Midsize SUV Sales In America - December 2016 & 2016 Year End

Automotive

The Toyota Highlander, not the usually favoured Ford Explorer, was America's best-selling three-row vehicle in December 2016.

Refreshed for the 2017 model year with altered styling and a new 8-speed automatic, sales of the Toyota Highlander jumped 58% to 25,425 units in December 2016, a record high for the Highlander. Highlander volume rose by a fifth over the course of 2016 to 191,379 units, second in the segment, 57,128 sales behind the Explorer, which includes the Explorer Police Interceptor. 

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U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - 2016 Year End
U.S. SUV/Crossover Sales By Model - 2016 Year End

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Explorer sales dipped slightly from 2015 levels, when Ford had reported an 11-year high in sales of America's former number-one-selling SUV.

Click Chart To Expand

Along with record sales of the Highlander, 2016 also hosted all-time records for the Hyundai Santa Fe (figures of which include both the Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport) and Nissan Murano. 

Numerous three-row crossovers are awaiting forthcoming replacements. The Chevrolet Traverse's long-awaited second-generation edition was just revealed in Detroit. GMC's second-generation Acadia arrived at dealers in late 2016. The Honda Pilot, meanwhile, replaced for the 2016 model year, struggled with poor supply through much of 2016. 

Honda is now moving all Acura MDX production to East Liberty, Ohio, in order to free up space for the Pilot, new Odyssey, and Ridgeline in Alabama.

You can click any model name in the tables below to find historical monthly and yearly U.S. auto sales data. You can also select a make and model at GCBC's Sales Stats page. These tables are sortable, so you can rank midsize SUVs and crossovers any which way you like. Mobile users can now thumb across the tables for full-width access. Suggestions on how GCBC should break down segments can be passed on through the Contact page.

Click Column Headers To Sort • January 2017 • November 2016 • December 2015

SUV	Dec. 2016	Dec. 2015	% Change	2016	2015	% Change
Buick Enclave	3800	5936	-36.0%	52,028	62,081	-16.2%
Chevrolet Traverse	10,381	9143	13.5%	116,701	119,945	-2.7%
Dodge Durango	5796	7826	-25.9%	68,474	64,723	5.8%
Ford Edge	12,691	10,263	23.7%	134,588	124,120	8.4%
Ford Explorer	21,857	21,667	0.9%	248,507	249,251	-0.3%
Ford Flex	3090	1735	78.1%	22,668	19,570	15.8%
GMC Acadia	12,189	7266	67.8%	88,466	96,393	-8.2%
Honda Pilot	12,072	13,344	-9.5%	120,772	136,212	-11.3%
Hyundai Santa Fe	10,862	9518	14.1%	131,257	118,134	11.1%
Jeep Grand Cherokee	23,250	20,566	13.1%	212,273	196,312	8.1%
Kia Sorento	11,782	12,872	-8.5%	114,733	116,249	-1.3%
Mazda CX-9	2594	1202	116%	16,051	18,048	-11.1%
Nissan Murano	7881	7083	11.3%	86,953	62,907	38.2%
Nissan Pathfinder	9368	8366	12.0%	81,701	82,041	-0.4%
Toyota 4Runner	11,489	9953	15.4%	111,970	97,034	15.4%
Toyota Highlander	25,425	16,100	57.9%	191,379	158,917	20.4%
Volkswagen Touareg *	396	486	-18.5%	4223	7037	-40.0%
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Total	184,923	163,326	13.2%	1,802,744	1,728,974	4.3%

Offroaders	Dec. 2016	Dec. 2015	% Change	2016	2015	% Change
Jeep Wrangler *	15,721	15,431	1.9%	191,774	202,266	-5.2%
Nissan Xterra *	---	70	-100%	38	10,672	-99.6%
Toyota FJ Cruiser *	---	3	-100%	9	229	-96.1%
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Total	15,721	15,504	1.4%	191,821	213,167	-10.0%

Tall Wagons  & Crossovers	Dec. 2016	Dec. 2015	% Change	2016	2015	% Change
Honda Crosstour *	---	613	-100%	726	9104	-92.0%
Subaru Outback *	20,695	16,067	28.8%	182,898	152,294	20.1%
Toyota Venza *	1	401	-99.8%	589	21,351	-97.2%
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Total	20,696	17,081	21.2%	184,213	182,749	0.8%

Source: Automakers & ANDC
GCBC isn't here to break down segments, an impossible task for any group, but to display sales data for the sake of comparison. The more ways sales data can be displayed, the better. This explains why you'll see the Outback and Venza here but also with midsize cars, too, and the pricey FJ Cruiser and Xterra with smaller utilities and the Volkswagen Touareg with luxury SUVs... because readers have wanted it both ways. You can always find the sales results for EVERY vehicle and form your own competitive sets by using the All Vehicle Rankings posts.

RECOMMENDED READING
Midsize SUV Sales In America - January 2017
Midsize SUV Sales In America - November 2016
Midsize SUV Sales In America - December 2015
Top 25 Best-Selling SUVs In America In 2016
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - December 2016 & Year End
Large SUV Sales In America - December 2016
Small SUV Sales In America - December & 2016 Year End

Automotive