These Two Small, Cheap Cars Are Selling Like Hotcakes, Despite Impending Discontinuation

The Mitsubishi Mirage and Nissan Versa are the last two mainstream, affordable subcompact cars—heck, last inexpensive cars of any kind—left on the North American market. And guess what? They're recently selling pretty darn well. How well and for how long? 

You're Witnessing the Small Car Die-Off

Twelve years ago when we started Subcompact Culture on January 23, 2008, we were witnessing the growth of the small car segment in the U.S.—something that many thought would never happen. After all, it was long thought that Americans didn't buy small cars. But 12 years, 5 months, and 27 days after starting Subcompact Culture, we're witnessing the segment's extinction. As much as I try not to sound fatalist here, we are witnessing the small car die-off.

Will COVID-19 Change Automotive Buying Trends?

The Great Recession of 2007–2009 changed the automotive landscape. For a time, people's cash flow was lower and many traded in their big SUVs and trucks for smaller, more compact cars. Although the true impact the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be seen on North American economies, it's not looking great.

2019 Subcompact Sales Summary

There's been a long discussion about how small car sales are waning and how larger vehicle sales are gaining in popularity in the U.S. Heck, many thought 2019 would not be a strong car sales year for all cars. Well, the U.S. sales were down, but there were still 17 million vehicles sold (that five years with more than 17 million car sold, FYI). Pretty dang good. How'd the smaller cars do? Let's look.

The Little Mitsubishi Mirage Continues to Sell Big

The Mitsubishi Mirage has been called a lot of foul things by many automotive journalists and, frankly, the general populous. It's one of the lowest horsepower cars on the North American market. It's got three cylinders. It's very small and fairly raucous. It's not fast. Yet consumers keep buying them and sales continue to increase. What's up with its success?

Seven Month Sales Report: 2019

We're more than halfway through the sales season in 2019, and I thought to myself, I wonder how small car sales are doing this year? So I looked into it. The answer is rather surprising.

2018 Subcompact Sales Results

Well, here we are in 2019. And now that it's 2019, we can reflect on the small car sales of 2018.

Are Automakers Abandoning the B-Segment?

2018 Chevrolet Sonic

For the last few months, gas prices have been fairly low, certainly under $3 a gallon in most places. And when fuel prices are down and the economy is up, people often forego the small cars and opt for trucks, SUVs, and big sedans. We get it: You’ve got money in your pocket and are willing to spend.

But keep in mind, it wasn’t that long ago that fuel prices were over $4 a gallon, the economy was climbing out of the ooze, and people were buying small cars. They were better on fuel, cheaper to purchase, and less expensive to operate. But American car buyers have short memories and auto manufacturers would much rather reap the big profits of big cars and trucks. I get it -- it’s a business. I also understand that large cars and trucks are a status symbol. No one looks at you like a baller in a Mitsubishi Mirage. Ask me how I know. Ask me if I care.

2017 Subcompact Sales Summary

Here's 2017's subcompact/small car sales info. There were a lot of big drops in sales vs. 2016, likely due to low fuel prices as well as a strong economy. And while both of those things are good for the U.S., they're not good for small car sales.

Here Are All of the New Subcompact Models From the 2017 LA Auto Show

Here is a photo of all the brand-new subcompact vehicles launching at the 2017 LA Auto Show. Impressive.

February 2017 Subcompact Sales

I know it's late in March, but better late than never to report the February 2017 subcompact sales, right?

It was BIG month for Mitsubishi, which posted a 145.2% increase over this time last year and a 95.7% increase overall vs. '16. And frankly, just about everyone else's numbers look fairly meek in comparison. However, there were a lot of positive jumps this year.

That being said, there were quite a few models down for February. The biggest loser being—yet again—the unloved Fiat 500L, which was down a staggering 81%, and 76% for the year. And yes, you're reading that right: Fiat moved just 82 models last month. Also scraping the bottom was the MINI Countryman, and the Chevrolet Sonic.

I think that's enough commentary this for this month. The tale is in the table, so have a look for yourself.

