US sales 2016 first half Premium Mid-sized SUV segment

Krzysztof Wozniak
US Premium mid-sized SUV segment
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US premium midsized SUV 2

Sales of Premium Mid-sized SUVs in the US rose by 10 percent in the second quarter of the year, a slightly slower pace than in Q1. While sales it the segment are boosted by a lot of new metal (Mercedes-Benz GLC, Land-Rover Discovery Sport, Cadillac XT5, Jaguar F-Pace), they are at the same time weighed down by model changeovers (combined sales of Cadillac XT5 and SRX are down on sales of only the latter in 2015) and aging models such as the soon-to-be-replaced Audi Q5, as well as Range Rover Evoque and Volvo XC60.

Jaguar F-Pace

Highlights in first half of 2016:

  • Cadillac SRX relinquished its spot as the segment leader while the baton is passed to its replacement, Cadillac XT5; however, Cadillac must hope sales of the latter pick up soon, as the combined sales of the two models were still 13 percent down on where the SRX was this time in 2015
  • Acura RDX became the new segment leader for the first half of 2016, but it may not last long in this position – the second-placed Mercedes-Benz GLC and third-placed Lexus NX were both less than 2,000 units behind in sales so far, and could easily overtake the Acura by the end of the year
  • BMW X3 and Infiniti QX50 both continued to attract more buyers despite their advancing ages, with sales up 32 percent for the BMW in the second quarter, and a remarkable 456 percent for the Infiniti (though from a low base)
  • Despite a nice 618 percent rise in sales so far this year compared to 2015, Land-Rover Discovery Sport actually had a pretty bad second quarter, selling 2,579 compared to 4,368 units in Q1 – so-so reviews may be hurting sales after the initial enthusiasm for the model has died down
  • Sales of Jaguar F-Pace are, ahem, gathering pace nicely, and while in overall so far this year it ranked second-to-last, it actually outsold both the Audi Allroad and BMW X4 in the second quarter, and will probably advance into the top 10 in the second half 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