Over the first three months of 2016 a remarkable 20.44 million new cars hit the roads around the world and as is increasingly the case, whether consumers are in China, Europe or the US, they are most likely snapping up a crossover or SUV. Despite fears that the market may be cooling, 558,700 more light commercial vehicles and passenger cars have been sold this year, as compared to the same period in 2015, according to the latest consolidated data from Jato Dynamics.
China, US, Japan, UK and Germany account for 13.3 million vehicle sales alone.
As for the brands we're most hankering for, Toyota is the best selling marque with Volkswagen in second and Ford overtaking Nissan to claim third place, thanks to a 7% jump in sales.
However, the biggest climber is Mercedes-Benz, a 14% surge in demand saw the premium marque move into 10th place, just behind Kia. Overall, the demand for premium automobiles shows no sign of slowing. Luxury marques accounted for 10.8% of global car sales in the first quarter of 2015, and a year later, represent 11.4% of the market.
According to Jato's figures, of the 2.15 million premium cars sold over 2016, almost 40% fall into the SUV class.
But regardless of the brand, we're most likely to be buying a crossover or SUV. In the first quarter of the year, SUVs accounted for 36% of vehicle sales in China and accounted for 1.1 million new vehicles on the road in Europe. Felipe Munoz, Global Automotive Analyst at JATO, said: "Q1 2016 saw dramatic changes as the SUV category increased its market dominance. The whole world wants an SUV, and this shift is evident in the brand ranking, as those that focused on this segment, were the brands that posted the largest gains."
More than a quarter (27%) of new cars sold in the first quarter of 2016 are SUVs and this demand has pushed five high-sided vehicles into the global top 10 – the Nissan X-Trail, Honda HR-V, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and the Ford Escape.
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