The compact crossover segment moves along with the overall market at -14% in the first quarter of 2020. That means the largest segment in the US stays at about 24% market share, meaning one in nearly every four vehicles sold are a compact crossover. The class is also the largest in terms of nameplates, with 42 different models so far in 2020.
The Toyota RAV4 consolidates its leadership with almost 100,000 sales, up 16% on the first quarter of last year, while the five other players in the top-6 all lose faster than the market at -17% or worse. Hardest hit among major players is the Nissan Rogue, down 36% and down one spot into 4th place. That moves up the Chevrolet Equinox and Honda CR-V with sales down 17% and 18% respectively, while the recently renewed Ford Escape and Jeep Wrangler both lose 21% of their sales. The Escape should be able to move up further this year thanks to its new generation, and the Rogue is also due for a redesign later this year. The Subaru Forester and Mazda CX-5 outperform the market and leapfrog the Jeep Cherokee, down 32%. Its smaller sibling Jeep Compass is down 20%. The Equinox’s sibling GMC Terrain sees stable sales, allowing it to move past the Hyundai Tucson and Volkswagen Tiguan. Hyundai’s South Korean factories have not suffered extended closures as US factories have, which means its dealers are still stocked plentiful with crossovers and more to come. When US dealerships are reopened and car sales start to pick up again, it could go either way for the Korean brand: if demand picks up quickly, other brands may not have enough stocks to fulfill this demand, making Hyundai perfectly positioned to steal market share, or if buyers are slow to return to dealerships, they may be forced to heavily discount them to move the metal off their lots. Only time will tell how this plays out.
Newcomer Chevrolet Blazeer is in 14th place ahead of the Subaru Crosstrek and Kia Sportage, while the Dodge Journey is the biggest loser in the top-30 at -37%. The Mitsubishi Outlander outperforms the market, while its smaller sibling Outlander Sport manages to sell more than last year. Both outsell the Toyota C-HR, down 29%, while the Mazda CX-30 lands just ahead of the Buick Envision. The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is down 42% and barely stays ahead of the Kia Niro.
The luxury part of the segment makes up 15% of total compact crossover sales, up from 13.3% in 2019. And if in 2019 the German Big 3 claimed the top-3 positions, the podium looks a bit different this year. The Mercedes-Benz GLC still holds on to the top spot thanks to keeping its decline limited to 15%, but the BMW X3 and Audi Q5 are knocked off the podium by the Lexus NX and Acura RDX. The two Japanese players are down by 18% and 26% respectively, while the X3 loses 27% and the Q5 loses 35%. The Cadillac XT5 is down by 32%, completing the top-6 best selling compact luxury crossovers. Then there’s a significant gap to the rest, which are led by the Lincoln Corsair, down just 2% on the sales of the MKC last year. That’s allowed the Lincoln to move past the Volvo XC60. The Infiniti QX50 is up 16% but still disappoints from high expectations after its redesign. Still, at least now the Infiniti outsells the Jaguar F-Pace and Porsche Macan, both of which outperform the market. The Range Rover Velar and Land Rover Discovery Sport lose ground, while the Alfa Romeo Stelvio moves with the market at -13%. The BMW X4 improves its sales by 25% but remains a niche player, while the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace also stays at just 0.1% market share.
US compact crossover sales 2020-Q1
| Compact SUV segment | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Share | |
| 1 | Toyota RAV4 | 97.631 | 83.820 | 16% | 11,7% |
| 2 | Chevrolet Equinox | 73.453 | 88.500 | -17% | 8,8% |
| 3 | Honda CR-V | 71.186 | 87.280 | -18% | 8,5% |
| 4 | Nissan Rogue | 59.716 | 93.814 | -36% | 7,1% |
| 5 | Ford Escape | 48.117 | 60.702 | -21% | 5,7% |
| 6 | Jeep Wrangler | 39.668 | 49.988 | -21% | 4,7% |
| 7 | Subaru Forester | 39.080 | 40.656 | -4% | 4,7% |
| 8 | Mazda CX-5 | 35.211 | 37.494 | -6% | 4,2% |
| 9 | Jeep Cherokee | 33.675 | 49.420 | -32% | 4,0% |
| 10 | Jeep Compass | 29.820 | 37.306 | -20% | 3,6% |
| 11 | GMC Terrain | 25.292 | 25.364 | 0% | 3,0% |
| 12 | Hyundai Tucson | 23.735 | 28.831 | -18% | 2,8% |
| 13 | Volkswagen Tiguan L | 22.176 | 26.533 | -16% | 2,6% |
| 14 | Chevrolet Blazer | 22.144 | 3.023 | 633% | 2,6% |
| 15 | Subaru Crosstrek | 21.516 | 26.197 | -18% | 2,6% |
| 16 | Kia Sportage | 20.057 | 19.198 | 4% | 2,4% |
| 17 | Dodge Journey | 15.152 | 24.003 | -37% | 2,6% |
| 18 | Mitsubishi Outlander | 13.156 | 14.371 | -8% | 2,2% |
| 19 | Mercedes-Benz GLC | 13.098 | 15.366 | -15% | 2,2% |
| 20 | Mitsubishi Outlander Sport | 12.577 | 12.457 | 1% | 2,1% |
| 21 | Lexus NX | 11.309 | 13.775 | -18% | 1,9% |
| 22 | Acura RDX | 11.153 | 14.972 | -26% | 1,3% |
| 23 | BMW X3 | 10.614 | 14.568 | -27% | 1,8% |
| 24 | Toyota C-HR | 10.372 | 14.521 | -29% | 1,2% |
| 25 | Audi Q5 | 9.959 | 15.228 | -35% | 1,2% |
| 26 | Cadillac XT5 | 9.023 | 13.278 | -32% | 1,1% |
| 27 | Mazda CX-30 | 8.364 | 0 | New | 1,0% |
| 28 | Buick Envision | 6.932 | 7.623 | -9% | 1,2% |
| 29 | Lincoln Corsair/MKC | 5.670 | 5.787 | -2% | 1,0% |
| 30 | Volvo XC60 | 5.569 | 6.636 | -16% | 0,7% |
| 31 | Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross | 5.184 | 8.997 | -42% | 0,9% |
| 32 | Kia Niro | 4.975 | 5.346 | -7% | 0,6% |
| 33 | Infiniti QX50 | 4.170 | 3.583 | 16% | 0,7% |
| 34 | Jaguar F-Pace | 3.992 | 4.540 | -12% | 0,7% |
| 35 | Porsche Macan | 3.777 | 4.208 | -10% | 0,6% |
| 36 | Range Rover Velar | 3.617 | 4.949 | -27% | 0,6% |
| 37 | Land Rover Discovery Sport | 2.459 | 3.527 | -30% | 0,4% |
| 38 | Alfa Romeo Stelvio | 1.913 | 2.210 | -13% | 0,3% |
| 39 | BMW X4 | 1.788 | 1.436 | 25% | 0,3% |
| 40 | Jaguar I-Pace | 446 | 608 | -27% | 0,1% |
| 41 | Lincoln MKT | 109 | 1.242 | -91% | 0,0% |
| 42 | Hyundai Nexo | 51 | 60 | -15% | 0,0% |
| 43 | Jeep Patriot | 1 | 10 | -90% | 0,0% |
| 44 | Volkswagen Tiguan | 1 | 164 | -99% | 0,0% |
| Segment total | 837.908 | 971.591 | -14% |
Source: Manufacturers.