After 35 consecutive months of year-over-year sales improvements, including an all-time monthly record of 90,545 reported sales in May 2016, Jeep’s streak came to an end in September 2016. Last month, U.S. Jeep volume slid 3 percent because of declines across much of the brand’s lineup.
Yet Jeep continues to sell more SUVs and crossovers than any other automotive brand in America, topping second-ranked Ford by 118,328 sales through the first three-quarters of 2016.
Together, Jeep, Ford, Toyota, Chevrolet, and Honda — the five highest-volume purveyors of SUVs/crossovers in the United States — own 52 percent of America’s utility vehicle market. That leaves less than half the available utility vehicle sales for more than 25 brands to divvy up.
|
Rank
|
SUV/Crossover Brand
|
9 Months
2016
|
9 Months
2015 |
%
Change
|
| #1 | Jeep | 707,106 | 633,646 | 11.6% |
| #2 | Ford | 588,778 | 564,437 | 4.3% |
| #3 | Toyota | 483,000 | 446,021 | 8.3% |
| #4 | Chevrolet | 423,286 | 450,554 | -6.1% |
| #5 | Honda | 412,762 | 387,704 | 6.5% |
| #6 | Nissan | 385,847 | 362,377 | 6.5% |
| #7 | Subaru | 325,888 | 304,725 | 6.9% |
| #8 | GMC | 185,890 | 209,768 | -11.4% |
| #9 | Hyundai | 163,631 | 129,476 | 26.4% |
| #10 | Kia | 149,112 | 124,769 | 19.5% |
U.S. sales of SUVs and crossovers grew 7 percent in the first nine months of 2016, an improvement of approximately 340,000 sales for an overall industry that’s barely moved the needle forward, adding only 60,000 sales so far this year. Compared with 2015, SUV/crossover market share has grown from 36.2 percent to 38.6 percent. Subtract the increasingly vast utility vehicles from the industry and the U.S. light vehicle market would be off last year’s pace by 3 percent.
At the forefront of these massive improvements is Jeep, one of only two brands operating in America that sells SUVs/crossovers, and nothing else. Jeep sales jumped 12 percent through the first three-quarters of 2016, a hugely successful follow-up to last year’s all-time annual record and nearly twice the rate of growth achieved by the utility vehicle market overall.
Among brands that sell utility vehicles, only Chevrolet, GMC, Acura, Cadillac, and Mini have seen their SUV/crossover volume decline in 2016. Hyundai, Infiniti, and Volvo have experienced the greatest percentage growth (excluding Jaguar, Maserati, and Bentley, none of which had an SUV to a year ago.)
Yet while Hyundai, Infiniti, and Volvo have posted 26 percent, 30 percent, and 63 percent gains, respectively, in 2016, the trio has combined for “only” 62,507 additional sales.
On its own, Jeep volume is up by a fairly astonishing 73,460 units this year despite declines reported by the Cherokee and Wrangler, Jeep’s highest-volume and third-highest volume model.
Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.
That GC looks ridiculous in that dignified setting. It’s more at home near chain link fence and warehouse/liquor store accouterments.
One in every crowd.
Sorry, Corey. The GC is currently Jeep’s high-end model and is very commonly seen in environments such as that shown in the photo.
I agree, the maid usually comes by at least once a week.
You are out of your head
If the maid can afford that loaded GC to commute, I think a lot of us are in the wrong business. Think of what else similar money will buy. Not a Lambo (not one worth having) but a damn nice F-150 SuperCrew. Maybe an older manual shift G35 too, I can put Nissan Skyline badges and lights on it lol.
I can start Monday at whoever’s house that will pay me new Grand Cherokee money. It is not beneath me to mop and do dishes, haha.
That amount of money can buy a house in some places of the country, and not just in the Detroit area.
I just don’t like the GC for the following reasons:
Looks goofy now (didn’t use to)
Iffy quality (electrics, trim)
Depreciates very quickly to BHPH status
Too cramped inside for exterior dimensions
Interior quality isn’t great except on the top models, which are quite costly
Seriously, Corey? You’ll find more JGCs at the country club than you will Rovers
I should hope so, they cost half as much. There are also more S-Classes than Bentleys.
Nonsense.
Even in Quebec — where the US brands are largely shunned — I regularly see these things in Montreal’s affluent neighbourhoods.
“It’s more at home near chain link fence and warehouse/liquor store accouterments.”
You’ll say anything. I love that.
