The small crossover class in the United States is down 21% in the first three quarters of 2022, in an overall market down 13%. That means it’s losing share after outperforming the market in recent years and setting record after record. At just over 745,000 deliveries, small crossovers now make up 7.3% of the total US car market, down from 8.1% in the first three quarters of last year. In Q3, the class was down 15% in a stable overall market.
The segment’s two best sellers which hold more than a quarter of class sales are in the middle of a model changeover or due for one early next year. The Subaru Crosstrek manages to reclaim the class lead it last held in Q1 of 2021, thanks to a 23% gain in the third quarter. The third generation Crosstrek has already been revealed and will arrive early next year as a 2024 Model Year to the US. Meanwhile last year’s surprise leader Honda HR-V is being replaced by a new generation which resulted in a 47% drop in deliveries in the third quarter. The HR-V is now down 12% year-to-date, but if deliveries of the 2023 Model Year version pick up soon, it should be able to finish the year with positive figures. A surprise in third place, as the Volkswagen Taos jumps 2 spots to land on the segment podium. It’s been a long time since a VW model has stood on the podium of any class in the USA, but the Taos has been a slam dunk for the brand. It even almost took second place in the third quarter. That knocks the Nissan Kicks into 5th place with sales down 49% in Q3, dropping even behind the Hyundai Kona, down 35% in Q3.
The Chevrolet TrailBlazer was down 32% in the third quarter but still managed to outsell newcomer Toyota Corolla Cross. So did the Mazda CX-30 which was up 15%. The Kia Seltos and Ford EcoSport complete the top-10, both down 24% year-to-date as the former was up 22% in Q3 and the latter was stable. The Buick Encore GX and Jeep Renegade lost about 40% in Q3, while the Chevrolet Trax was actually up 1% and the Hyundai Venue was down just 5%. The Kia Niro is due for a redesign and dropped 86% in Q3 but is down just 2% for the year. The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport was down 21% in Q3 while the Toyota C-HR is being cannibalized by the more traditionally styled Corolla Cross.
Luxury brands see their share of the class decline to 11%, down from 12.3% in 2021 as their sales are down 30% on last year. Best selling luxury small crossover is still the Audi Q3 at #16 overall, with deliveries down 16% in Q3. The Cadillac XT4 is its nearest rival, up tenfold in the third quarter to an overall 17th place. The Volvo XC40 was down 58% and drops to 19th place and third among luxury players. In the third quarter the Lexus UX was down 60% and it’s now outsold by the Mercedes-Benz GLA year-t0-date. The GLA was up 147% in Q3 but still down 27% for the year. The Range Rover Evoque does relatively well in the third quarter at +18% and the Mini Countryman was down 30% but all other luxury models lose over half of their sales, except of course for newcomer Volvo C40 which finds just 326 buyers in Q3.
US small crossover sales 2022 Q1-Q3
| Small SUV segment | 2022 Q1-Q3 | 2021 Q1-Q3 | Change | 2022 Share | 2022-Q3 | Change | |
| 1 | Subaru Crosstrek | 115.344 | 101.067 | 14% | 15,5% | 45.294 | 23% |
| 2 | Honda HR-V | 92.556 | 105.398 | -12% | 12,4% | 19.540 | -47% |
| 3 | Volkswagen Taos | 46.835 | 18.043 | 160% | 6,3% | 18.880 | 44% |
| 4 | Hyundai Kona | 45.680 | 70.928 | -36% | 6,1% | 12.893 | -35% |
| 5 | Nissan Kicks | 45.120 | 64.735 | -30% | 6,0% | 10.520 | -49% |
| 6 | Chevrolet TrailBlazer | 41.932 | 73.898 | -43% | 5,6% | 17.388 | -32% |
| 7 | Toyota Corolla Cross | 37.521 | 0 | New | 5,0% | 15.206 | New |
| 8 | Mazda CX-30 | 37.387 | 47.474 | -21% | 5,0% | 15.660 | 15% |
| 9 | Kia Seltos | 32.182 | 42.352 | -24% | 4,3% | 12.416 | 22% |
| 10 | Ford EcoSport | 26.186 | 34.494 | -24% | 3,5% | 8.262 | 1% |
| 11 | Buick Encore GX | 24.296 | 61.179 | -60% | 3,3% | 9.825 | -40% |
| 12 | Jeep Renegade | 23.776 | 41.957 | -43% | 3,2% | 6.523 | -39% |
| 13 | Chevrolet Trax | 21.882 | 41.306 | -47% | 2,9% | 6.329 | 1% |
| 14 | Hyundai Venue | 19.605 | 22.358 | -12% | 2,6% | 6.954 | -5% |
| 15 | Kia Niro | 18.711 | 19.071 | -2% | 2,5% | 1.045 | -86% |
| 16 | Audi Q3 | 18.624 | 26.782 | -30% | 2,5% | 7.010 | -16% |
| 17 | Cadillac XT4 | 14.971 | 8.533 | 75% | 2,0% | 5.838 | 930% |
| 18 | Mitsubishi Outlander Sport | 12.317 | 28.722 | -57% | 1,7% | 3.721 | -21% |
| 19 | Volvo XC40 | 11.819 | 22.089 | -46% | 1,6% | 2.998 | -58% |
| 20 | Buick Encore | 11.231 | 19.267 | -42% | 1,5% | 3.487 | -13% |
| 21 | Toyota C-HR | 10.313 | 32.388 | -68% | 1,4% | 1.233 | -84% |
| 22 | Mercedes-Benz GLA | 8.568 | 11.704 | -27% | 1,1% | 2.682 | 147% |
| 23 | Lexus UX | 7.850 | 14.277 | -45% | 1,1% | 1.921 | -60% |
| 24 | Mini Countryman | 5.736 | 7.804 | -26% | 0,8% | 1.726 | -30% |
| 25 | BMW X1 | 4.359 | 13.535 | -68% | 0,6% | 465 | -87% |
| 26 | Range Rover Evoque | 4.203 | 5.020 | -16% | 0,6% | 1.417 | 18% |
| 27 | Volvo C40 | 2.377 | 0 | New | 0,3% | 326 | New |
| 28 | BMW X2 | 2.311 | 4.873 | -53% | 0,3% | 746 | -50% |
| 29 | Jaguar E-Pace | 1.029 | 1.970 | -48% | 0,1% | 61 | -88% |
| 30 | Fiat 500X | 757 | 980 | -23% | 0,1% | 179 | -43% |
| 31 | Mazda MX-30 | 324 | 0 | New | 0,0% | 8 | New |
| 32 | Mazda CX-3 | 0 | 5.099 | -100% | 0,0% | 0 | -100% |
| 33 | Infiniti QX30 | 0 | 1 | -100% | 0,0% | 0 | – |
| Segment total | 745.802 | 947.304 | -21% | 240.553 | -15% |
Source: Manufacturers.