Before The Flood - The Film, Renewables and EV's

While watching "Before the Flood", for a moment i had a sense of deja vu, as in some points it reminded me of another film, the 2006 An Inconvenient Truth,  excluding narrative and cinematology (Actual word) details, the fact is that the essence of both is the same: 

Climate Change and urgence to cope with it.

Well, after 10 years, has anything changed?

To answer that, we have to rewind time even further.

1. Kyoto Protocol

Following the 90's global warming concerns, the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997, with the objective to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, with 192 countries currently now part of it. Only...It is non-binding for most countries, and also the USA, which accounted for 36% of emissions in 1990, signed the agreement but hasn't put it into practice, in fact things got worse in 2011, when Canada, Japan and Russia stated they would not take on Kyoto targets anymore.

In short, a lot of good intentions, but not a lot done in practice.

2. The Lost Years

The end of the Second Age of the Electric Car, in 2002, signaled also a slowdown in the cost reduction of Renewables, in fact we can say that the following 6 to 7 years after 2002 were lost to Green Tech, because of a hostile Political and Economical environment.   

 3. Back to Business

The year 2009 signaled a significant drop in Solar Power cost while at the same time the Third Age of the Electric Car started, leading to the point where we are now, Renewables and Electric Cars are the new Cool (Kudos Tesla) and ready to go into the mainstream business.

"Without time", some would say, as the four hottest years on record all happened after 2009, and 2015 was the hottest year ever, with the global climate giving its first signs of significant change, time seems in deed to be running out.

And that leads us to...

4. USA - The Lesser Evil Choice

Unlike what happened in the past, think around the year 2000, when the USA were a leader in Green Energy Tech, now that role belongs to Renewable Superpower China (#1 on EV's too), the choice US voters will make in a few days will still have an impact on the success of we how will tame Climate Change.

Regardless of what one might think regarding of each candidate (How did they managed to choose so poorly?), the fact is that US citizens have to choose between one of them, and this useful article helps to have an insight of what the outcome will be if one or the other gets elected regarding Climate Change.

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October 2016 YTD U.S. SUV And Crossover Sales Rankings - Top 103 Best-Selling SUVs In America - Every SUV Ranked

While many sectors of the American new vehicle market stumbled in October 2016, the third consecutive month of decline for an industry which had grown 2% through the first-half of the year, SUVs and crossovers continue to make headway.

American auto consumers purchased and leased 565,000 utility vehicles in October 2016, 12,000 more than in the same period one year ago, a modest 2%

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U.S. SUV/Crossover Sales By Model - November 2016 YTD
U.S. SUV/Crossover Sales By Model - September 2016 YTD
U.S. SUV/Crossover Sales By Model - October 2015 YTD

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But that 2% increase occurred during an abbreviated sales month. There were only 26 selling days in October 2016; 28 in October of last year (when sales reporting extended two days into November.) On a per-day basis, U.S. sales of SUVs/crossovers – led by the Honda CR-V – jumped 10% in October 2016, year-over-year. 

Strictly viewed from a volume perspective, only one of the six top-selling SUVs/crossovers in America reported year-over-year improvements. But that vehicle, incidentally, was the most popular utility vehicle in America: the Honda CR-V. 

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Pickup Truck Sales In America - October 2016
Minivan Sales In America - October 2016

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In fact, the Honda CR-V reported its best-ever October results. With 30,306 sales, the CR-V owned 5.4% of America's SUV/crossover market. 

In each of the last four years, throughout the fourth-gen CR-V's lifespan, the Honda CR-V was America's top-selling utility vehicle. In 2016, after trailing for much of the year, the CR-V now leads the second-ranked Toyota RAV4 by nearly 4,000 units. 

As it turns out, Honda is now ready to launch a fifth-generation CR-V, pictured above. Quite apparently, with a low-key debut in October, Honda didn't draw so much attention to the new CR-V that demand for the outgoing model was decreased.

