Chrysler Pacifica fails to grab the lead as segment shrinks by an eight in 2017
Sales in the US minivan segment fell by 11.1% to 102,324 in the fourth quarter of 2017, perfectly “on pace” as far as its performance in 2017 is concerned, when the segment saw its sales fell by 12.5% to 484,618 , the first time the segment has dipped below the 500,000 mark since 2011. With just the new Honda Odyssey building up sales in 2018, and no new models expected in the market, the segment is likely to continue its decline this year.
Highlights:
- The ancient Dodge Grand Caravan just about retained its crown as the segment leader, with sales holding perfectly steady, while the in-pursuit Chrysler Pacifica saw its sales almost double, vaulting the model from fifth to a close second in the segment rankings
- Behind the two FCA models are the erstwhile Japanese segment leaders, Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey, both losing over 10% of their sales in 2017, despite Honda introducing a new version of the Odyssey halfway through the year (in fact, the new model has as yet failed to register quarterly growth compared to the previous 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
- Kia Sedona finds itself a distant fifth, after losing almost half of its sales in 2017 – it is clear that the attractively-styled model does not have the same appeal as the segment leaders to high-volume buyers in this segment, such as taxi firms and delivery companies
- In sixth and seventh we find two models which have been pulled out of the market in 2017 – the oddly-tall-and-narrow Nissan Quest, which was the brand’s last-ditch effort to connect with buyers in this segment, and the Chrysler Town & Country, which finally makes way for its modern Pacifica sister
Note: clicking on the model names in legend turns the display for that model on/off; data is displayed from 1990 onwards, but starts in 1973 – access previous years using slider on bottom