Sales of midsized MPVs have been very stable in recent years, without any big growth or contraction. In the first half of 2016, sales increased 1% but in Q3 the segment suddenly lost 8% of its volume and is now down 2% year-to-date. Another big shock is the crowning of a new leader of the segment, which has been dominated by the French since Renault launched the first generation (Megane) Scenic in 1996. The Scenic and Citroën C4 Picasso have alternated as segment leaders in recent years, but this quarter the new generation Volkswagen Touran has claimed the year-to-date top spot and looks set to hold on to it until the end of the year, which would be a first time ever for the nameplate. Volkswagen now dominates 4 out of 7 mainstream car and MPV segments. In third place we find yet another German: the BMW 2-Series Active/Gran Tourer, the best selling luxury MPV in Europe.
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The Volkswagen Sportsvan is feeling some cannibalization from the slightly larger Touran and drops into 4th place, as the biggest loser of the top-5, because the Renault Scenic has been kicked out of the top-5 by the Ford C-Max. The new generation Scenic is due in the fourth quarter, so in 2017 the French brand will strike back, but in Q3 it even had to suffer the embarrassment of being outsold even by the Mercedes-Benz B-Class. In contrast, the Peugeot 3008 is surprisingly stable considering the new generation is about to hit showrooms. This will no longer be an MPV/crossover hybrid, but a true crossover, so that’s where it will move next year. The same goes for its larger sibling 5008. Opel/Vauxhall also promises more crossover-like looks for its next generation Zafira, but it also plans to launch a real crossover in 2017, called Grandland X.
| Midsized MPV segment | 2016 Q3 | 2015 Q3 | Change | |
| 1 | Volkswagen Touran | 87.862 | 54.138 | 62% |
| 2 | Citroën C4 (Grand) Picasso | 85.482 | 85.647 | 0% |
| 3 | BMW 2-series Active/Gran Tourer | 77.107 | 62.070 | 24% |
| 4 | Volkswagen Sportsvan | 71.335 | 81.577 | -13% |
| 5 | Ford (Grand) C-Max | 63.978 | 63.209 | 1% |
| 6 | Renault (Grand) Scenic | 63.006 | 82.931 | -24% |
| 7 | Mercedes-Benz B-Class | 56.490 | 62.618 | -10% |
| 8 | Peugeot 3008 | 48.269 | 51.658 | -7% |
| 9 | Opel/Vauxhall Zafira | 42.411 | 43.749 | -3% |
| 10 | Toyota Verso | 25.000 | 24.224 | 3% |
| 11 | Peugeot 5008 | 22.483 | 24.406 | -8% |
| 12 | Dacia Lodgy | 19.627 | 17.478 | 12% |
| 13 | Kia Carens | 16.383 | 16.996 | -4% |
| 14 | Toyota Prius+ | 5.156 | 5.271 | -2% |
| 15 | Seat Altea | 125 | 14.235 | -99% |
| 16 | Mazda5 | 124 | 5.062 | -98% |
| 17 | Volkswagen Golf Plus | 5 | 14 | -64% |
| 18 | Chevrolet Orlando | 2 | 39 | -95% |
| Segment total | 684.845 | 695.322 | -2% |
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Car sales statistics are from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.
Sources: Manufacturers, ANDC, JATO Dynamics.