Make/Model	% Feb. 16 vs. Feb. 17	Units Feb. 17	% 2016 vs 2017	YTD
Mitsubishi Mirage	145.2	2835	95.7	4146
Mazda MX-5 Miata	46.0	1108	54.4	2037
Chevrolet Trax	37.2	6606	38.6	11863
MINI Cooper /S Clubman	31.0	499	65.2	658
Honda HR-V	28.6	6354	32.1	12043
BMW i3	28.2	318	62.8	430
Chevrolet Spark	21.5	2139	33.0	3834
Toyota Yaris iA	21.5	2801	14.6	4752
Toyota Yaris Liftback	16.4	1057	63.9	2387
Buick Encore	11.2	6528	9.2	11786
Jeep Renegade	11.0	7915	30.0	17280
Ford Fiesta	6.0	3981	19.7	7556
Honda Fit	3.2	3764	1.5	6842
Fiat 500	1.0	1131	12.0	2349
Smart Fortwo	-17.5	348	-18.1	672
Hyundai Veloster	-17.9	1724	0.9	1462
Nissan Versa	-19.4	9869	-7.5	18739
MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 2 Dr	-28.4	680	-38.4	1336
Mazda CX-3	-28.7	1279	-22.3	2463
Nissan Juke	-30.4	1297	-22.9	2601
Hyundai Accent	-31.5	3352	4.7	10414
Kia Soul	-35.0	7702	-26.3	15494
Toyota Prius c	-39.4	1372	-37.5	2515
Kia Rio	-42.5	840	-36.8	1826
Fiat 500X	-45.0	640	-44.0	1240
MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 4 Dr	-47.7	481	-55.7	954
Chevrolet Sonic	-49.5	2140	-46.5	4235
MINI Countyman	-67.6	188	20.7	1310
Fiat 500L	-81.0	72	-76.0	178
Chevrolet Bolt		952	na	2114
MINI Cooper /S Convertible		680	na	950
Fiat Spider		302	na	542

How Subcompact Sales Stacked Up in 2016

Kia Soul Turbo

If there was a theme for the 2016 auto sales year, it might be that fuel prices were down and truck sales were up. (Fact: Ford sold nearly 65% more trucks than it did cars this year.) Generally, that's not great news for small car sales. However, it really wasn't all that bad; the little guys soldiered on with some highs and some lows. And while there might not have been a ton of new small car excitement, the earth kept rotating around the sun, dogs still chased cats, and small cars continued to sell.

Sales: What's the Future of Small Cars in the U.S.?

2017 Nissan Versa Note

No matter who you voted for, I think we can all agree on one thing: thank God for alcohol we're glad it's over. But from a car enthusiast perspective, specifically small cars, I wonder how the change in presidency will affect things?

July 2016 Subcompact Car Sales

Well, it's better late than never, right? After receiving an email asking where the subcompact sales data was, I realized that people actually do look at this data and anticipate it. I apologize for my tardiness ... here goes!

July's sales data is pretty mixed. About half the field did well, half the field didn't. The biggest winner was MINI's Convertible up a healthy 97.1%, although with only 536 units sold, any blips will shoot the percentage way up. Hyundai had a sizable 64.8% gain with its Accent, BMW's electric i3 charged things up 58.1%, and Jeeps super-hot Renegade also was up to the tune of 57%.

MINI might be at the top of the list, but it's also at the bottom with its 2DR hardtop, down 67.2%—a big drop. It should be noted overall sales of the 2D are down more than 44%. Also skimming the bottom were both the Toyota Prius c and the Toyota Yaris, with the c down 60.1% and the Yaris down 43.4%. The bigger news here is that the Yaris, which has remained largely unchanged for many years, currently has the biggest year-to-date sales drop of 47.6%.

2017 Fiat Spider

Of the newer models, the Scion iA is selling pretty darn well moving more than 19,400 units year to date, Mazda's pint-sized CX-3 Crossover continues to plunk along, and MINI's Clubman, which is more enormous than ever, has moved 5,487 cars. We also added the Fiat Spider to the list, which has now sold 481 units, one more unit than last month. It will be interesting to see how the Fiat sells against the Mazda MX-5 Miata, since the Fiat Spider is, of course, based on the Mazda architecture, but with that angry-sounding Fiat 1.4-turbo.

