2017 was a tumultuous year for car sales. Pickups and crossovers sales grew, while movement of the once dominant sedan started to slide. And though overall U.S. auto sales have been fantastic for the past seven years, 2017 saw a decline. That being said, sales have still been pretty robust with 17.2 million vehicles sold over the 12 month period. But the drop is obvious since U.S. vehicle sales totaled 17.55 million in 2016, and 17.47 million back in 2015.
One thing hasn't changed. Pickup trucks are still the top sellers for 2017. The Ford F-Series trucks take the top spot for the 41st consecutive year (wow). The Chevy Silverado and RAM pickups take 2nd and 3rd respectively, continued signs of the segment's near-bulletproof popularity.
And then there are the crossovers. The Toyota RAV4 nailed the top spot for passenger vehicles after pickup trucks. Then the once #1 Nissan Rogue took second place. Both models sold over 400,000 units, a colossal achievement, considering that both crossovers eclipsed the best-selling sedan, the Toyota Camry, by a considerable amount.
Sedans, overall, have taken hits in the market, and it's a clear sign that the crossover segment is only rising in popularity. That proof is in the pudding, especially for sedans like the Toyota Corolla, which dropped to a painful 10th in sales volume for 2017, a full five places from its position the year before. Other losers in the sedan segment were the Honda Accord, Nissan Sentra, Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion, Chevy Cruze, and Chevy Malibu.
If this trend keeps up (and evidence of that prediction is clear as manufacturers are spending less on sedan production/development and investing more in new crossovers), then you can expect even more dramatic declines for sedans sold here.
