By Edward A. Sanchez
Just showing that success can't always be taken for granted, the first month of 2013 was a stunning role reversal for the Honda CR-V, with sales falling nearly 8000 units from December, as well as being surpassed by the archrival Ford Escape by more than 2000 units. The steady-as-she-goes Chevrolet Equinox maintained its third-place spot, with sales up a strong 26.1 percent compared with last year.
The
Ford Explorer surged decisively ahead of the Jeep Grand Cherokee with a
more than 3000 unit margin, leading the pack for the midsize models.
The Toyota RAV4 took fifth place overall, up 18.2 percent from a year
earlier, with sales a mix of leftover 2012 inventory and the all-new
2013 model starting to roll into showrooms. Two other fixtures on the
2012 SUV sales list, the Nissan Rogue and Jeep Wrangler, stayed in the
top 10, but not as dominant as they have been in the past, with the
Rogue taking eighth place for January, and the Wrangler coming in ninth.
The
race for the crown between the Escape and Honda CR-V has been the sales
battle to watch for 2012, with the two trading places between first and
second for most of the year, but the Honda prevailing most of the time.
But not for January. Ford pulled off a more than 2000-unit lead over
the CR-V for January, prevailing despite a rash of embarrassing recalls
late in 2012. Ford's proactive treatment of the issues, as well as the
Escape's compelling breadth of trim levels and powertrain options, seems
to be paying off.
Although
bumped off the top spot by the Escape for January, you can count on the
CR-V retaking the sales lead sometime during 2013. No major official
updates have been announced for the 2014 model-year CR-V, but a good bet
would be the addition of the Earth Dreams direct-injected four-cylinder
and CVT from the Accord, along with some styling tweaks. We also don't
yet know a timeline for the 2014 model's on-sale date. Model years have
lately become very arbitrary, case-in-point with Toyota's 2013 RAV4
going on-sale close to New Year's and the 2014 Mazda CX-5 rolling into
dealers in late January. Our guess would be late-spring, mid-summer for
the availability of a refreshed 2014 CR-V.
The
Equinox has tenaciously held on to its third-place sales spot among
SUVs for quite a while now. January was up a solid 26.1 percent over
2012. But with the new Toyota RAV4 now in showrooms, it will be
interesting to see how well the Equinox fares against the all-new RAV.
The Equinox now has the advantage of a V-6 option over the RAV4's now
exclusively four-cylinder model range, although historically, the V-6
has not been a huge seller, and its days may be numbered in the Equinox
as well.
The
Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee have duked it out for the better part
of 2012 for top spot among the midsize SUVs. January gave the Explorer a
dominant 3000+ unit lead over the Grand Cherokee, but that shouldn't be
cause for complacency in Dearborn. Jeep just unveiled a
comprehensively-refreshed 2014 Grand Cherokee with a styling refresh,
improved fuel economy, eight-speed transmissions across-the-board, and a
decisive edge in towing capacity over the Explorer.
January
is an interesting month for the RAV4, and not necessarily indicative of
its fortunes going forward in 2013. With an uncharacteristically late
introduction for a 2013 model, the new RAV4 has just recently started to
supplant the leftover inventory of 2012 models. It was clear Toyota had
the Honda CR-V squarely in its sights with the 2013 redesign, hoping
its more tightly focused formula might challenge the 800-pound gorilla
of the segment. We've driven the new RAV, and feel it is a supremely
competent, if safe-to-a-fault entry. We shall see if it has the goods to
be a top-three player.
Although
knocked down a few notches by a surprisingly strong Explorer for
January, don't count the Grand Cherokee out. It has proven its enduring
popularity, and with the 2014 redesign just months away from the
showroom, including the highly anticipated diesel model, the refreshed
Grand could prove to be a formidable competitor to the Explorer, and
retake midsize lead.
Filling
the "just right" niche for many customers looking for something larger
and more comfortable than the Escape, but smaller and more fun to drive
than the three-row Explorer, the Edge has never been a consistent
top-five player, but with monthly sales figures usually in the
five-figure range, and six-figure annual sales totals, the Edge is a
valuable player in Ford's SUV lineup. Like its little brother Escape,
the Edge offers a variety of trim levels and powertrain options for all
buyers.
On
its face, the Rogue seems like an unlikely candidate for being a
top-selling SUV, having debuted in 2008, and styled like a shrunken
last-generation Murano. Power and fuel economy, while acceptable for the
class, aren't class-leading. But for pure practicality and value, the
Rogue is a reasonably compelling purchase, and its no-nonsense
functionality has kept it among the top 10 for the better part of 2012.
Due for a full redesign soon, it will be interesting to see how the
Rogue fares against fresher, more efficient rivals.
The
originator of the SUV genre continues to find fans from coast to coast,
and while nowhere near the SUV leaders in fuel economy or practicality,
mid-cycle updates have given the Wrangler a surprising level of
refinement, making it a reasonable proposition for a daily driver,
rather than just a weekend toy. Changes ahead for the standard-bearer
could include an optional diesel, and as usual, more trim and
special-edition variations.
If
consistency is a winning formula, the Highlander delivers for Toyota.
Selling considerably fewer units than the RAV4, the Highlander is
nonetheless a solid top 10 model, ceding the spot occasionally to the
Kia Sorento, but often breaking the five-figure monthly sales mark. With
prices ranging from the high $20s to mid $40s, there's a Highlander for
every taste and budget. But Toyota had better keep an eye out for the
redesigned 2014 Sorento, bringing better economy, more power, richer
materials and improved cabin tech to the party.
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