Sales in the Small Premium Sports segment in the US rose by 18.4% in Q2 of 2016 for a first half increase of 11.4% to 7,435 vehicles. This is the exact opposite of the mainstream Small Sports Car segment, where sales plummeted 15% in Q2. The segment leader Mercedes-Benz SLK, in the process of being facelifted and simultaneously renamed SLC loses its pole position to the Porsche Cayman, and barely manages to stay ahead of the new generation Audi TT.
Highlights in H1 2016:
There’s a new segment leader: after a stable Q1, the Porsche Cayman improves its sales 37.6% in Q2 to gain 21.4% in the first half, enough to propel it ahead of the Mercedes-Benz SLC/SLK, which loses 29.8% in Q2 and 16.5% in the half, as it is hampered by a facelift and namechange. As soon as the updated SLC starts to hit showroom, Mercedes is likely to hit back.- The Audi TT has been renewed in the second half of 2015 and enjoys booming growth, moving past the Porsche Boxster to take third place in the segment.
- The Boxster is about to be updated as well, and renamed 718 Boxster, as well as getting four-cylinder engines for the first time ever.
- BMW Z4 sales rebounded in Q2 after falling by 73% in Q1, to end the first half with a 48.6% drop in sales. Still, BMW seems to be getting ready to pull the model from the market before the replacement arrives, a sports car co-developed with Toyota.
- The Alfa Romeo 4C also returned to growth in Q2, adding 36% to its sales in the same period of 2015 and almost breaking even for the first half at -4%.