Make/Model	% July. '16 vs '15	Units July '16	% YTD June '16 Vs. '15	Units YTD
MINI Cooper /S Convertible	97.1	536	19.6	2366
Hyundai Accent	64.8	7046	15.2	46376
BMW i3	58.1	1479	-19.1	4359
Jeep Renegade	57.0	10057	211.0	61907
Chevrolet Trax	54.9	9466	24.8	38601
Kia Rio	49.6	3331	9.4	18669
Chevrolet Spark	28.7	4229	-0.8	22520
Honda Fit	25.4	5432	-17.9	32817
Honda HR-V	25.1	7394	118.6	43837
Nissan Versa	19.2	11856	9.6	84317
MINI Countryman	18.2	1422	-18.8	70702
Smart Fortwo	11.8	493	-24.1	3086
Buick Encore	1.4	6923	16	43344
Fiat 500X	1.0	950	514	7481
Honda CR-Z	0.7	272	-5.4	1477
Hundai Veloster	-2.5	2008	12.6	14931
Chevrolet Sonic	-5.1	4844	-21.3	33136
Kia Soul	-5.9	13157	2.1	83685
MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 4 DR	-10.8	924	-22.1	7243
Mitsubishi Mirage	-17.6	1280	-4	14453
Mazda MX-5 Miata	-22.0	881	65.6	6265
Ford Fiesta	-25.5	4092	-27.7	29631
Fiat 500L	-28.0	227	-58	2527
Nissan Juke	-33.2	1568	-16.9	14124
Fiat 500	-43.0	1097	-44	8857
Toyota Yaris	-43.4	794	-47.6	7378
Toyota Prius c	-60.1	1402	-42.2	12975
MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 2 DR	-67.2	813	-44.6	7053
Scion iA		3007		19434
Mazda CX-3		1499		11001
MINI Clubman		1076		5487
Fiat Spider		480		481

May 2016 Subcompact Sales

Is it that time again already? Indeed it is, and three models had big-old gains. The Jeep Renegade, as we predicted, is killin' it. Nearly 11,000 models sold in May; 42,549 models sold this year! That makes it the third best-selling model on this list. The  Mazda MX-5 Miata continues to sell the heck out of is little sports car, which was up 122.7%. MINI also did well last month moving 103.1% of what it sold last year, despite selling the fewest vehicles of any other subcompact model this year. After that, however, things peter out. However, the redesigned Chevrolet Spark, which we still haven't driven, is up 29.2%, along with several other vehicles in the double digits. Of note: Mitsubishi's Mirage was down 39.1%. Will this be a trend for the struggling automaker's surprise sales champion?

Jeeps subcompact crossover, the Renegade, is selling like hot cakes, which apparently sell pretty well. 

On the not-so-good side of the sales equation, the biggest loser was, unsurprisingly, the unpopular Fiat 500L, down 73% with just 334 models sold. Only Honda's not-so-sporty (or fuel efficient) CR-Z hybrid sold fewer units. The aging Chevrolet Sonic and Smart's Fortwo, Toyota's Yaris, and a few other subcompacts were down more than 40% this month. Not so good.

As of today, fuel prices are $0.40 less expensive than they were a year ago, but up $0.10 from a month ago, so it's trending upwards. We'll see if the lower fuel prices continue to have an effect on subcompact sales.

