Sales in the Large segment fell by 6.4 percent in 2016, which puts it in the middle of the pack as far as mainstream segments are concerned – better than the Minicar and Mid-sized segments, but worse than the Subcompact, Compact and Minivan segments. With 443,317 sales, it remains the second smallest mainstream segment after the Minicar segment, though the Subcompact and Minivan segments remain within reach of around 100,000 units. However, with little new metal on the horizon it remains unlikely that sales in the segment will rise anytime soon, as models such as Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300 and Ford Taurus are nearing their “sell by” date with no replacements due anytime soon.
Highlights for 2016:
Nissan Maxima- After playing a cat and mouse game all year long, Dodge Charger ended up outselling Chevrolet Impala by fewer than 100 units in 2016 – the first time that the Chevy has not been at the top of the segment in the past decade, and a sign of just how much the now-discontinued previous-generation model added to its total sales
- Nissan Maxima came in third place, a mighty impressive performance that included sales growth of 55 percent and leaping over other four cars to go from an also-ran to a podium finisher, though it remains to be seen whether it can now challenge for class honors as the Charger and Impala age
- Despite an advancing age Chrysler 300 did well to retain its volume in 2016, which put him ahead of the considerably-younger Toyota Avalon whose sales fell by 20 percent compared to 2015
- Ford Taurus and Buick LaCrosse both lost volume in 2016 (10 percent and 34 percent, respectively), with the former losing even more if you subtract out the relatively-stable Police Interceptor sedan sales from its total
- The Korean duo of Hyundai Azera and Kia Cadenza also lost substantial volume in 2016 (11 percent and 35 percent, respectively), with the result being particularly troubling Kia, as the Cadenza is still relatively new – it will be interesting to see whether Hyundai bothers to bring the recently-revealed new Azera/Grandeur to the US, and whether Kia continues with the Cadanza once it starts selling the much-more-appealing new Stinger model
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