The small crossover segment is still the fastest growing in Europe at +30% and almost 80.000 additional sales in the first quarter of 2016. That means this segment is now bigger in volume than the midsized crossover segment was in the same period last year. The growth is fueled by new products, but also the existing models keep improving steadily, with just 3 models in the top-15 losing sales, and none more than 5%. The Renault Captur remains the best selling small crossover in Europe, but loses share as it grows by just 4%. The competition is closing in, as the Peugeot 2008 adds 10% to its volume of last year and leapfrogs the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka to take second place. Until last year, France was the biggest market for small crossovers, and the two French models benefited from their home market strength. Now they’re starting to gain popularity across Europe, including the UK, where the Captur is a top-25 player and Renault’s best selling model. A welcome success for the French brand which was almost decimated across the Channel just a few years ago.
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
The Dacia Duster is stable and holds on to its fourth place, while the Fiat 500X has finally started to take off, with record sales in March to grab the #5 spot from the Nissan Juke, down 2%. The Citroën C4 Cactus is the biggest loser of the segment, even if that means it only lost 5% of its volume. It is now under threat from the Suzuki Vitara, surging to 8th place ahead of the Jeep Renegade. The FCA twins would hold a second place when combined, leaving the Captur still untouched. The updated Ford EcoSport is up 50%, showing the mistake Ford made by thinking the Brazilian-spec version with the basic interior and the back-mounted spare wheel could face the strong competition in this segment in Europe. The Mazda CX-3 is aiming for a top-10 position and that’s not unlikely by the end of the year. It won’t be threatened by the Honda HR-V, whose sales I find a bit disappointing so far. I’m curious how the upcoming Toyota C-HR will be received, and then I mean especially its polarizing design. I personally find it too inconsistent and too busy as you can see in my YouTube video, but others seem to love it.
Also check out the subcompact crossover segment in the US, where the Jeep Renegade steals the lead from the Buick Encore (Opel Mokka) and the 500X continues to disappoint.
| Small SUV segment | 2016 Q1 | 2015 Q1 | Change | |
| 1 | Renault Captur | 54.179 | 51.863 | 4% |
| 2 | Peugeot 2008 | 45.549 | 41.223 | 10% |
| 3 | Opel/Vauxhall Mokka | 43.965 | 42.775 | 3% |
| 4 | Dacia Duster | 34.774 | 34.400 | 1% |
| 5 | Fiat 500X | 28.866 | 10.317 | 180% |
| 6 | Nissan Juke | 28.618 | 29.246 | -2% |
| 7 | Citroën C4 Cactus | 20.839 | 21.877 | -5% |
| 8 | Suzuki Vitara | 20.656 | 1.481 | 1295% |
| 9 | Jeep Renegade | 18.952 | 12.567 | 51% |
| 10 | Ford Ecosport | 14.701 | 9.793 | 50% |
| 11 | Mazda CX-3 | 13.975 | 5 | New |
| 12 | Honda HR-V | 8.980 | 0 | New |
| 13 | Kia Soul | 3.334 | 3.353 | -1% |
| 14 | Suzuki Jimny | 3.072 | 2.985 | 3% |
| 15 | SsangYong Tivoli | 2.853 | 2 | New |
| 16 | Lada Niva | 439 | 384 | 14% |
| 17 | Suzuki SX4 | 63 | 1.657 | -96% |
| 18 | DR CityCross | 16 | 33 | -52% |
| 19 | Chevrolet Trax | 9 | 111 | -92% |
| 20 | Fiat Sedici | 1 | 161 | -99% |
| Segment total | 343.841 | 264.233 | 30% |