Americans registered 6.9 million SUVs and crossovers in 2016, a 7.5% year-over-year sales increase compared with 2015.
U.S. sales of body-on-frame SUVs, however, jumped 8.8%, a gain of nearly 62,000 units. These traditional SUVs saw their market share rise marginally to 11% despite the 5% decline reported by their leader, the Jeep Wrangler.
U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model – 2016 Year End
U.S. SUV/Crossover Sales By Model – 2016 Year End
Of the 20 body-on-frame SUV nameplates that generated sales in the United States in 2016, only five reported fewer sales in 2016 than in 2015. Two of those five – the Nissan Xterra and Toyota FJ Cruiser, were discontinued. The Jeep Wrangler and Lincoln Navigator, down 13%, will both soon be replaced. The Lexus GX460 posted a modest 0.3% decline worth only 64 lost sales.
General Motors was the major producer of body-on-frame SUV sales in 2016, as the case has traditionally been. GM full-size SUV sales jumped 18% to 292,981 units, equal to 38.7% of the body-on-frame SUV market.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, with the Jeep Wrangler alone, produced 25% of all BOF SUV sales in 2016. Toyota, via the 4Runner, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, and two Lexus SUVs, earned 21% of the sector’s volume. The Ford Motor Company owned 9% of the BOF SUV market. Leftovers were snapped up by Nissan, Land Rover, and Mercedes-Benz.
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With Ford’s announcement at Detroit’s North American International Auto Show earlier this month, we learned that the reborn Ford Bronco – still a few years away – will be a traditional body-on-frame SUV based on a returning Ford Ranger. Discussions at General Motors about a Colorado-based SUV to stand up against the Toyota 4Runner, perhaps at a lower price point, will produce interesting results, as well.
For now, these are the 20 body-on-frame SUVs that ended up in U.S. driveways in 2016. Long may they live.
(Note: This list is sortable. Just click the column headers.)
|
Body-On-Frame
SUV |
2016
U.S. Sales |
2015
U.S. Sales |
%
Change |
2016 SUV/CUV
U.S. Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Jeep Wrangler
|
191,774
|
202,266
|
-5.2%
|
2.8%
|
|
Toyota 4Runner
|
111,970
|
97,034
|
15.4%
|
1.6%
|
|
Chevrolet Tahoe
|
103,306
|
88,342
|
16.9%
|
1.5%
|
|
Chevrolet Suburban
|
60,082
|
50,866
|
18.1%
|
0.9%
|
|
Ford Expedition
|
59,835
|
41,443
|
44.4%
|
0.9%
|
|
GMC Yukon
|
53,447
|
42,732
|
25.1%
|
0.8%
|
|
GMC Yukon XL
|
37,054
|
31,334
|
18.3%
|
0.5%
|
|
Lexus GX
|
25,148
|
25,212
|
-0.3%
|
0.4%
|
|
Cadillac Escalade
|
23,604
|
21,230
|
11.2%
|
0.3%
|
|
Infiniti QX80
|
16,772
|
15,646
|
7.2%
|
0.2%
|
|
Cadillac Escalade ESV
|
15,488
|
14,691
|
5.4%
|
0.2%
|
|
Nissan Armada
|
14,035
|
12,737
|
10.2%
|
0.2%
|
|
Toyota Sequoia
|
12,771
|
12,583
|
1.5%
|
0.2%
|
|
Land Rover LR4 *
|
10,772
|
9,031
|
19.3%
|
0.2%
|
|
Lincoln Navigator
|
10,421
|
11,964
|
-12.9%
|
0.2%
|
|
Lexus LX
|
5,707
|
3,884
|
46.9%
|
0.1%
|
|
Mercedes-Benz G-Class
|
3,950
|
3,616
|
9.2%
|
0.1%
|
|
Toyota Land Cruiser
|
3,705
|
2,687
|
37.9%
|
0.1%
|
|
Nissan Xterra
|
38
|
10,672
|
-99.6%
|
0.0%
|
|
Toyota FJ Cruiser
|
9
|
229
|
-96.1%
|
0.0%
|
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Total
|
759,888
|
698,199
|
8.8%
|
11.0%
|
* LR4, known formerly as the LR3 and elsewhere as the Discovery, uses something of a hybrid ladder frame/monocoque construction. Land Rover calls it IBF, for Integrated Body Frame.
Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.