The large SUV segment is one of the smallest in Europe with fewer than 53.000 sales in 2017, down 4%. Compare that to the US where almost 2 million of these vehicles were sold last year, up 9,4% and surpassing sales of midsized sedans for the first time. Unlike the midsized crossover segment, where some models are also available as 7-seaters, there are not a lot of new entrants to this segment in Europe, but brands are actually withdrawing their slow selling models, like Nissan which no longer sells the Murano and Pathfinder and Mazda which never really sold the CX-9 in significant quantities, as opposed to the US. Then again, Ford entered the segment in 2016 by bringing the Edge over from the States. And while absolute volume remains relatively low (16.000 in Europe vs. nearly 143.000 in the US), it has quickly become the segment leader with more than 30% share. However, the Edge was already down 31% in the last quarter when the segment as a whole lost 25% as the entire top-5 lost by double digits. Only the low-volume SsangYong Rexton gained volume thanks to the all-new generation now available in Europe.
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 Hyundai Santa Fe loses its second place to its platform sibling Kia Sorento, as the former is down by 26% in Q3 as the new generation is due in 2018. The Sorento also loses 18% but both models still sell better than in their lowest year 2013. Behind this top-3 which accounts for more than 3 out of every 4 cars sold, we find two Japanese Golden Oldies, the body-on-frame Toyota Land Cruiser, down 17% as yet another facelift is expected for the model that’s been around since 2009, and the unibody Mitsubishi Pajero which was last renewed in 2006 and is starting to show its age with a decline of 21%. As mentioned above, the SsangYong Rexton benefits from the new “G4 Rexton” generation but remains a niche player in a niche segment so far.
A new Santa Fe is on its way for 2018 and will be available in two sizes again, although we expect Hyundai is planning to separate them more in terms of styling, with a sportier look for the 5-seater and a different name for the 7-seater.
Also check out the midsized SUV segment in the US, where the #13 sells more than the entire segment in Europe.
| Large SUV segment | 2017 | 2016 | Change | |
| 1 | Ford Edge | 16.000 | 9.200 | 74% |
| 2 | Kia Sorento | 12.570 | 15.344 | -18% |
| 3 | Hyundai Santa Fe | 11.728 | 15.937 | -26% |
| 4 | Toyota Land Cruiser | 5.237 | 6.286 | -17% |
| 5 | Mitsubishi Pajero / Montero / Shogun | 4.417 | 5.590 | -21% |
| 6 | SsangYong Rexton | 2.610 | 2.187 | 19% |
| 7 | Mazda CX-9 | 23 | 153 | -85% |
| Segment total | 52.669 | 54.783 | -4% |
Click on any model to see its annual sales from 1997-2016 and monthly sales from 2012 to 2016, or use the dropdown menu in the top right of this site.
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.