SUVs dominate US car sales
The latest monthly sales figures from major car manufacturers show that June was yet another record month for new car sales and that in the US at least, customers just can't get enough of crossovers.
In fact, the only major marque that seems to be breaking with the trend is Infiniti. Its latest figures, which cover the first six months of the year, rather than just June, are record-breaking -- 103,500 cars, globally and 70,700 in the US, Canada, Mexico and Latin America.
And in all markets, its Q50 sports sedan is proving the most popular car.
However, overall it would appear the trend is for crossovers and SUVs is showing no signs of dissipating.
BMW recorded a record June in the US for its BMW and Mini models -- 38,350 vehicles -- and saw sales of its full-size X5 SUV jump by 89%.
"It's clear the U.S. is more in love with light trucks than ever before and the hardest part is supplying the demand," said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America. "At the same time, I am delighted to see Mini gaining more traction as model availability continues to increase."
Like BMW, Mercedes is also seeing huge demand for its executive SUVs. In the US, its M-Class off roader, which in August will be replaced by an entirely new model, the GLE, was still the company's third most popular model, selling 3,541 examples.
Honda's bumper sales were also driven by crossovers and SUVs -- it sold a combined 57,667 over the course of June, without factoring in figures for its luxury Acura marque.
"With the introduction of the 2016 Pilot late last month, our SUV lineup is the strongest it has ever been, and it was already in very good shape," said Jeff Conrad, Honda Division senior vice president and general manager. "The next several months will be exciting as we begin to renew and expand our car lineup."
Even Porsche, which is first and foremost a supercar and sportscar company, is finding that in the US, the Cayenne and Macan SUVs are leading the charge. In June it sold 1065 Macans and 1312 Cayennes, equating to more than 50% of the company's total vehicle sales for the month.
Away from SUVs, Tesla also set a new record. The company, which currently only sells one car, the plug-in electric Model S sedan found 11507 buyers over the past three months, the biggest number in the company's history and one that suggests it's on track to hit its target of 55,000 cars for 2015.
Unfortunately, Tesla doesn't break down its figures by region so it's not clear how popular the premium electric car is proving beyond the US. However, for some perspective, BMW sold 551 examples of its equally premium i3 electric car in the US in June and 137 examples of its hybrid electric i8 supercar.
The numbers also show that Tesla's new Model X electric SUV, due for launch in September, could not be coming to market at a better time.
