Subaru Forester Retains Best-Selling Crown Amid Launch Of Redesigned Model
Meanwhile, demand for the WRX, BRZ, and Ascent has fallen flat.
While reports from the end of the first quarter brought troubling news for the Forester, Subaru has still managed to move 51.4% more units between January and June this year than it did during that same period last year. But there’s a catch––last year’s Forester remained on sale through the entire first quarter of the year, and didn’t give way to the redesigned model until the later months of spring. That means we still only have roughly a month of data to determine what buyers think of the crossover’s rather polarizing makeover.
But that’s not to say the new generation isn’t off to a decent start. Subaru sold 11,108 Forester units in the month of June alone, even despite that rush in demand for the previous-generation model during the first quarter. This represents a 4.1% increase over June of last year. In total, a whopping 92,849 units have been sold so far this year, making this Subaru’s best-selling model by far. But again, most of that 51.4% increase can be attributed to late examples of last year’s model.
The Crosstrek and Outback have also done well so far this year, with the Crosstrek selling 15,132 units in June alone and 79,500 units so far this year, while the Outback sold 16,853 units in June and a total of 81,703 units in the first half of this year. The electric Solterra has also reported a small boost in sales with 5,385 units sold, which represents a considerable 81.2% increase over last year’s 2,972 units.
However, some other models, including the WRX, BRZ, and Ascent, aren’t experiencing the same success. The BRZ, which shares its bones with the Toyota GR86, performed the worst in Subaru’s lineup, with a dismal 1,414 units sold so far this year representing a decrease of 43.7%. The WRX has also slipped 39.5% despite its debut just two years ago. Meanwhile, the Ascent was the only SUV to see a drop in sales, with a 15.7% drop compared to last year. That’s rather alarming for a vehicle competing in the highly-competitive three-row segment.
The rest of Subaru’s lineup isn’t faring much better. The Legacy, which will soon be departing, has decided to end things on a rather negative note, as it has declined 21% in terms of sales. The Impreza hatchback has also dropped by 22.8%, with this year’s 14,892 units falling thousands of units short of last year’s 19,291.
Image Credits: Subaru
Nissan Sentra, Versa, And Z Report Strong Sales In The First Half Of 2024
Budget cars appear to be back on the radar in North America.
It’s no question that SUVs remain the most popular vehicle of choice in the U.S., but sales data for the first half of 2024 indicates that demand for inexpensive small cars isn’t completely lost. Over at Nissan, the Sentra and Versa both reported astronomical increases in sales, as the cheap sedan segment appears to be returning back to life. The Z sports car was also a top performer, though models like the LEAF, Murano, and Armada all saw a collective slump in sales.
While often overshadowed by more popular crossovers, the Sentra and Versa are still performing surprisingly well. The Sentra saw a 55% rise in sales this year so far compared to the first half of 2023, while the Versa experienced an even sharper 61.7% increase. It’s been reported that, presumably in an attempt to boost sales, Nissan dealers have been offering both models below MSRP. Clearly, that strategy has proven effective. The larger Altima has also reported a slight 3.0% increase.
In the sports car sector, the Nissan Z garnered 50.8% more sales than last year, though the GT-R is rapidly losing market share as Nissan prepares to cut production after the 2025 model year.
The rest of the lineup doesn’t appear to be doing too well, with sales for the aging Murano crossover dropping by a considerable 56.9%, while the Armada experienced a 33% drop in sales. Fortunately, both models are due for redesigns relatively soon, which should provide a much-needed jump in demand. As for the rest of Nissan’s SUV lineup, the Rogue saw a surprising 29.3% dip in sales, while the newly-redesigned Kicks rose by 7.2%.
Meanwhile, the all-electric LEAF saw a decline 27.6% in sales, but that model is rumored to be on its way out anyway. The Ariya crossover, which rides on a much newer battery architecture, has reported an impressive 79.9% increase in sales compared to last year.
