Large SUVs are just a small part of the European market, making up just 0,36% of the industry, but at +16% in 2016, it grows faster than the overall market at +6,2%. Across the Atlantic, these vehicles make up 10,3% of the US market as Americans buy 33 times more of these SUVs than Europeans do. And every single model in the US midsized (yes, they have an even bigger segment above these) crossover segment top-14 (out of 17) outsells the entire European segment combined.
If in the US 3 out of the top-4 models are from domestic brands, in Europe the South-Koreans have dominated this segment for years. Thanks to sales up 10%, the Hyundai Santa Fe reclaims the segment lead from its sibling Kia Sorento, down 7% despite being two years younger (2014 vs 2012). At the end of Q3 the Sorento was still on top with a very thin margin, but the Santa outsold it in Q4 for the second straight quarter to finish the year on top. However, Hyundai-Kia has lost 7,5 percentage points of its share of the segment compared to last year, and the culprit of this loss can be found in third place.
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