Global SUV sales rose 6% last year to a hit a staggering 60% over five years.
Toyota dominated the sector with 2.35M registrations, Nissan recorded 2.24M and they were well ahead of a shrinking Honda holding 1.84M and falling due to the run-out of the CR-V.
Despite its expansion in the sector, Ford sold just under 1.6M some 3.5% down on the 2017 total. Hyundai recorded a near 19% rise in registrations over 12 months but the really impressive improver was Volkswagen which saw its share accelerate nearly 29% with 1.22M models sold in 2018.
Group-wise, Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi amassed 4.29M sales, a 7.2% increase in 12 months and well ahead of Toyota/ Lexus while the VW subsidiaries of Audi, SEAT and Skoda helped push up to 2.53M, a 22% improvement.
The gradual amalgamation of PSA’s brands meant it finished 2018 with 1.12M models in the market and 19.4% better.
The most improved, however, was the Chinese Geely Group, including Volvo, which soared 37% in 12 months to 1.23M..
The Global Auto Database analysis shows the Toyota RAV4 as the world’s best selling SUV with 830,928 models, a 3.7% improvement and the second year in a row it has taken the top spot.