Sales in the Premium Compact SUV segment in the US rose by 24.2 percent in 2016 to 87,391, making it the fastest-growing from among all Premium SUV segments, and the second-fastest segment overall, after the Subcompact SUV segment. 2017 should continue this trend, with the arrival of the new Mini Countryman, the facelifted Mercedes-Benz GLA and, possibly, the baby brother to the Volvo XC90 (thought a 2018 on-market date seems more likely).
Highlights for 2016
- The new BMW X1 was received very well by the market, with sales up 93 percent compared to 2016, allowing it to retake the crown of the segment leader it lost to Mercedes-Benz GLA in 2015
- The sales performance of the Mercedes-Benz GLA would look OK in most other segments (sales were down only by 4 percent), but in this segment it must be viewed as a disappointment for a model that’s been on the market for fewer than three years
- Highlighting the GLA’s underperformance are the sales results of the aging Audi Q3, whose sales increased by 52 percent despite the newer competition and seemingly not hurting the continued good sales performance of its A3 brother
- Sales of the Infiniti QX30 began in earnest in the fourth quarter, but so far have not been great – it so far has not sold more than 1,000 units in a month, and while its sales were close to the second-to-last Mini Countryman, that model is about to be replaced by a new model in early 2017
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