At any time, click the Rank column to return to the original format. If you're on a mobile device, you may need to choose the full version of the site (at the bottom of the page) in order to use the sortable function.

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U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - October 2016 YTD
U.S. Car Sales Rankings By Model - October 2016 YTD

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Reminder: these are 2016 year-to-date rankings, but you can sort SUVs/crossovers by October volume by clicking the October 2016 column header, or you can rank SUVs/crossovers by improvements or declines using the % columns. Or, most importantly, you can list automakers together by selecting the SUV/Crossover column header.

As always, you can find historical monthly and yearly sales figures for any of these vehicles by selecting a make and model at GCBC's Sales Stats page.

Click Column Headers To Sort • November 2016 • September 2016 • October 2015

Rank	SUV/Crossover	Oct. 2016 YTD	Oct. 2015 YTD	% Change	Oct. 2016	Oct. 2015	% Change
#1	Honda CR-V	293,799	288,531	1.8%	30,306	29,032	4.4%
#2	Toyota RAV4	286,809	256,178	12.0%	26,429	28,256	-6.5%
#3	Nissan Rogue	262,798	238,146	10.4%	21,179	24,939	-15.1%
#4	Ford Escape	258,269	257,731	0.2%	23,505	24,719	-4.9%
#5	Ford Explorer	207,022	210,894	-1.8%	18,597	20,723	-10.3%
#5.1	Ford Explorer *	180,019	190,276	-5.4%	16,106	18,748	-14.1%
#5.2	Ford Explorer Police Interceptor *	27,003	20,618	31.0%	2,491	1,975	26.1%
#6	Chevrolet Equinox	193,400	236,128	-18.1%	19,664	22,086	-11.0%
#7	Jeep Cherokee	171,877	177,874	-3.4%	13,531	17,533	-22.8%
#8	Jeep Grand Cherokee	171,793	158,084	8.7%	17,867	16,405	8.9%
#9	Jeep Wrangler	163,096	172,887	-5.7%	14,469	15,632	-7.4%
#10	Subaru Forester	145,982	144,740	0.9%	15,330	15,172	1.0%
#11	Toyota Highlander	144,713	130,076	11.3%	17,668	13,316	32.7%
#12	Subaru Outback	144,434	123,148	17.3%	18,008	14,729	22.3%
#13	Ford Edge	111,140	105,720	5.1%	8,064	10,011	-19.4%
#14	Hyundai Santa Fe	109,609	99,460	10.2%	11,311	11,060	2.3%
#15	Jeep Patriot	105,549	99,035	6.6%	9,510	9,369	1.5%
#16	Honda Pilot	99,676	111,893	-10.9%	8,677	12,913	-32.8%
#17	Chevrolet Traverse	97,126	102,118	-4.9%	10,984	9,155	20.0%
#18	Kia Sorento	93,253	94,354	-1.2%	7,651	8,593	-11.0%
#19	Toyota 4Runner	91,835	79,498	15.5%	8,537	8,596	-0.7%
#20	Mazda CX-5	91,381	91,277	0.1%	8,942	9,264	-3.5%
#21	Dodge Journey	89,858	92,233	-2.6%	11,912	10,198	16.8%
#22	Jeep Renegade	84,494	44,492	89.9%	7,242	7,979	-9.2%
#23	Lexus RX	84,284	77,940	8.1%	8,044	8,018	0.3%
#24	Chevrolet Tahoe	81,976	71,352	14.9%	11,976	6,624	80.8%
