The Honda CR-V, soon to be the middle rung on Honda’s crossover ladder, was America’s best-selling SUV in January 2015.
This was the CR-V’s fifth consecutive month atop the SUV/CUV leaderboard. 2014 was the third consecutive year that the CR-V led the category on an annual basis.
• CR-V accounted for 26% of Honda brand sales
• Pilot sales nearly doubled, YOY
• Jeeps grab three top 10 spots for tenth time in eleven months
Perhaps of more interest than the CR-V’s position relative to its peers is its new-found dominance in Honda showrooms.
Although the CR-V didn’t outsell all non-pickup trucks in January as it did during the previous two months, the CR-V was Honda’s most popular model for the fourth consecutive month.
One month might be a fluke. Two months may simply require the alignment of stars. Three months indicates something. Four months might just be a trend.
|
Rank
|
SUV/Crossover
|
January
2015
|
January
2014
|
%
Change
|
|
#1
|
Honda CR-V | 23,211 | 18,232 | 27.3% |
|
#2
|
Ford Escape | 20,054 | 19,459 | 3.1% |
|
#3
|
Toyota RAV4 | 19,824 | 16,880 | 17.4% |
|
#4
|
Chevrolet Equinox | 19,555 | 14,547 | 34.4% |
|
#5
|
Ford Explorer | 17,036 | 12,810 | 33.0% |
|
#6
|
Nissan Rogue | 15,649 | 13,831 | 13.1% |
|
#7
|
Jeep Cherokee | 15,154 | 10,505 | 44.3% |
|
#8
|
Jeep Grand Cherokee | 12,806 | 12,207 | 4.9% |
|
#9
|
Honda Pilot | 12,315 | 6,224 | 97.9% |
|
#10
|
Jeep Wrangler | 11,683 | 9,553 | 22.3% |
Although all of America’s 15 best-selling SUVs and crossovers posted measurable year-over-year sales improvements in January 2015, the Ford Escape and Jeep Grand Cherokee stood out for their lack of double-digit expansion. The overall utility vehicle market was 19% stronger last month than it was at the same time one year earlier. The CR-V, Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Explorer, Jeep Cherokee, Honda Pilot, and Jeep Wrangler all grew at an above-average rate.
Toyota’s RAV4, the utility vehicle which most recently outsold the CR-V, recorded a 17% jump to 19,824 units, just 230 sales shy of the second-ranked Escape. Set to be replaced shortly, the Honda Pilot nearly doubled its January 2014 U.S. sales total and, in the process, outsold newer and older three-row crossovers like the Toyota Highlander (up 4% to 11,060) and Chevrolet Traverse (up 89% to 10,151), respectively.
Together, the top ten produced 14.5% of all new vehicle sales activity in America in January 2015, up from the 13.8% managed by January 2014’s ten most popular SUVs and crossovers. The overall utility vehicle market generated 34% of the auto industry’s January 2015 volume, up from 32.4% a year ago.
Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures.
Don’t Sleep on Da’ Jeep
Maybe the chart should be titled “America’s 9 Best-Selling Crossovers, Plus One SUV”.
Hey, the Grand Cherokee is no crossover, at least no more so than it ever was.
I would cons!der our 2012 Grand Cherokee a Cross-over, compared to the older Cherokee, Grand Cherokee and Grand Wagoneer BOF utes we owned.
The WK2 is unibody, has a car-like ride and handling, and is a big improvement over the old SUV, all around, because of Daimler.
Just my perspective, of course, but our 2012 Grand Cherokee has been a lot better than any of the previous Jeep products we owned. And !that!, is the key to success.
IIRC, the Grand Cherokee has been unibody since jump street.
The Grand Cherokee since 1989 has always been a Unibody design. IIRC, it started with the old American Motors Co. The Grand Wagoneer was BOF, built on the Jeep truck chassis.
The older Cherokee and Grand Cherokee also had the unibody but it was reinforced with torsional rails for stress and flex distribution.
I did not see any torsional rails in the 2011 Grand Cherokee and up. Body strength and rigidity in the WK2 is derived from folds pressed into the unibody base plate, that run length-wise. It is eerily similar to the M-B ML body construction.