I agree, the GC has grown the obese, prosthetized look of other aged platforms I remember like K-cars. Sort of a more gradual and subtler instance of slapping that snout on a Superbird.
And around here, anything but a spankin’ new one is sure to be driven by the serially pregnant.
Oh yes, the Super-K Imperial was just a hodgepodge of parts right on the showroom floor. So far out of the [correct] comfort zone of the Aries era.
http://onegrandcars.com/wp-content/uploads/images/1990_Chrysler_Imperial_592.jpg
Just shocking.
The color is swell, though, and they definitely had cush goin’ on :-)
That color was available on the M-body Fifth Avenue as well! Which, while “lesser” in model name and cost, was a far superior car.
You’re trying to say that the photo is somehow a “dignified” setting? The grass that isn’t even close to the edge of the pavement and is growing weeds? Or how about the white line on the pavement that hasn’t been painted in quite some time?
My jokes aren’t for you, feel free to skip em!
“I just don’t like the GC for the following reasons:
Looks goofy now (didn’t use to)
Iffy quality (electrics, trim)
Depreciates very quickly to BHPH status
Too cramped inside for exterior dimensions
Interior quality isn’t great except on the top models, which are quite costly”
Clearly you have no clue what you are talking about.
1. Looks-subjective, but clearly enough people like it to plunk down a ton of money for them Frankly it is one of the best looking vehicles on the road today. Has been since the 2011 introduction.
2. Nothing substantial to back that up. My electronics have been absolutely flawless in 30K miles. uConnect is by far the best infotainment system on the market.
3. Most luxury vehicles do depreciate quicker. So what?
4. Not cramped at all. Very roomy and tons of room to haul everything I need when I travel to my summer place 260 miles from where I live.
5. Most of the interior is shared between the lower end models and the top Overland/Summit trims. Extremely solid interior and the quality is definitely above average.
The JGC can hang with the big boys in the segment (SUVs like that Tahoe LTZ and Yukon Denali as well as luxury models from BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus).
You just don’t like it because it is made by Chrysler and not only are they fantastic vehicles, but also have one of the best powertrains available on the market (HEMI/ZF 8-Speed). Couple that with actual off road credibility and you have a vehicle that is virtually unmatched in it’s segment. It’s no wonder they sell loads of them.
Electrical glitches have been numerous and well documented. Pentastar head casting issues affect ’11-’14 models. If you were privileged enough to buy one with an air suspension, good luck.
They are indeed fairly cramped for what they’re supposed to be, with interior passenger/cargo dimensions closer to a compact CUV (CRV, Rogue) than a midsize SUV. I was surprised at how compact the interior was when I poked around a new ’16 at a dealership a few months ago.
Having said all that, I think it’s a fantastic package in terms of how well they drive on road while retaining a fair amount of off road chops. The looks/interior look and feel in upper trims, the powertrain and drivetrain (aside from reliability concerns) legitimately competes with much more expensive snobby European brands.
I think Corey is more-so referring to where these things end up as they depreciate and age and are passed down to their second and third owner. I will agree with others that a new Limited/Overland is nothing to sneeze at, and I typically see them driven by the rather not-poor folks, parked at nice restaurants, etc. The GC is like the Tahoe/Yukon in that it can rub shoulders in pretty rarefied company but not be awfully snobby either owing to the brand.
I thought Pentastar casting issues were first-year only. Danio will know for sure, let’s hope he checks-in.
The packaging issues are common to every “RWD-based” SUV. The transmission and transfer case take-up a lot of passenger room up front, and the rear diff/suspension raise-up the floor in the rear.
Question: has any brand ever managed to build a reliable air suspension? Failing that, how about one that’s cheap to fix?
The systems on Town cars and some other brands that are rear-leveling only are sometimes not so bad. Town cars have dirt cheap parts for one, and the systems on the solid rear axle setups generally just have a single height sensor with simple wiring. I fixed my old MPV’s rear air system fairly cheaply with Monroe air shocks, fixing a seal on the compressor, and installing the factory non-assisted steel springs to take on more of the load (Monroe shocks are not rated to bear the full brunt and high pressure like the OE setup). That whole rebuild was about $400 or so including $300 for the pair of OEM springs. Land Rovers and such, that ‘s when you get into the pricey (but high quality and lifetime guaranteed) Arnott replacement air springs. Likewise the compressors are pricey and located in a very vulnerable spot (accidentally using it a jacking point is what kills them oftentimes). These 4 wheel independent systems have more hoses (thus more places to leak) and a much more complex control system with more sensors and wiring, thus more places to fail as well.
