Midsize Car Sales In America - March 2017

Automotive

U.S. sales of midsize cars declined for a 13th consecutive month in March 2017, falling by more than 22% to only 168,598 units. 

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U.S. Vehicle Sales By Model - April 2017 YTD
U.S. Car Sales Rankings By Model - March 2017 YTD

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Led by the Toyota Camry, relatively strong in the sell-down leading up to the launch of an all-new 2018 model, midsize cars accounted for 11% of all new vehicle sales and 29% of passenger car volume, down from 14% and 33%, respectively, one year ago. The Camry's 4% downturn to 35,648 units – still more than enough for the Camry to be America's best-selling car overall in both March and Q1 of 2017 – was actually a bright spot.

Many of its competitors faced far greater challenges.

Year-over-year, the Chevrolet Malibu, discontinued Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, and Hyundai Sonata all reported losses of at least 35%. Double-digit percentage declines were also reported by the Honda Accord, Kia Optima, Nissan Altima, and Subaru Legacy. 

Click Chart To Expand

Only the Buick Regal (soon to be replaced) and Volkswagen Passat (which faced its own dramatic downturn last year) reported year-over-year improvements in U.S. March 2017 midsize volume. Those cars account for less than 5% of the midsize segment. 

Year-to-date, the Passat is joined by the rare Mazda 6 on the short list of midsize cars that are selling more often in 2017 than they did in 2016.

Dedicated hybrids and electrics in a similar price bracket, meanwhile, reported a collective 21% year-over-year improvement in March 2017. The Kia Niro, Toyota Prius Prime, Chevrolet Volt, and Chevrolet Bolt all deserve credit.

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 cars 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 • February 2017 • March 2016

Midsize Car	March 2017	March 2016	% Change	2017 YTD	2016 YTD	% Change
Buick Regal	1334	1276	4.5%	3308	5537	-40.3%
Chevrolet Malibu	14,222	22,058	-35.5%	35,005	58,222	-39.9%
Chrysler 200	2565	4971	-48.4%	6620	15,915	-58.4%
Dodge Avenger	---	8	-100%	---	23	-100%
Ford Fusion	18,759	29,675	-36.8%	50,786	74,994	-32.3%
Honda Accord	26,824	30,523	-12.1%	69,815	77,073	-9.4%
Hyundai Sonata	15,357	28,778	-46.6%	37,869	61,457	-38.4%
Kia Optima	10,204	11,725	-13.0%	26,945	29,768	-9.5%
Mazda 6	3794	4094	-7.3%	10,692	10,283	4.0%
Nissan Altima	28,511	34,856	-18.2%	73,985	85,332	-13.3%
Subaru Legacy	4898	5551	-11.8%	12,703	14,478	-12.3%
Toyota Camry	35,648	36,991	-3.6%	83,459	96,245	-13.3%
Volkswagen CC	216	361	-40.2%	562	991	-43.3%
Volkswagen Passat	6266	6097	2.8%	18,267	14,063	29.9%
---	---	---	---	---	---	---
Total	168,598	216,964	-22.3%	430,016	544,381	-21.0%

Hybrids & Electrics	March 2017	March 2016	% Change	2017 YTD	2016 YTD	% Change
Chevrolet Bolt	978	---	---	3092	---	---
Chevrolet Volt	2132	1865	14.3%	5563	3987	39.5%
Ford C-Max	1333	1702	-21.7%	3594	4059	-11.5%
Honda Insight	---	2	-100%	1	21	-95.2%
Hyundai Ioniq	327	---	---	332	---	---
Kia Niro	2704	---	---	4889	---	---
Mitsubishi i MiEV	3	1	200%	4	8	-50.0%
Nissan LEAF	1478	1246	18.6%	3287	2931	12.1%
Toyota Prius	7416	8137	-8.9%	20,115	21,655	-7.1%
Toyota Prius Sedan ^	5798	8130	-28.7%	15,769	21,632	-27.1%
Toyota Prius Prime ^	1618	7	23,014%	4346	23	18,796%
Toyota Prius V	960	1331	-27.9%	2619	3648	-28.2%
---	---	---	---	---	---	---
Total	17,331	14,284	21.3%	43,496	36,309	19.8%

Source: Automakers & ANDC
* indicates a vehicle that is also shown in another GCBC segment breakdown
^ Prius breakdown by variant
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 listed with midsize SUVs, too... 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 Car Sales In America - February 2017
Midsize Car Sales In America - March 2016
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - March 2017
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - March 2017
Large Car Sales In America - March 2017
Small Car Sales In America - March 2017

Automotive