A resurgent Chevy Spark doesn’t just take segment leadership, but also drags the segment back into the black
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Sales in the US Minicar segment rose by 1.6% in the first half of 2019, raising hopes that the segment’s four year long may come to an end this year. However, with only five models left and no new models on the horizon, it would take a brave person to put their money on the growth persisting until the end of the year.
Note: Clicking on the model name opens the sales data page for that model; clicking year in the legend turns the display for that year on/off
Highlights:
- Chevrolet Spark enjoyed an amazing Q2’19, seeing its sales almost double, pushing its sales so far this year up by 28% and allowing it to open a sizable lead over the 2018 segment leader, Mitsubishi Mirage
- Mini Cooper, the erstwhile segment leader, saw its sales slide ever further, pushing it into a bit of a “no mans land” between the two budget segment leaders, and the segment minnows
- Speaking of, Fiat 500, the car that was meant to ride the same wave of retro nostalgia as the Mini, saw its sales dip by a further 25% so far this year
- 2019 is quickly looking like the end of the line for the Smart ForTwo, as the model’s sales could not even break 500 in the second quarter of the year
Note: clicking on the model names in legend turns the display for that model on/off; data is displayed from 1990 onwards, but starts earlier – access previous years using slider on bottom