the first five months of 2015.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.

#AutoSales #ChartOfTheDay #CrossoverSales #HondaHr-v #JeepRenegade #May2015Sales #SalesCharts #SUVSales #U.S.AutoSales

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11 of 17 comments

RideHeight on Jun 04, 2015

I may possibly understand the CUV phenomenon; nobody wants little crampy cars. Probably 1 million people on this planet care about handling. The rest care about comfort and visibility (the little we still can get).

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- Superdessucke on Jun 04, 2015
  
  Get out of the US if you can. In many countries, you'll see few CUVs or SUVs. Most people will be driving "crampy little cars" to reflect the much higher fuel prices and to handle narrow curvy roads and tight parking in old urban centers. They will often even specify manual transmissions to maximize economy. We have these vehicles because US transportation policy encourages them. It's a big beautiful world out there. Try to see some of it.
  
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- FreedMike on Jun 04, 2015
  
  Except...modern compacts aren't crampy. Not in the least.
  
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- RideHeight on Jun 04, 2015
  
  @Superdessucke All that "Euros are leaner, cleaner and greener" bunk is just trying to make a virtue out of necessity.
  
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- Superdessucke on Jun 04, 2015
  
  @FreedMike Modern compacts are barely even compacts. The teensy little Fiesta ST is pushing 3k pounds and is roomy and has all modern amenities, and can haul cargo. No reason at all for a CUV unless you're so out of shape you can't sit unless the chair is the same height as your a-- while standing up. I mean, how do these people eat at restaurants? We know they're not skipping that.
  
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- RideHeight on Jun 04, 2015
  
  @Superdessucke Mirror in face, headliner contacting hair, no visibility past/through fat pillars & headrests, bonk head upon entry, possibly sprain neck.
  
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- Superdessucke on Jun 04, 2015
  
  @RideHeight It would be necessity here too if our politicos would grab their tender bits and raise fuel taxes on non-commercial vehicle use and divert infrastructure dollars from riads to public transit.
  
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- RideHeight on Jun 04, 2015
  
  @Superdessucke I would agree that you deserve more public transit.
  
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- Superdessucke on Jun 04, 2015
  
  @RideHeight Sounds like you need to ride the bus Shrek. Plenty of headroom, good visibility and you can stop blocking our view of the road in your own personal bus-like vehicle.
  
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- DevilsRotary86 on Jun 04, 2015
  
  "nobody wants little crampy cars." I wouldn't paint with so broad of a brush. I for one like small cars. The largest car I have ever owned was a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt. How about most want big cars?
  
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FreedMike on Jun 04, 2015

Well, if nothing else the CUV craze comfirms that automakers continue to be able to take basic machines and sell them for radically more than they're worth. Here's an excellent case in point: the Mazda 3 / CX-5. Dimensionally, these two cars are almost identical, inside and out. They have the same engines and (I'm going to guess) the same suspensions. Open them the cargo areas and you'll find very similar space (the CUV obviously has more, but not radically so). And the CX-5 is thousands more expensive. That's what this whole thing boils down to - people paying LOTS more for so they can sit up a couple of inches higher. Makes no sense to me, but if this is what sells, and it makes it possible for Mazda (or other manufacturers) to produce more enthusiast-oriented vehicles, then party on.

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