Small cars and SUVs are becoming increasingly popular. Vehicles like the Chevrolet Trax, Mazda CX-50, Honda HR-V, Toyota Corolla Cross, Subaru Forester, and Nissan Sentra all show year-over-year sales increases, often double- or triple-digit percentage increases.
While full-size trucks still dominate the top sales charts, demand for compact and midsize SUVs is rising. Price is certainly a factor here. Could it be that new car shoppers realize they might not need a full-size pickup when vehicles like the Honda CR-V, Honda HR-V, Toyota RAV4, and Toyota Corolla Cross can perform plenty of light-duty utility work?
The Toyota RAV4 is so popular that in 2023, it nearly matched the sales of the Ram 1500 full-size pickup. Riding the wave of small SUV popularity, the RAV4 will eventually match or exceed the sales of the Ram.
Here’s just a small sample of sales increases of subcompact and compact SUVs from 2023 to 2024:
Chevrolet Trax: + 230.3%
Mazda CX-50: + 64%
Honda HR-V: + 41.5%
Toyota Corolla Cross: + 59.4%
Subaru Forester: + 51.4%
Toyota RAV4: + 32.8%
Using Cox Automotive data, Fortune reports that sales of “sub-size SUVs in the U.S. shot up 20%” in the first half of this year.
Disclosure: Cox Automotive is Autotrader’s parent company.
Shoppers looking for a great deal without sacrificing all comfort should Get a compact or subcompact sedan or SUV.