Significant, because the tow hitch assembly now attaches directly to the unibody and not the torsional rails. Ditto with the s!de rails or running boards — they snap into and bolt to the unibody, not a floorpan reinforcement rail.
A consequence of this is more flex, more twist and a smoother, more supple ride.
“It is eerily similar to the M-B ML body construction.”
That’s because the current GC, Durango, and ML are pretty much the same vehicle.
Yeah, I have to admit, despite horrors Daimler brought to the table, like the Caliber and Compass, there were some winners in the bunch, the Grand Cherokee being one of them. When the ’06 Ram 1500 got a Tupperware interior, the writing was on the wall.
After reading the replies and looking at the chart again, I forgot that the GC was on there. I consider the GC and its big brother the Durango to be SUVs despite their unibody structure because of their longitudinal V6/8 powertrains and RWD-based 4WD vs. the FWD-based AWD of the typical crossover. In my book, the only non-SUV or truck products Jeep has ever produced have been the Patriot, Compass, new Cherokee, and Renegade.
Honda is putting a LOT of money on the hood for Pilots in anticipation of the new model arriving.
Amazing how much that moves sales.
I was surprised to see the Pilot on the list, it is a old design at the end of its life, maybe it is a good value play with cash on the hood, our 05 has been bulletproof and held up very well.
I would never buy a Pilot, at least, not new. And I promise you that even then the third-row seats would never be exposed. Even the second-row seats would barely see the light of day, only once or twice in any given calendar year. I simply don’t need nor want anything that large at that kind of price.
Mom just bought a base AWD model for $21k. It’s a lot of car for the money.
How can you possibly get a Pilot for that money?
And how in hell can it jump up over 90%???
Something seems really wrong data wise.
1.9% APR for 37-60 months on new Pilots
lots of cars get aggressive financing…even lots better than this. O percent offerings have been around forever…you never see 90 percent jumps in sales.
We have an 05 Pilot with 150k on it, it has been great. With 3 kids and friends the third row has been used quite a bit.
21k for an AWD? that seems too good to be true, even if only FWD. if true then congrats on the deal.
The Renegade should sell very well for Jeep, after all, the crappy Patriot and similar Compass sold ok and this one is a lot better.
It would be pretty cool to see Jeep with 4 spots on the top 10.
Agreed.
…because you love seeing American money go overseas?
If it weren’t for FIAT there’d be no Jeep or the thousands of Jeep jobs in the US. So, yeah, I don’t mind a bit
Besides, it’s proving itself capable of the task. It may not be as good as the Wrangler, but then, nothing else is as good as the Wrangler for what it does without heavy modification. A good driver is much less likely to get stuck somewhere with a Renegade vs any similar-sized CUV.
The new Escape just isn’t as capable as the previous model.
We had some heavy snow the last week and a half, and, for various reasons (mostly involving moving), I found myself driving a borrowed V6 4WD version of the previous model (5 years old). It had about 20k miles on good Michelin all season tires. It was pretty flawless, even on unplowed roads – including being able to punch through snow packed across driveways and entrances to side streets without issue. I could do the speed limit down expressways and highways while dodging the other traffic.
I expected to see BMWs turned the wrong way or hanging in the air stuck on snow. I expected Civics and Cruzes to be 30 mph under and weaving between lanes trying desperately to locomote down the road. I’m even used to Equinoxes being completely unroadworthy in this weather. I was not expecting the rather high proportion of vehicles that were crawling along with the Civics and Cruzes and sliding around to be the new Escape.
It lacks clearance, power, and, apparently, roadworthiness in bad weather.
I would have to respectfully disagree, MrGreenMan. I own a ’13 Escape, and with its snow tires on, and driven with respect for conditions, it is very capable.
As for your ability to “do the speed limit”, I’ll leave you with the advise of an old and wise friend given to me when I bought my first 4WD: 4WD may make you go better in the snow. It won’t make you stop better.
This from EMedPA…
MrGreenMan: re. the vehicle you borrowed, what is the owner doing driving around with no-season tires in snow country?
“As for your ability to “do the speed limit”, I’ll leave you with the advise of an old and wise friend given to me when I bought my first 4WD: 4WD may make you go better in the snow. It won’t make you stop better.”
