Ford, Toyota missing boom in 'city-size' SUVs - USA TODAY
Buick Encore started the mini-SUV avalanche in the U. S. that's now being joined by the Honda HR-V, Jeep Renegade, Mazda CX-3, Chevrolet Trax, Fiat 500X, and the Ford … uh, what Ford. The mini-SUV market — so-called "city 'utes" that are smaller than the likes of Honda CR-V and Ford Escape and fit into tight urban confines — didn't exist in the U. S. a few years ago. But Mini is a mini brand, bought sparingly by people with tastes outside the mainstream. Still, it was the best-selling Mini in 2014. Nissan's Juke is considered a mini-SUV by some, and it's been on sale since late 2010 as a 2011. But Nissan launched it not as an SUV, but a quirky rival to the Mazda3, Scion tC, used BMW 3-series and... And Juke is counted as a car, not an SUV, by sales tracker and category-assigner Autodata. Historically, the Suzuki Samurai would qualify, but it's long gone and while it spawned a larger, but still small, model sold as both a Suzuki and a Geo/Chevrolet, it didn't start a trend. The real kick-off model in the mainstream was Buick's Encore, on sale here in January 2013. It quickly became one of Buick's best-sellers. The three pioneers — Countryman, Encore, Trax — snagged a total of 72,276 buyers last year in an SUV market that was 5. 4 million, according to Autodata. Source: www.usatoday.com
