In news of a “hadn’t this already happened” vein, sales of SUVs and crossovers have overtaken those of conventional saloons in the key US market for the first time ever.
According to auto industry watchers IHS Automotive, SUVs, 4x4s and crossovers accounted for 36.5 per cent of registrations in the US in first five months of 2014. By contrast, four door saloons took 35.4 per cent.
It’s not just saloons that are suffering, either, says IHS. Estates, hatchbacks, coupes and convertibles are all falling by the wayside. “In fact, hatchbacks and pickups have lost more share in the past year than any other category, declining one half a percentage point each in the past year based on new vehicle registrations . . .” said IHS analyst Tom Libby.