Make/Model	%May '16 vs. '15	Units May '16	% YTD May '16 vs. '15	Units YTD
Jeep Renegade	146.0	10868	334.0	42549
Mazda MX-5 Miata	122.7	1000	103.0	4495
MINI Cooper /S Convertible	103.1	646	-9.1	1195
Chevrolet Spark	29.2	3495	-24.6	11732
Honda HR-V	25.5	7392	371.9	29876
Hyundai Accent	22.7	5432	23.0	36191
Buick Encore	20.8	6522	21.2	30330
Nissan Versa	19.7	12114	1.8	57778
Kia Soul	-1.3	13706	3.8	58299
Honda CR-Z	-4.9	234	-27.8	22351
Honda Fit	-10.0	5706	-27.8	22351
Chevrolet Trax	-10.6	5102	23.9	23339
Hyundai Veloster	-12.6	1965	22.8	11223
Nissan Juke	-13.5	2271	-17.0	10032
BMW i3	-15.0	696	-41.8	2272
MINI Countryman	-30.1	1236	-22.2	4851
Ford Fiesta	-34.8	6150	-22.0	21475
Kia Rio	-38.0	2241	-18.4	10130
Mitsubishi Mirage	-38.3	2098	-1.7	11632
Fiat 500	-41.0	1553	-48.0	6819
MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 4 Dr.	-42.5	908	-16.3	5336
MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 2 Dr.	-44.1	968	-38.8	5390
Toyota Prius c	-45.0	1909	-36.3	10218
Toyota Yaris	-48.5	1236	-46.5	5284
Smart Fortwo	-49.8	420	-23.3	2186
Chevrolet Sonic	-67.1	2980	-28.8	20709
Fiat 500L	-73.0	334	-63.0	2064
Scion iA		3056		13488
Mazda CX-3		1570		7990
Fiat 500X		1250		6308
MINI Cooper S/Clubman		825		3404

April 2016 Subcompact Car Sales: A Rebound?

Last month I was quick to declare a subcompact sales slump. It's pretty incredible how things can simply bounce back. Twelve of the 27 models for sale more than a year have posted positive sales gains this month vs. the same month in 2015. The biggest monthly gainer was, again. the Mazda MX-5 Miata, up 182.8%. The Jeep Renegade also was up over 130%, and BMW's electric i3 was also up 100%. Impressively, Hyundai moved a lot of Accents in April—nearly 13,000 to be exact—for a year-to-date total of over 30,000 units.

The big loser this month was again the MINI Paceman. All I can assume is the model is already on the chopping block, so perhaps its 89% loss isn't truly representative, since it's a dead man walking. The Fiat 500L is most certainly still for sale, although with a 63% decline in sales, you'd hardly know it. The Toyota Prius c was down 54.2%, and the Nissan Versa was down, somewhat surprisingly, 50%. That being said, it still has the most units sold thus far of any subcompact-like vehicle yet with 45,664 units sold.

And in my favorite small car battle of the year, the tiny Mitsubishi Mirage continues to outsell the lilliputian Chevrolet Spark by nearly 16%, Overall Mirage sales are up 12.7% for the year. Talk about surprising.

New feature: Click on the car name for stories related to that model.

Make/Model	% Apr. '16 vs. '15	Units Apr. '16	% YTD Apr. '16 vs. '15	Units YTD
Mazda MX-5 Miata	182.8	1086	98.0	3495
Jeep Renegade	131.0	9730	514.0	31681
BMW i3	100.0	814	-48.9	1576
MINI Cooper /S Convertible	79.7	541	-44.9	549
Hyundai Veloster	69.2	2792	34.4	9258
Hyundai Accent	57.6	12933	23.0	30759
Mitsubishi Mirage	37.2	3302	12.7	9534
Chevrolet Trax	30.7	4510	38.8	18237
Buick Encore	17.9	6589	21.3	23808
Honda CR-Z	12.8	253	-12.6	736
Kia Soul	0.9	11517	5.5	44593
MINI Countryman	0.4	1249	-19.1	3615
Smart Fortwo	-2.9	466	-12.3	1766
Kia Rio	-10.0	2523	-10.4	7889
Chevrolet Spark	-17.7	3082	-35.9	8237
Nissan Juke	-22.3	1890	-17.9	7761
Honda Fit	-24.3	5132	-32.4	16645
Ford Fiesta	-25.4	4462	-15.3	15325
MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 4 Dr	-35.1	976	-7.7	4428
Toyota Yaris	-36.6	1365	-45.9	4048
Fiat 500	-40.0	1488	-50.0	5266
Chevrolet Sonic	-41.4	5102	-11.4	17729
MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 2 Dr	-46.9	1136	-37.5	4422
Nissan Versa	-50.0	9165	-2.1	45664
Toyota Prius c	-54.2	1676	-33.7	8309
Fiat 500L	-63.0	463	-60.0	1730
MINI Paceman	-89.0	9	-88.5	39
Honda HR-V		6989		22484
Scion iA		3023		10432
Mazda CX-3		1504		6420
Fiat 500X		1094		5058
MINI Cooper /S Clubman		884		2579

Sales numbers are for U.S. market only.

