Small SUV Sales, Midsize SUV Sales, Large SUV Sales In Canada - March 2012

March 2012 Large SUV Sales Chart
Click Any Chart For A Larger View

Three of GM's four jumbo mainstream sport-utility vehicles ended March 2012 as the three best-selling large SUVs in Canada. Sales of all four vehicles - Chevy's Tahoe and Suburban; GMC's Yukon and Yukon XL - were significantly better in March than they were one year earlier. In fact, throughout the first quarter the only jumbo non-luxury SUV in Canada not capable of matching last year's sales volume was the Ford Expedition, sales of which tumbled 33% (or 142 units) in Q1 of 2012.

Nevertheless, any attention paid to this category of vehicles is attention paid to a very, very small corner of the new vehicle market. The six vehicles in the table at the bottom of this post and in the accompanying chart accounted for just 0.4% of all new vehicle sales in March. 

March 2012 Midsize SUV Sales Chart

The group's best seller, Chevrolet's Tahoe, accounted for barely more than one-tenth of one percent of all Canadian auto registrations.

Generally speaking, when Canadians decide they want a new SUV or crossover, they think small. And not just smaller than the Tahoe - General Motors only sold 811 Lambda crossovers in March - but small like an Equinox or Mitsubishi RVR or even a Nissan Juke. 

The 25 vehicles in the first table below, a table which includes some larger vehicles like the Equinox and Kia Sorento and some smaller players like the Juke and Mini Countryman, were collectively responsible for 19% of all new vehicle sales in Canada last month. 

March 2012 Small SUV Sales Chart

Approximately one out of every five vehicles which left a new car store in Canada in March was a small SUV or crossover. And yet, sales of the Equinox, Journey, Escape, Terrain, Santa Fe, Tucson, Compass, Patriot, Sorento, CX-7, Outlander, RVR, Forester, Grand Vitara, and RAV4 were down. And in some cases, down quite harshly. The Canadian new vehicle market was up 2.8% year-over-year, yet sales of the Dodge Journey slid 29%, the Kia Sorento fell 19%, the Subaru Forester dropped 24%, and the Toyota RAV4 plunged 36%. 

Naturally, filling in the gaps were vehicles like the new and best-selling Honda CR-V, sales of which increased by 791 units. March was the CR-V's sixth consecutive month of year-over-year increases. Specific monthly and yearly sales data for the CR-V and every single new vehicle on sale in North America can be accessed through the dropdown menu at the top right of this page. After the jump you'll find March 2012 and first-quarter Canadian sales data on dozens of sport-utes and crossovers.

Small SUV	March 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Chevrolet Equinox	2044	- 15.7%	4782	- 4.8%
Dodge Journey	2486	- 28.7%	6465	- 15.1%
Ford Escape	3710	- 4.6%	8282	- 14.2%
GMC Terrain	1120	- 7.2%	2669	+ 4.7%
Honda CR-V	4104	+ 23.9%	8870	+ 33.2%
Honda Element	1	- 96.7%	3	- 96.6%
Hyundai Santa Fe	1862	- 13.2%	4808	- 0.5%
Hyundai Tucson	1115	- 8.9%	3050	- 6.4%
Jeep Compass	548	- 6.2%	1386	+ 12.9%
Jeep Patriot	671	- 12.3%	1922	- 0.7%
Jeep Wrangler	1803	+ 40.6%	3663	+ 56.2%
Kia Sorento	1140	- 19.4%	3034	- 7.8%
Kia Sportage	689	+ 20.0%	1588	+ 30.1%
Mazda CX-5	1649	-----	1809	-----
Mazda CX-7	417	- 23.6%	1250	- 8.8%
Mazda Tribute	157	- 44.1%	443	- 32.2%
Mini Countryman	104	+ 16.9%	254	+ 24.5%
Mitsubishi Outlander	394	- 23.0%	1267	- 17.3%
Mitsubishi RVR	692	- 5.6%	1756	- 6.6%
Nissan Juke	440	+ 25.7%	878	- 10.5%
Nissan Rogue	2227	+ 61.0%	4489	+ 46.7%
Subaru Forester	611	- 24.3%	1438	- 25.8%
Suzuki Grand Vitara	182	- 27.2%	462	- 16.5%
Toyota RAV4	1857	- 36.0%	4771	- 12.5%
Volkswagen Tiguan	605	+ 8.2%	1312	+ 8.0%

Midsize SUV	March 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Buick Enclave	232	- 23.2%	582	- 7.8%
Chevrolet Traverse	250	- 51.3%	662	- 43.7%
Dodge Durango	193	+ 13.5%	852	+ 198%
Dodge Nitro	9	- 70.0%	45	- 60.9%
Ford Edge	1549	+ 8.5%	3114	+ 3.0%
Ford Explorer	741	- 21.0%	1802	+ 5.0%
Ford Flex	218	+ 6.9%	508	- 1.7%
GMC Acadia	329	- 34.5%	840	- 17.4%
Honda Pilot	423	+ 27.4%	1008	+ 25.7%
Hyundai Veracruz	162	+ 82.0%	459	+ 88.1%
Jeep Grand Cherokee	784	+ 0.6%	2404	+ 12.8%
Jeep Liberty	244	+ 110%	392	+ 8.0%
Mazda CX-9	199	+ 290%	342	+ 12.1%
Mitsubishi Endeavor	36	+ 33.3%	85	+ 28.8%
Nissan Murano	513	- 8.7%	1396	+ 21.2%
Nissan Pathfinder	155	- 44.6%	690	+ 3.4%
Nissan Xterra	118	- 21.3%	267	- 17.8%
Subaru Tribeca	28	- 17.6%	88	- 12.9%
Toyota 4Runner	292	+ 2.1%	704	+ 4.3%
Toyota FJ Cruiser	115	+ 74.2%	200	+ 13.6%
Toyota Highlander	528	- 8.3%	1323	- 2.9%

Large SUV	March 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Chevrolet Suburban	100	+ 8.7%	244	+ 37.1%
Chevrolet Tahoe	163	+ 14.0%	387	+ 39.7%
Ford Expedition	98	- 42.0%	283	- 33.4%
GMC Yukon	118	+ 37.2%	332	+ 42.5%
GMC Yukon XL	98	+ 34.2%	211	+ 15.3%
Nissan Armada	75	+ 11.9%	177	+ 6.0%
Toyota Sequoia	56	- 26.3%	228	+ 9.1%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC

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