So far in 2012, we’ve witnessed a 22% rise in sales within the subcompact and minicar categories. Several models were redesigned in the last year, and consumers seem to be digging them.
The Chevrolet Sonic is off to a good start, outselling the outgoing Aveo by 54%. The new Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio are also doing well, outscoring the previous-generation model’s performance from last year. Even the Toyota Yaris with its freshly facelifted hatchback is doing better with a 35% increase, while Honda is moving out more units of the Fit.
Fairly new, the Fiat 500 is at last gaining some momentum. Hell, even the Scion iQ minicar isn’t doing too bad, given the car’s size and versatility.
But the Koreans are still way ahead of the pack; the Hyundai Accent outsells the third-place Kia Rio by almost two to one. The Nissan Versa, with an 11% hike in sales, rounds out the podium in second spot.
Who’s losing ground? The Ford Fiesta and the Mazda2, although still selling well, boast lower sales numbers this year, while the smart fortwo is still stuck in a downward spiral.
The Chevrolet Sonic is off to a good start, outselling the outgoing Aveo by 54%. The new Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio are also doing well, outscoring the previous-generation model’s performance from last year. Even the Toyota Yaris with its freshly facelifted hatchback is doing better with a 35% increase, while Honda is moving out more units of the Fit.
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| 2012 Hyundai Accent GLS Hatchback (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour) |
Fairly new, the Fiat 500 is at last gaining some momentum. Hell, even the Scion iQ minicar isn’t doing too bad, given the car’s size and versatility.
But the Koreans are still way ahead of the pack; the Hyundai Accent outsells the third-place Kia Rio by almost two to one. The Nissan Versa, with an 11% hike in sales, rounds out the podium in second spot.
Who’s losing ground? The Ford Fiesta and the Mazda2, although still selling well, boast lower sales numbers this year, while the smart fortwo is still stuck in a downward spiral.
| 2012 (first 4 months) | 2011 (first 4 months) | |
| Chevrolet Aveo | 95 | 1,708 |
| Chevrolet Sonic | 2,629 | - |
| Chevrolet Spark | - | - |
| Fiat 500 | 3,272 | 1,315 |
| Ford Fiesta | 3,402 | 3,987 |
| Honda Fit | 1,332 | 1,013 |
| Hyundai Accent | 7,298 | 6,781 |
| Kia Rio | 3,875 | 2,301 |
| Mazda2 | 2,454 | 3,055 |
| MINI Cooper | 1,232 | 913 |
| Mitsubishi i-MiEV | 68 | - |
| Nissan LEAF | 94 | - |
| Nissan Versa | 4,174 | 3,750 |
| Scion iQ | 353 | - |
| Scion xD | 341 | 325 |
| smart fortwo | 393 | 542 |
| Suzuki Swift+ | - | 1 |
| Toyota Yaris | 3,229 | 2,390 |
| TOTAL | 34,241 | 28,081 |