Actually, with a hard-linked 4WD system through a true transfer case, it will help you stop better because it forces both front and rear axles to turn at the same speed, reducing some of the issues caused by wheel speed differentials. I can manually gear down and slow the vehicle much more efficiently than riding the brakes. BUT, it takes a driver who understands the basic physics to use it effectively.
The most important variables for successful driving in snow – in order:
1. Driving Skill
2. Winter/Snow Tires
3. 4WD/AWD
4. 2WD w/ LSD
Last year I got caught out in a dealer-loaner BMW 135 wearing low-profile summer rubber the morning after a snowstorm. It wasn’t fun, but it was possible. Thankfully, I had 1 of the 4 things listed going for me.
“The most important variables for successful driving in snow – in order:
1. Driving Skill
2. Winter/Snow Tires
3. 4WD/AWD
4. 2WD w/ LSD”
Having 1-3 is ideal for winter driving
4WD/AWD is nice, but not all that important. You get the holeshot at traffic lights, but surprisingly little else.
You should add decent ground clearance and a relatively soft (but well damped) suspension to the list.
Ground clearance is important over snow drifts, ruts, and fresh snow.
A soft suspension helps you maintain traction. That’s especially important in corners where you can easily spin if you lose rear grip.
Now that I think of it, I would put a good heater and fresh wipers ahead of your #3 and #4. It’s always scary when you realize that some other drivers can’t clearly see the road.
That’s true, Vulpine, if you’re driving a truck or old-school SUV with a transfer case. Even then, if you slow down too quickly, or are going too quickly in the first place, you will lose traction if you’re going too fast for conditions.
>if you slow down too quickly, or are going too quickly in the first place, you will lose traction if you’re going too fast for conditions.<
When training new drivers, I used to stress, "In the winter, those brakes will get you into as much trouble as they'll get you out of."
Modern ABS works on all wheels far better and when combined w/ modern winter tires provides superior stopping. Because of their weight and top heaviness, 4 or AWD vehicles w/o snows by and large do worse than 2 wheel drive sedans w/ dedicated snows in stopping and handling in ice and snow.
As for traction control, it only works if you have traction, i.e., snow & ice tires. TC often gets people stuck because it brakes the wheels when they spin. I’ve seen people w/ brakes smoking trying w/o success to climb small inclines. When I show them how to turn off TC they can simply power up the incline w/ wheels doing some formerly prohibited spinning.
“That’s true, Vulpine, if you’re driving a truck or old-school SUV with a transfer case. Even then, if you slow down too quickly, or are going too quickly in the first place, you will lose traction if you’re going too fast for conditions.”
That’s where the “understanding physics” comes in as part 1 of 319583076’s list. Depending on road surface conditions, I, too, might run up near the speed limit. But certainly not when i’m around a lot of traffic or see cross winds. I’ve driven on enough snow and ice to know how to drive on it. I’ve only slid off the road once in the last 15 years and that was in a FWD Saturn Vue going less than 30mph when it got hit by cross winds. Even then, I was able to drive it right back up onto the road without any struggle.
>>4WD may make you go better in the snow. It won’t make you stop better.”<<
You are correct. As all those tests in TireRack show. You need dedicated high tech snows in winter.
It's also why you see so many AWD and 4WD vehicles in ditches. Look at the I81 video – it's a largely AWD pileup: http://www.syracuse.com/traffic/index.ssf/2015/02/photos_show_massive_pileup_on_i-81_north_that_shut_down_highway.html
That’s not what I see. I see mostly pick-ups and semis which are notoriously bad in snow
Notice the number of pickup trucks with empty beds. Even if they are 4WD, running light in the tail hurts traction. Others of those vehicles may or may not have been AWD but may have become the victims of bad drivers around them.
Yes, I do agree that AWD/4WD are not a panacea for bad weather conditions, but it only takes one bad driver to set off a situation like that. The highways are full of bad drivers.
As the owner of a 2nd gen Escape I approve of both MrGreenMan and EmedPa’s posts
MrGreenMan, you were just damn lucky. I suppose you will continue doing the speed limit when you have a vehicle with some traction, until you crash, but I hope not. Dodging other traffic while driving too fast for conditions is a common sight, but it makes it more difficult for everyone else to stay safe. When other vehicles are crawling along, slow down. You cannot stop any more quickly than they can if the need arises.
