The midsized MPV segment is one of the most stable of the market in recent years: after declining just 2% in 2014, sales of midsized MPVs are up by a mere 1% again in the first quarter of 2015.
With Q1 sales down 10%, the Citroën C4 Picasso barely holds on to its first position, while it hasn’t led the segment in any of the three months. The Renault Scenic trails by less than 300 units after being the segment best seller in Febuary and March, and will be completely renewed by the end of this year. The all-new Volkswagen Golf Sportsvan is less than 1.700 units behind the C4 Picasso in third place, after being the segment leader by a large margin in January.
The Sportsvan improves massively on the sales of its predecessor Golf Plus, which was in run-out mode last year. However, in 2006, its first full year on the market, the Golf Plus sold more than 128.000 units in Europe, a figure the Sportsvan won’t reach at the current selling rate. But then again, the segment has become more populated since, and those 128.000 units were only half of what the Scenic sold that year, while both models aren’t separated by much this year
As a result of the Sportsvan’s surge, the Volkswagen Touran and Ford C-Max are kicked down a place with the C-Max faring the worst after finishing 2014 ahead of the Touran on the segment podium. The latter will be replaced later this year by the second generation Touran, which will get a similar lazy but smart make-over as the Golf VI to VII and Passat VII to VIII have had: easily recognizable as a Touran from far away, but also obviously modernized from nearby.
The Opel/Vauxhall Zafira, which has been in 5th place until last year, loses more than 40% of its volume and is now in 7th spot far behind the Peugeot 3008. Both the 3008 and its larger sibling 5008 are down 18% and as a result Peugeot is likely to lose its crown as Europe’s best selling MPV brand. The successor to the 3008, not due for another few years, will be more like a crossover than the current MPV model.
| Midsized MPV segment | Q1 2015 | Q1 2014 | Change | |
| 1. | Citroën C4 (Grand) Picasso | 28.776 | 31.999 | -10% |
| 2. | Renault (Grand) Scenic | 28.518 | 26.791 | 6% |
| 3. | Volkswagen Golf Sportsvan | 27.129 | 251 | new |
| 4. | Volkswagen Touran | 22.158 | 25.227 | -12% |
| 5. | Ford (Grand) C-Max | 21.349 | 21.875 | -2% |
| 6. | Peugeot 3008 | 17.692 | 21.466 | -18% |
| 7. | Opel/Vauxhall Zafira | 12.438 | 21.665 | -43% |
| 8. | Toyota Verso | 8.514 | 7.531 | 13% |
| 9. | Peugeot 5008 | 7.874 | 9.545 | -18% |
| 10. | Kia Carens | 5.857 | 6.254 | -6% |
| 11. | Dacia Lodgy | 5.268 | 5.289 | 0% |
| 12. | Seat Altea | 4.879 | 4.551 | 7% |
| 13. | Mazda5 | 2.185 | 1.868 | 17% |
| 14. | Toyota Prius+ | 2.023 | 1.554 | 30% |
| 15. | Chevrolet Orlando | 20 | 2.074 | -99% |
| 16. | Volkswagen Golf Plus | 5 | 5.150 | -100% |
| Segment total | 194.685 | 193.090 | 1% |
Click on any model to see its annual sales from 1997-2013 and monthly sales in 2012, 2013 and 2014, or use the dropdown menu in the top right of this site. Sources: Manufacturers, ANDC, JATO Dynamics.