March 2016 Subcompact Sales: Are We Officially in a Small Car Slump?

We've got three months under our belts in 2016. Is it too early to declare a subcompact sales slump?

Looking at this month's numbers, I'd say it's time to call it. Since fuel prices have plummeted, small car sales have followed suit. This month, of the 25 models listed that have been on sale for at least a year, 19 of them showed decreases in sales compared to this time in 2015. The only models with increases were the Mazda Miata, Mitsubishi Mirage, Chevrolet Trax, Buick Encore, Nissan Versa, and Hyundai Accent. Of those, the Trax and Encore are mechanical twins. Amazingly, the Mirage is up a whopping 65.3% compared to this time last year, too. Maybe people really do want a simple, inexpensive car with a great warranty.

The biggest loser in March was the MINI Paceman. Honestly, I thought they stopped selling them. However, I was able to find 2016 models for sale on MINI lots. MINI sold just 15 units. The car will be discontinued after 2016, but it's still for sale now. BMW's subcompact electric i3 is also skimming the bottom with a -63.9% decline, and the Fiat 500 and 500L are also near the bottom of the list yet again.

It's likely that low fuel prices are to blame for the low overall sales, and as I've mentioned for the last few months, it's likely sales will continue to slide overall.

Right now the Miata is an outlier, since it's a two-door sports car and it's super hot. I fully expect its sales to cool over the year. The smaller CUVs are probably going to continue to sell well because, well, because they're small CUVs and people are in love with them. The Mirage is one of the least expensive cars for sale in the U.S. and it has a fantastic warranty, so it may end up owning that niche. By the way, it outsold the recently redesigned Chevrolet Spark nearly 2:1 this month. It's cars like the Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent, and Ford Fiesta that I wonder about for the long haul.

ARE SMALL CARS ON THEIR WAY OUT?
I don't believe small cars are on their way out just yet. The manufacturers always have their pulse on what consumers are buying, and right now it's bigger cars, pickups, and SUVs. Larger cars are getting better fuel economy, too so the demand for the small ones may be, well, smaller. Keep in mind that there will always be room for an entry-level vehicle in certain automakers' lineups. Even when there weren't many small cars for sale back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Toyota still had the Tercel and Echo; Chevrolet still had the Metro; Hyundai still had the Accent. However, without a gas spike or a dip in the economy, small car sales will likely continue to fall until they hit a point where sales level out. The question is which models will survive the drop?

Anyway, here are full stats on March's sales.

Make/Model	%YTD Mar. '16 vs. '15	Units Mar. '16	% YTD Mar. '16 vs '15	Units YTD
Mazda MX-5 Miata	104.9	1090	74.4	2409
Mitsubishi Mirage	65.3	4113	2.9	6232
Chevrolet Trax	28.3	5167	41.7	13727
Buick Encore	13.7	6426	22.7	17219
Nissan Versa	11.7	16244	-1.3	36499
Hyundai Accent	5.1	7879	6.1	17826
Kia Rio	-0.3	2475	-10.5	5366
Hyundai Veloster	-1.6	2342	23.5	6466
Chevrolet Sonic	-3.8	4708	11.6	12627
Kia Soul	-5.4	12043	8.7	33076
Ford Fiesta	-8.1	4549	-10.3	10863
Nissan Juke	-12.0	2498	-16.4	5871
MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 4 Dr	-13.9	1300	4.8	3452
MINI Countryman	-16.9	1281	-26.6	2366
Smart Fortwo	-17.8	479	-15.2	1300
Chevrolet Spark	-30.3	2273	-43.4	5155
Toyota Prius c	-32.3	2607	-25.3	6633
Honda Fit	-33.5	4771	-36.4	11513
Honda CR-Z	-40.8	163	-22.8	483
MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 2 Dr	-47.2	1122	-33.3	3286
Toyota Yaris	-51.3	1227	-49.6	2683
Fiat 500	-55.0	1490	-53.0	3778
Fiat 500L	-56.0	533	-58.0	1267
BMW i3	-63.9	332	-71.6	762
MINI Paceman	-86.6	15	-88.3	30
Jeep Renegade		8832		21951
Honda HR-V		6398		15515
Scion iA		3264		7409
Mazda CX-3		1748		4916
Fiat 500X		1399		3964
MINI Cooper/S Clubman		1037		1695

February 2016 Subcompact Car Sales: Slow Sales Continue

Fuel prices remain low and therefore the sales of larger vehicles are up, and subcompact car sales continue to fall. There wasn't a single vehicle with more than a 48.5% increase in sales vs. February 2014 on the entire chart.

