Small SUV Sales, Midsize SUV Sales, Large SUV Sales In Canada - October 2011

It's difficult to figure out what Ford will do, and be able to accomplish, with the 2013 Ford Escape. If it's priced like the nicer, improved vehicle that it is, surely Ford won't be able to maintain the volumes put up by the current, outdated, value-oriented Ford Escape. 

Ford sold 3313 Escapes in Canada in October 2011, up 2% from last year. So far this year Escape sales are up 5%. The cost of developing the current Escape has long since been recovered and, despite the low price at which Ford sells Escapes, the company's smallest SUV must still be a tremendous source of income. If Ford increases the price of the upcoming Escape, one would assume sales would decline, thus lessening Ford's revenue just as the company wants to pay off the development of the new vehicle. But can Ford afford to to keep the price low on a vehicle filled with new technology, technology which must cost a pretty penny? This is a worry for another day, a worry for Ford executives, not Ford Escape buyers. There's an image comparison of the handsome new Escape and the old SUV-shaped Escape here.

Among the Escape's competitors, harsh declines were reported by the Mitsubishi Outlander, which fell 45% as the RVR steals sales. The Suzuki Grand Vitara and poorly-stocked Hyundai Santa Fe were also down hard. Honda CR-V sales shot up 83%. Subaru Canada had its best ever month with the Forester as sales rose 51%, driving the Forester onto Canada's best-selling SUVs list. The increases posted by the RVR and Nissan Juke mean little - both are successful, yes, but they were new to the market at this time last year.

Details on all small and smallerish SUVs and crossovers are in the table below. Market share numbers for the most popular among them can be seen in the chart above. Midsize and large SUV sales figures can be viewed after the jump.

Small SUV	October 2011	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Chevrolet Equinox	1589	+ 16%	19,252	+ 25%
Dodge Journey	1973	- 21%	25,259	+ 28%
Ford Escape	3313	+ 2%	38,635	+ 5%
GMC Terrain	829	+ 7%	10,119	+ 24%
Honda CR-V	2679	+ 83%	20,760	- 6%
Honda Element	5	- 71%	175	- 48%
Hyundai Santa Fe	1944	- 34%	21,960	- 10%
Hyundai Tucson	962	+ 21%	12,513	+ 14%
Jeep Compass	545	+ 60%	5745	+ 41%
Jeep Patriot	757	- 14%	7235	- 20%
Jeep Wrangler	949	+ 64%	14,002	+ 42%
Kia Sorento	1216	+ 4%	12,912	+ 62%
Kia Sportage	785	+ 79%	6789	+ 124%
Mazda CX-7	764	+ 115%	5162	+ 41%
Mazda Tribute	370	- 32%	3230	- 35%
Mini Countryman	138	-----	1283	-----
Mitsubishi Outlander	478	- 45%	4489	- 33%
Mitsubishi RVR	524	+ 173%	5981	+ 2818%
Nissan Juke	461	+ 455%	3614	+ 4254%
Nissan Rogue	1068	+ 3%	11,628	+ 1%
Subaru Forester	1039	+ 51%	7263	+ 2%
Suzuki Grand Vitara	124	- 36%	1488	- 37%
Toyota RAV4	1936	- 8%	17,326	- 14%
Volkswagen Tiguan	421	+ 3%	4511	- 8%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC 
Red font indicate a year-over-year decline in sales

CLICK ANY CHART FOR LARGER VIEW

The Ford Edge suffered a 17% loss in October but still managed to top its rivals, the inexpensive Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento excepted (and listed above). Edge sales are down 6% this year. The newer, fresher Explorer likely isn't a help to the Edge, although it's certainly a help to Ford Motor Company. Explorer sales jumped 368% in October 2011.

The Explorer's old arch rival, Jeep's Grand Cherokee, slid 23% in October but still finished the month 220 sales ahead of the Explorer. Through ten months the Jeep Grand Cherokee leads the Ford Explorer by 341 sales. GM's Lambda platform trio - Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia - have collected 12,200 sales, fewer than the Ford Edge but more than the Explorer and more than the Jeep Grand Cherokee/Dodge Durango duo. Sales figures on all midsize SUVs are in the table below. Keep scrolling for the jumbo sport-utility vehicle report.

Midsize SUV	October 2011	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Buick Enclave	282	+ 14%	3146	- 8%
Chevrolet Traverse	341	- 23%	4524	- 14%
Dodge Durango	214	-----	2082	+ 104,000%
Dodge Nitro	16	- 64%	448	- 54%
Ford Edge	1128	- 17%	13,450	- 6%
Ford Explorer	796	+ 368%	8019	+ 122%
Ford Flex	125	- 48%	2483	- 41%
GMC Acadia	301	- 20%	4530	+ 9%
Honda Pilot	372	- 4%	3647	- 13%
Hyundai Veracruz	160	+ 74%	1236	+ 12%
Jeep Grand Cherokee	1016	- 23%	8360	+ 59%
Jeep Liberty	296	+ 91%	1806	- 34%
Mazda CX-9	127	+ 23%	1067	0%
Mitsubishi Endeavor	81	+ 153%	325	+ 1%
Nissan Murano	263	- 30%	3981	+ 33%
Nissan Pathfinder	92	- 8%	1628	+ 43%
Nissan Xterra	49	- 36%	1100	+ 23%
Subaru Tribeca	50	+ 67%	389	- 13%
Toyota 4Runner	205	- 20%	2129	- 9%
Toyota FJ Cruiser	49	- 28%	524	- 26%
Toyota Highlander	402	+ 79%	4397	+ 38%

Five of seven jumbo SUVs available to Canadians posted increased sales in October. This means pretty much nothing. Large SUV volume is ultra-low in Canada, particularly when you consider how many Chevrolet Suburbans were sold in America in 2002. Holy cow.

Suburban sales were up 76% in October but are down 20% this year. The segment-leading Ford Expedition is up 11% this year. Leading? The Expedition isn't, not really. GM's four Expedition rivals have combined to sell 2.6 times for every single Expedition sale. And that six-tenths of a Tahoe (or Yukon, Suburban, Yukon XL, whatever) isn't such a bad deal. 60% of a jumbo SUV is still a whole lot of vehicle.

Large SUV	October 2011	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Chevrolet Suburban	153	+ 76%	1050	- 20%
Chevrolet Tahoe	75	- 11%	941	- 27%
Ford Expedition	123	+ 1%	1425	+ 11%
GMC Yukon	88	+ 10%	874	- 47%
GMC Yukon XL	140	+ 126%	861	+ 23%
Nissan Armada	49	+ 40%	514	+ 56%
Toyota Sequoia	57	- 32%	583	- 20%

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