#25	Jeep Compass	79,123	54,979	43.9%	6,207	6,787	-8.5%
#26	Subaru Crosstrek	77,177	74,051	4.2%	8,367	7,313	14.4%
#27	GMC Terrain	74,270	93,382	-20.5%	6,358	9,987	-36.3%
#28	Hyundai Tucson	73,421	48,374	51.8%	8,088	7,298	10.8%
#29	Nissan Murano	71,483	50,250	42.3%	10,701	5,350	100%
#30	Kia Sportage	69,251	43,484	59.3%	5,741	4,476	28.3%
#31	GMC Acadia	67,109	82,351	-18.5%	8,569	6,928	23.7%
#32	Nissan Pathfinder	65,532	68,581	-4.4%	6,421	5,584	15.0%
#33	Honda HR-V	64,866	33,727	92.3%	6,596	4,502	46.5%
#34	Buick Encore	63,648	55,918	13.8%	7,164	6,633	8.0%
#35	Chevrolet Trax	62,802	51,226	22.6%	8,678	8,175	6.2%
#36	Dodge Durango	57,744	51,253	12.7%	4,651	5,134	-9.4%
#37	Ford Expedition	49,372	34,407	43.5%	3,893	3,924	-0.8%
#38	Chevrolet Suburban	45,932	39,300	16.9%	6,650	3,585	85.5%
#39	Buick Enclave	44,720	51,487	-13.1%	4,017	4,702	-14.6%
#40	Acura MDX	44,630	47,862	-6.8%	5,052	4,405	14.7%
#41	Acura RDX	42,666	42,393	0.6%	3,944	3,891	1.4%
#42	Lexus NX	42,389	35,346	19.9%	4,274	3,399	25.7%
#43	Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class & M-Class	41,523	41,327	0.5%	4,042	4,880	-17.2%
#44	GMC Yukon	41,002	33,536	22.3%	5,677	3,525	61.1%
#45	Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class & GLK-Class	39,978	22,320	79.1%	3,588	1,943	84.7%
#46	Audi Q5	38,967	41,429	-5.9%	3,772	4,863	-22.4%
#47	BMW X5	36,703	44,782	-18.0%	3,885	4,292	-9.5%
#48	BMW X3	34,683	23,811	45.7%	3,680	3,028	21.5%
#49	Infiniti QX60	33,996	33,047	2.9%	2,929	3,669	-20.2%
#50	Volkswagen Tiguan	33,547	27,036	24.1%	3,322	4,815	-31.0%
#51	Cadillac Escalade	30,128	28,281	6.5%	3,441	3,151	9.2%
#51.1	Cadillac Escalade *	18,119	16,815	7.8%	1,988	1,838	8.2%
#51.2	Cadillac Escalade ESV *	12,009	11,466	4.7%	1,453	1,313	10.7%
#52	Mitsubishi Outlander Sport	28,212	30,655	-8.0%	2,694	3,094	-12.9%
#53	GMC Yukon XL	27,582	23,661	16.6%	3,469	2,722	27.4%
#54	Cadillac XT5	26,685	---	---	4,989	---	---
#55	Volvo XC90	26,612	7,406	259%	2,383	2,565	-7.1%
#56	Lincoln MKX	24,989	17,356	44.0%	2,279	2,189	4.1%
#57	Audi Q7	24,683	16,527	49.4%	2,798	2,106	32.9%
#58	Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class & GL-Class	24,072	21,942	9.7%	2,828	2,613	8.2%
#59	Cadillac SRX	21,904	56,732	-61.4%	118	6,020	-98.0%
#60	Mitsubishi Outlander	21,891	15,402	42.1%	2,429	2,040	19.1%
#61	BMW X1	20,882	10,859	92.3%	2,710	601	351%
#62	Lincoln MKC	20,702	20,219	2.4%	1,916	1,982	-3.3%
#63	Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class	19,967	20,672	-3.4%	2,560	2,025	26.4%
#64	Lexus GX460	19,367	20,083	-3.6%	1,822	2,223	-18.0%
#65	Ford Flex	18,100	16,471	9.9%	1,066	1,409	-24.3%
#66	Nissan Juke	17,072	23,266	-26.6%	858	1,804	-52.4%
