Photo: Catalin Garmacea
More than a decade ago, the United States showed us that the popularity of the SUV is to be reckoned with. Fast-forward to calendar year 2015 and Europe caught up to the U.S. in terms of appreciation for these gentle four-wheeled giants. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s official - for the first time ever, SUV and crossover registrations are ahead of the traditional vehicle segments in Europe.
Due to Europe’s fairly recent love affair with these types of vehicles, European car registrations went up by 9.3 percent in calendar year 2015. From a market share of 19.8 percent in 2014, SUV and crossover sales boomed to a whopping 22.5 percent of the overall market.
The subcompact segment is now the second best, with a 22 percent share of new car sales in Europe. On the third place, we find the compact passenger vehicle segment, holding a strong 20.6 percent market share on the Old Continent.
In the small SUV segment, the Renault Captur crossover is the most sought-after model of them all. The Nissan Qashqai is the leading act of the compact crossover segment. As for the mid-size segment, the Volvo XC60 is ahead of the game. Last but not least, the BMW X5 is the best-selling large SUV on the continent.
On the downside of Europe’s ever-growing love for SUVs and crossovers, some vehicle segments have underperformed while others simply disappointed in 2015. The subcompact (B) and compact (C) segments could have done better, but the biggest losers of last year are MPVs, large sedans, and luxury sedans.
“Both economic and social factors such as the lower fuel prices and the growing appeal of SUVs’ benefits had a big influence on this sales boom,” explained Felipe Munoz, Global Automotive Analyst at JATO Dynamics.
If gas prices get lower than they already are, then it's a given there's no turning back.
The subcompact segment is now the second best, with a 22 percent share of new car sales in Europe. On the third place, we find the compact passenger vehicle segment, holding a strong 20.6 percent market share on the Old Continent.
In the small SUV segment, the Renault Captur crossover is the most sought-after model of them all. The Nissan Qashqai is the leading act of the compact crossover segment. As for the mid-size segment, the Volvo XC60 is ahead of the game. Last but not least, the BMW X5 is the best-selling large SUV on the continent.
On the downside of Europe’s ever-growing love for SUVs and crossovers, some vehicle segments have underperformed while others simply disappointed in 2015. The subcompact (B) and compact (C) segments could have done better, but the biggest losers of last year are MPVs, large sedans, and luxury sedans.
“Both economic and social factors such as the lower fuel prices and the growing appeal of SUVs’ benefits had a big influence on this sales boom,” explained Felipe Munoz, Global Automotive Analyst at JATO Dynamics.
If gas prices get lower than they already are, then it's a given there's no turning back.
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