There’s the TTAC curmudgeon vote, Gregg. Thanks. I know you know the conditions I was driving better than me.
I am going to continue to say that the new Escape seems far less roadworthy, and the drivers drive them like they are Honda CR-Vs, but Ford had some sublime functionality back with the previous generation, which could explain some of the lack of love for the new Escape.
just confused as to why you would take and hold this position.
I think the newer design actually has more cargo and it certainly drives like the modern euro feel. it is extremely solid and drives very well. the last gen had wind and road noises to bad you couldn’t here the music.
@Gregg:
There’s a good reason why SUV/CUVs are among the first vehicles in the ditch when it snows! You just said it.
Yeah. The good reason is that they feel like they own the road and try to drive it like it’s dry.
“There’s a good reason why SUV/CUVs are among the first vehicles in the ditch when it snows!”
It’s from trying to not hit the 2WD vehicles who are standing still spinning their 2 wheels
Of this top ten list the crv is the only none American made vehicle. The crv’s at my local Honda dealer all have hencho Mexico on the sticker. Honda corporate offices did not make any clerical errors in this decision.
Honda’s flexible manufacturing allows the CR-V to be built in Ohio, Mexico and Ontario. All are geographically part of the Americas.
Subaru Forester #11, selling every car it can manufacture.
Mazda CX-5 #24, and at that it’s up by 1k over this time last year.
Why is Mazda having such trouble selling a vehicle so beloved of the automotive press, including even Consumer Reports?
That “sell everyone they build” must be the dumbest statement OEM make. Every single car ever made was sold… with enough discount if needed. It isn’t that they can’t sell car and shred them. Even Yugo sold every car they made.
On Mazda: Rust. the same way VW needs to give us a 10 year warranty to make us believe they turned around reliability, the same way Mazda needs to give us a 10 year corrosion no-questions-asked warranty (and not that stupid perforation thing and with disclaimer if a stone ever hot the wheel fender warranty is void..)
“That “sell everyone they build” must be the dumbest statement OEM make. Every single car ever made was sold… with enough discount if needed.”
INDEED.
E.G. Look – get your $53,100 MSRP CTS Sedan 2.0L Luxury Collection for….wait for it…
…$28,710 !!!
http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f15/cts-escalade-help-boost-cadillac-u-s-sales-195266/#post4715346
Go Johan de Zohan! Go Melody CT-Lee!
“That “sell everyone they build” must be the dumbest statement OEM make”
+1
My favorite rant. How many new Azteks are still sitting on dealer lots? They even sold all the Pontiac dealerships
That’s still too much for the four pot.
OK, be that way, but you know what I meant. Some cars have waiting lists. Some cars sit on the lot for months. Subaru has three or four models that get sold in two weeks or less. Here’s the December 2014 list from Cars.com:
December’s Fastest-Selling Cars
2015 Land Rover Range Rover: 6 days
2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport: 6 days
2015 Nissan Murano: 6 days
2015 Subaru Impreza hatchback: 8 days
2015 Subaru Impreza sedan: 8 days
2015 Ford F-150 crew cab: 9 days
2015 Land Rover LR4: 9 days
2015 Porsche Macan: 9 days
2015 Lexus NX 200T: 10 days
2015 Audi Q3: 11 days
2015 Chevrolet Colorado extended cab: 11 days
2015 Hyundai Santa Fe: 12 days
2015 Subaru Outback: 12 days
2015 Subaru WRX: 13 days
2015 Lexus RC 350: 14 days
2015 Toyota Avalon: 14 days
2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque: 15 days
2015 Subaru Legacy: 15 days
2015 Toyota Highlander: 15 days
What does it prove? Maybe only that some companies are better at predicting demand.
As for Mazdas and rust, I don’t know. I’m aware of the Internet hysteria, but I question its power to materially affect sales. There’s a lot of hysteria about Subarus (head gaskets, oil consumption) too. I had two Mazda MPVs, a 1990 (totalled in 2008) and a 2002 (stolen in 2014), and neither had unusual rust issues despite spending their lives in salty eastern PA.
” Mazdas and rust” Rust is not a concern where I live in the desert and Mazda products are good sellers.
Problem is, there is only ONE Mazda dealer within reasonable driving distance, like 75 miles.