The big winner was Mazda's Miata (up 48.5%). The Chevrolet Sonic moved 46.2% more cars than this time last year, and Hyundai's Veloster models were up 35.1%. No other companies posted bigger year-over-year gains.

The big loser is BMW's i3 EV which was down a whopping 77.2%, followed by both the Fiat 500L (-62.0%) and the 500 (-54.0%).

The Jeep Renegade continues to make strides in the subcompact CUV market, as does the Honda HR-V. By the way: The Jeep sells more than four times the amount of Renegades as Fiat sells 500Xs, despite them being on the same platform.

Unless fuel prices rise sharply, I would expect small car numbers to continue to be soft.

Make/Model	% YTD Jan. '16 vs '15	Units Feb. '16	% YTD Feb. '15 vs. '16	Units YTD
Mazda MX-5 Miata	48.5	759	55.4	1319
Chevrolet Sonic	46.2	4241	23.3	7919
Hyundai Veloster	35.1	2101	44.3	4124
Chevrolet Trax	26.0	4814	51.2	8560
Buick Encore	19.3	5873	28.7	10793
Kia Soul	18.8	11842	16.2	21033
Nissan Versa	2.9	12249	-9.8	20255
Ford Fiesta	1.2	3754	-11.8	6314
Hyundai Accent	0.6	4897	6.9	9947
Smart Fortwo	-7.9	422	-13.6	821
Nissan Juke	-14.7	1863	-19.4	3373
Toyota Prius c	-16.2	2263	-21.2	4026
MINI Cooper /S 4DR Hardtop	-17.1	920	20.6	2152
Kia Rio	-24.8	1461	-17.8	2891
Honda CR-Z	-26.9	128	-10.2	320
MINI Cooper /S 2 DR Hardtop	-27.6	948	-22.8	2164
Toyota Yaris	-33.4	908	-48.1	1456
Chevrolet Spark	-34.1	1761	-50.7	2882
Honda Fit	-35.5	3647	-38.7	6742
Mitsubishi Mirage	-37.9	1156	-40.6	2119
MINI Countryman	-38.1	581	-35.5	1085
Fiat 500	-54.0	1081	-52.0	2288
Fiat 500L	-62.0	365	-60.0	734
BMW i3	-77.2	248	-75.6	430
Jeep Renegade	-	6757		13119
Honda HR-V		4940		9117
Scion iA	-	2305		4145
Mazda CX-3		1793		3168
Fiat 500X	-	1547		2565
MINI Cooper /S Clubman		381		568

December 2015 Subcompact Car Sales and Reflections on the 2015 Small Car Market

By Andy Lilienthal

With falling gas prices throughout 2015, small car sales didn't post up the big numbers they have in the past. That being said, there were winners and losers.

Starting with December itself, the biggest increase in sales vs. Dec. 2014 was the Buick Encore which sold more than double the amount of cars it did last year at this time. Mazda's hot-selling Miata continues to post positive year over year gains, and BMW's electrified i3 sold a healthy 40.4% more cars than Dec. '14.

In the loser category for December, the generally unpopular Fiat 500L was down 79%, followed by the Toyota Yaris, and MINI Paceman. I can't speak for the 500L or the Paceman, but I know the Yaris was in very short supply in the latter months of '15.

2015 SUBCOMPACT CAR SALES AS A WHOLE
So which small model sold the most units total this year? That honor goes to the Kia Soul, which moved a whopping 147,113 units, outselling the Nissan Versa by just 2,585 units. A distant third goes to the Buick Encore, which moved 67,549 units.

