January 2014 Subcompact Sales

The first month of 2014 proved to be a difficult one for automakers, thanks in part to the polar vortex, which kept people in their houses and out of cold dealership parking lots.

There were a few highlights in the subcompact segment, however. The Buick Encore's first full year marked a big number, although that should come back to earth next month. Nissan's Juke was up nearly 46 percent, the Kia Rio and its cousin, the Hyundai Accent, were also up. MINI was the only other manufacturer to show a positive gain over January 2013.

The biggest lower, or maybe more accurately, the slowest starter for 2014, is the Toyota Yaris, down more than 65% vs. January 2013. Also slow out of the gate is the MINI Roadster, MINI Hardtop, and unsurprisingly, the Scion iQ. However, few models had it easy in January. I'm going to guess, barring any other crazy weather (we've had our fair share here in Oregon), February will be better.