So most people tend to buy from what is available locally. And that would be Ford/Lincoln, GM, Toyota, Honda, and Fiatsler.
Dealership experience is also an with Mazda. My local Mazda dealers are old and dingy looking . Honda and Toyota dealers are mostly all very new and that may help out with sales. The crv and rav4 are no better then a cx5 and they sell circles around Mazda.
Issue with Mazda
Agreed on the dealers. Volume Mazda dealers are rare which leaves consumers at smaller dealers with limited inventory. Meanwhile, there’s a full Honda/Toyota/Chevy/Ford/Etc dealer across the street with a wide selection of equipped vehicles.
there is some point to your list. but Subaru is a niche manufacturer with relatively small numbers. Just sell 200 more cars and your inventory is depleted… a manufacturer that builds a model in various locations in NA, having such short supply is unusual since the can build them much faster.
Too little supply isn’t good either since they could sell more if they made more.
On rust, I agree most buyers don’t know the internet. I had a 2005 Mazda 3, and I doubt this car still exists based on the amount of rust when I sold it few years ago. I’m sure nowadays they make better ones… but why should I take a chance? Especially since their warranty is worthless.
another Mazda problem is the lack of good dealerships in many areas. (this also is a VW problem). they also may be supply-constraint, which increases transaction prices.
rdclark,
As always with these “days on lot” numbers, you see a bunch of new models and custom-order models (which includes fleet, of course). That doesn’t tell you much, other than the fact that people who buy new Range Rovers rarely settle for the dealer demo.
The fact that Subaru has some older models on this list is worrying. Does the average dealer only have a week’s supply of cars on hand? What happens if there’s a supply interruption? What will they sell if a big snow storm delays their weekly allocation?
Actually in certain cases it holds true.
Mazda does not have the build capacity of Nissan, much less Toyota or even what Subie can supply for the NA market.
The CX-5 is very popular in Europe, Australia and other markets – so there is a limit to which US dealers can get.
It is amazing to me that the 5 year old Equinox has seen almost nothing in upgrades in the FIVE YEARS they have been sold but is actually selling nearly 20K units a month. It is shocking that the number is HIGHER than last year.
My wife and I had a 2010 ‘nox until last spring (traded for Mercedes GLK). It was a pretty damn good vehicle. It was exceptional for something built in 2010. We’ve had only one minor issue that was covered under warranty. But even then, a five year old design usually sees declining sales, not increasing…
Well done Chevy. Y’all have big shoes do fill with the update…
You traded a perfectly good car after only 4 years of driving it? Good grief! Why? I have almost never owned any new car I bought for less than six years and kept many of them for at least eight. My current Jeep Wrangler was bought new in the fall of ’07 and was one of the first ’08 models in the area. I expect to keep it at least another two to three years and will probably trade it for a Renegade as I simply have no interest in trail riding any more but still need a good snow-going vehicle. The Renegade seems to me to be a decent replacement based on what I’ve been able to discover so far.
Before that I had an ’02 Saturn Vue, which I kept until ’12 and before that a ’96 Camaro I kept until ’04. All of those I sold had a minimum of 100,000 miles on them when sold.
depends on the car my tdi wagon has over 100,000 in about three years so sometimes it makes sense to trade them while they are still worth something, I am more surprised He went from a Nox to a MB
Maybe his wife wanted it. Maybe he’s a very smart man.
It still amazes me on the one hand that the Jeep Wrangler sells so well, but on the other I’m not so surprised. With the FJ Cruiser going away, the Wrangler is in a class all by itself. Still, the way most people use their SUVs/CUVs/pickups, there really are better choices than the Wrangler out there. The number of hard-core off-roaders is vanishingly small, really the only ones who get to enjoy the Wrangler’s full capabilities.
Wrangler is not entirely by itself as long as Xterra hangs on.
Lol, it’s funny every time someone mentions the Xterra I think, “Oh yeah, the Xterra’s still around”, talk about a vehicle that’s long in the tooth
Basically why Jeep and Subaru have been on such a roll (as well as LR at the higher end).
1. It can take its top off
2. Women love them
3. 85% residual value don’t hurt
4. It’s a simple and reliable vehicle
And it’s subjective of course, but that Sahara that’s pictured is about the finest damn thing I’ve seen pictured here in awhile.