RE: pentastar, Chrysler extended the 150k(?) warranty out to all 2014 FCA vehicles with the Pentastar because many folks were experiencing the misfire symptoms well into ’13 and beyond vehicles.
My experience with air springs is that they will fail, and it will cost more to fix than the car is worth (if you can even get parts, which was an issue with a friend’s Lincoln).
You can either swap back to a steel suspension, which leaves you with a less capable car (assuming the suspension is one of the reasons you like the car in the first place), or you can try an aftermarket kit, which won’t be cheap either.
Either way, it’s a huge expense that’s unavoidable, and that will probably leave you with a diminished car.
Air suspensions make a little bit of sense for pickups. They provide a decent ride both empty and loaded, and pickups are popular enough that the aftermarket will provide solutions by the time you need one.
I don’t think they make sense in cars and SUVs.
“They provide a decent ride both empty and loaded, and pickups are popular enough that the aftermarket will provide solutions by the time you need one.
I don’t think they make sense in cars and SUVs.”
I think they make sense in cars/SUVs for the exact reason you just listed for trucks. Having my coil-sprung MPV sitting level with 7 people onboard or 5+ camping gear/beer for a week+ a canoe was very nice. I installed a manually-adjusted setup with air shocks on my 4Runner’s rear end, likewise useful for hauling heavy landscaping loads or when moving or trailer hauling, without subjecting myself to a buckboard ride when empty. My 4Runner’s payload is 1300ish lb, similar to many configurations of a Ram halfton.
gtemnykh,
So that’s an aftermarket setup? I’ve seen similar on minivans.
That’s a different economic proposal. You’ve presumably kept the original parts to swap back in when the system fails, and there’s no compressor, ride height sensor or controller to complicate things. There’s no expectation that they will last the life of the car either.
Heavy the MPV has the optional towing package. And this is the first gen MPV that is RWD-based with a reinforced unibody. Uses the solid rear axle from a B-series truck. We used aftermarket Monroe shocks as an affordable alternative to the $1k a pop OEM units. It’s auto-leveling, with a simple level sensor on the rear axle, and a compressor under the hood.
The 4Runner setup is entirely aftermarket, my brother ran lines from the shocks to a t- fitting, and a line out to a regular inflation valve that’s mounted discretely to the rear bumper. I keep a compact bike pump in the truck, only takes about 30 seconds to get the system from 30PSI where I like to run it normally, to about 45-50 PSI when carrying a load. I carry an onboard air compressor for tire inflation purposes, but that is wholly unnecessary for this small quantity of air.
I’m glad gtem got to this before I did. Saved me much typing!
Right. Because if another person says it, it must be true.
You’re both completely wrong. It’s that simple.
And for the record, while I do have the amazing QuadraLift suspension system, it is not an “air” suspension.
No, because I agree with what he said. This will be the last time I reply to anything you say, ever. Good day!
Good. You shouldn’t have to reply and contradict the truth.
That’s the Summit model. Starts at over $50K. A Laredo starts at about $30K. I think the Laredo would be the model that is more likely parked next to that chainlink fence.
“On its own, Jeep volume is up by a fairly astonishing 73,460 units this year despite declines reported by the Cherokee and Wrangler, Jeep’s highest-volume and third-highest volume model.”
So which models are up? The GC? And what else?
If I had to guess, everything else. I find it shocking that people still buy the Patriot/Compass, but they do, in droves. Then the little Renegade carries the rest of the increase.
Ironically enough, the only reason I haven’t bought a Patriot is that it isn’t Japanese or Korean. I’m of the age group that finds trusting Detroit with anything but pickups (and then only GM/Ford) is impossible.
Square is so rare!
While at the FCA dealership today, I watched no fewer than two big F-150s getting traded in for Rams. (Couldn’t watch every customer because I was buying a Renegade to replace my JKU.)
FCA’s sales reporting is a fairytale so Sergio can cash out
formula m, that’s old news and it’s been corrected. Every other group is guilty of the same tricks, why pick on the one that’s cleaned-up their act?
Well, I just added one to the Jeep chart. New Renegade 75th anniversary edition.
Will take a bit to get used to the feel of a smaller rig than the old JKU but at the same time, it’s notably more comfortable.