Sales in the minivan segment grew by 30%, an unexpected performance for a segment that struggled throughout 2015, when sales fell by 8%. Interestingly, the upswing in sales is not thanks to the eagerly-anticipated new Chrysler Pacifica, which has not gone on sale yet, but rather due to the sell-off of its ancient predecessors: the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan. It will be interesting to see whether these models will continue gaining sales once the Pacifica hits the market.
Highlights for Q1 2016:
- Sales of Dodge Grand Caravan rose by 99% compared to Q1 2015, allowing the model to almost match the segment leader, Toyota Sienna
- Dodge Grand Caravan’s sister model, Chrysler Town & Country, also saw a quick 59% sales growth compared to Q1 2015
- As a result of the FCA twins’ performance Honda Odyssey fell from second to fourth place, and with a growth rate of only 1% its sales grew at the slowest rate in the segment amongst cars not being pulled from the market (i.e. excluding Mazda5)
- Kia Sedona recorded a 33% growth in sales, not bad but probably less stellar than Kia expected, especially when viewed against a 151% growth in sales for the less-glamorous and previously shunned by customers Nissan Quest
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