Sales in the Large segment fell by 9 percent in the second quarter of 2016, compared to Q2 2015, but sales in the segment are still up 2 percent over the first half year, making Large cars one of only two mainstream segments to have grown over the period. This impressive performance can really be attributed to the success of the new Nissan Maxima, as well as the increasing popularity of aging Chrysler 300.
Highlights for first half of 2016:
- The first- and second-placed Chevy Impala and Dodge Charger, as well as the fifth-placed Ford Taurus, erased the sales gains they posted in the first quarter of the year, and ended the first half year slightly behind where they were this time last year
- Sales of Chrysler 300 increased by 26 percent in the second quarter of the year, but even this was barely enough to keep it ahead (by one solitary car!) ahead of the surging Nissan Maxima, whose sales increased almost two-fold over the same period
- While the fall in sales of the aging Toyota Avalon and Hyundai Azera (down 26 and 33 percent in the second quarter, respectively) and the soon-to-be-replaced Buick LaCrosse (down 53 percent) is to be expected, the performance of the new Kia Cadenza must be disappointing to the brand – it was 19 percent lower in the second quarter 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