The minicar segment in the United States is hurt badly by the low gasoline prices, with sales down 21.6% in the first three quarters of 2016, with not a single model improving on last year. Now that we have more detailed data for the Mini brand, we can better compare the models in this segment, as for example the Mini Clubman station wagon really can’t be called a minicar anymore, let alone that it would be cross-shopped with the Chevrolet Spark. The Mini data in this table consist of the Hardtop 2-door and 4-door and the Convertible. Sales of those three models combined showed a drop of 34% compared to the first three quarters of 2015, which means that there’s a new segment leader: the Chevrolet Spark.
Highlights for January – September 2016:
- Despite its new generation, sales of the Spark were stable on last year, which allowed it to overtake the Mini to grab the segment top spot.
- Thanks to a slight increase in Q3, the recently facelifted Mitsubishi Mirage is able to dial back its 2% loss of the first half to a 1% loss over the first three quarters.
- Misery continued for the Smart ForTwo and especially the Fiat 500, with the two-seater losing 26% so far this year, and the Italian retro model down 45% as Fiat is on track to its worst year in terms of volume despite having a four model line-up compared to just a single model in 2012.
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