#67	Land Rover Range Rover Sport	16,925	17,437	-2.9%	1,580	1,906	-17.1%
#68	Audi Q3	16,388	10,619	54.3%	1,944	887	119%
#69	Mazda CX-3	15,556	3,420	355%	1,550	1,382	12.2%
#70	Volvo XC60	15,542	20,546	-24.4%	1,611	1,912	-15.7%
#71	Porsche Macan	15,482	11,189	38.4%	2,120	908	133%
#72	Infiniti QX50	13,505	3,107	335%	1,106	989	11.8%
#73	Infiniti QX80	13,008	11,738	10.8%	1,214	1,206	0.7%
#74	Land Rover Range Rover	12,748	14,388	-11.4%	1,223	1,803	-32.2%
#75	Porsche Cayenne	12,712	13,721	-7.4%	1,206	1,454	-17.1%
#76	Mazda CX-9	11,463	15,644	-26.7%	1,842	1,484	24.1%
#77	Land Rover Discovery Sport	11,445	4,757	141%	1,099	1,356	-19.0%
#78	Mini Countryman	10,986	13,278	-17.3%	941	1,219	-22.8%
#79	Toyota Sequoia	10,073	10,602	-5.0%	939	1,303	-27.9%
#80	Fiat 500X	10,047	6,164	63.0%	783	1,994	-60.7%
#81	Land Rover LR4	9,889	6,789	45.7%	756	869	-13.0%
#82	Nissan Armada	9,823	10,769	-8.8%	1,740	970	79.4%
#83	Land Rover Range Rover Evoque	8,913	12,157	-26.7%	874	1,265	-30.9%
#84	Lincoln Navigator	8,634	9,754	-11.5%	598	994	-39.8%
#85	Buick Envision	8,477	---	---	2,351	---	---
#86	Jaguar F-Pace	6,669	---	---	1,240	---	---
#87	BMW X6	5,714	5,687	0.5%	590	560	5.4%
#88	Infiniti QX70	4,433	4,430	0.1%	371	480	-22.7%
#89	Lexus LX570	4,257	2,480	71.7%	565	216	162%
#90	BMW X4	4,185	4,973	-15.8%	409	492	-16.9%
#91	Volkswagen Touareg	3,479	6,154	-43.5%	271	840	-67.7%
#92	Lincoln MKT	3,192	3,865	-17.4%	248	456	-45.6%
#93	Mercedes-Benz G-Class	3,171	2,741	15.7%	196	303	-35.3%
#94	Toyota Land Cruiser	2,904	1,943	49.5%	349	186	87.6%
#95	Infiniti QX30	1,046	---	---	723	---	---
#96	Maserati Levante	979	---	---	501	---	---
#97	Toyota Venza	584	20,348	-97.1%	4	1,191	-99.7%
#98	Bentley Bentayga	505	---	---	142	---	---
#99	Mini Paceman	79	1,340	-94.1%	11	28	-52.2%
#100	Nissan Xterra	38	10,433	-99.6%	---	421	-100%
#101	Toyota FJ Cruiser	8	225	-96.4%	---	1	-100%
#102	Land Rover LR2	3	74	-95.9%	---	---	---
#103	Chevrolet Captiva Sport	2	55	-96.4%	---	---	---
#104	Acura ZDX	---	2	-100%	---	---	---
---	Total	5,626,419	5,279,809	6.6%	565,126	553,029	2.2%
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Source: Automakers & ANDC & WSJ
* Italicized, asterisked, unranked lines are nothing more than available breakdowns, already included in the model's total, not in addition to the model's total.
Tesla, unfortunately, doesn't release model-specific monthly U.S. sales data, but we source estimates from HybridCars.com and The Wall Street Journal.
HybridCars.com Model X estimate: up 9900% to 1000 in October; up 83,200% to 13,328 YTD.
WSJ Model X estimate: 1800 in October; 9250 YTD.

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