In 2019, sales of minicars were down 2% compared to a total market gain of 1% which means this segment now makes up 7.7% of the total European car market at 1.21 million sales, down from 8% in 2018. And with margins on minicars under pressure due to increased costs to comply with stricter safety and emissions standards, manufacturers are scaling back investments in to minicars or switching to an EV-only strategy.
VW Group has announced that this is the plan for its triplets as the Skoda Citigo and Seat Mii will turn into all-electric cars by January 2020 and the VW Up! will follow shortly. Smart registered its remaining unsold petrol-powered Fortwo and Forfour models at the end of 2019 to prepare for an EV-only 2020, the Forfour’s sister model Renault Twingo will get an electric version as well, Fiat will launch the next generation 500e in Europe as well and Toyota has hinted that the next generation Aygo might go EV-only as well. Its sister models from PSA will split from the Japanese brand and may join forces with Fiat, but rumors are that the Italians who have ruled the minicar segment for decades may abandon it altogether to move up a segment to the subcompact class. Opel has already left the segment, which means only the South-Koreans, Suzuki and Mitsubishi might remain as traditional minicar sellers.
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