The slowest sellers? Well the slothiest goes to the MINI Paceman which managed to move just 1,708 units all year. The Honda CR-Z and MINI Cooper /S Convertible round out the bottom three.

Another interesting foot note is that Mitsubishi proved it can also sell a small car, as the rebounding Japanese brand sold a healthy 21,515 units, making it the company's second best selling vehicle after the Outlander Sport. Taking a page out of the Chevy Spark playbook, the miniature Mirage offers four doors, great fuel economy, and popular tech bits. It is still rather Spartan. It's also very inexpensive. The Spark, by the way, was down 16.2% for the year.

However, where some of the cars slowed down in sales, the subcompact crossover segment more than made up for it.

2015: THE YEAR OF THE SUBCOMPACT CROSSOVER
Next time people say U.S. buyers don't like small cars, point them to this blog post. American's love small cars—as long as they're labeled as crossovers and have available AWD.

Case in point? The aforementioned Buick Encore's 67,549 units sold this year. And guess what? Its twin, the Chevy Trax, moved another 63,030 units. As predicted, Jeep's Renegade is killing it thus far and has sold 60,946 models in nine months. Honda's HR-V has sold nearly 42,000 units, too.

If you add in sales of all the subcompact crossovers sold this year (500X, Countryman, CX-3, Encore, HR-V, Juke, Renegade, and Trax), it amounts to more than 293,000 units sold. And if you include the fairly small Subaru Crosstrek, which sold 89,000 on its own, you get more than 382,000 small crossovers sold in 2015. Yes, the subcompact crossover market was smokin' hot in 2015, and I'll be this trend soldiers on into 2016, too.

Make/Model	% Dec. '15 vs. '14	Units Dec. '15	% YTD Dec. '15 vs. Dec. '14	Units YTD
Buick Encore	109.5	6498	38.2	67549
Mazda MX-5 Miata	86.8	706	81.1	8591
BMW i3	40.4	1422	81.0	11024
Chevrolet Sonic	33.7	7293	-30.7	64775
Huyndai Veloster	33.3	2246	-12.1	24245
Honda CR-Z	31.0	316	-13.7	3073
Kia Soul	22.7	12159	1.2	147113
Nisssan Versa	21.1	11058	3.4	144528
MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 4 DR	12.0	1247	1026.8	15189
Mitsubishi Mirage	11.2	1262	28.8	21515
MINI Cooper Countryman	10.7	2148	-26.3	16686
Ford Fiesta	-4.7	3550	2.0	64458
Toyota Prius c	-6.4	2861	-5.4	38484
Nissan Juke	-9.1	1958	-29.0	27121
Smart ForTwo	-31.2	669	-28.4	7484
MINI Cooper /S Convertible	-32.9	147	-12.4	3098
Honda Fit	-34.9	4197	-11.1	52724
Fiat 500	-35.0	1510	-26.0	25084
Kia Rio	-48.2	997	-33.9	23742
Chevrolet Spark	-55.4	1340	-16.2	32809
Hyundai Accent	-68.3	2718	-2.9	61486
MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 2 DR	-68.8	956	-8.0	19778
MINI Paceman	-70.5	38	-18.0	1708
Toyota Yaris	-76.5	377	26.4	16779
Fiat 500L	-79.0	308	-37.0	7863
Jeep Renegade	0	8975	0	60946
Chevrolet Trax	0	5323	0	63030
Honda HR-V	0	4737	0	41969
Fiat 500X	0	1996	0	9463
Scion iA	0	1808	0	7605
Mazda CX-3	0	1663	0	6406

November 2015 Subcompact Car Sales

By Andy Lilienthal

November wasn't a month with huge gains or losses overall, despite the artificially high number for the MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 4DR. (We always see this giant spike one year after a model is introduced.) If you don't count the MINI as the biggest winner, the Mazda MX-5 Miata, which we recently reviewed, continues to make big year-over-year gains, as it was up more than 226%. The Hyundai Veloster had a nice bump, as did the company's Accent.

The biggest loser this month was the Fiat 500L, which seems to get no love. Fiat moved only 228 units last month, or about seven a day across the entire country. The slow-selling MINI Cooper convertible also didn't fair well, and the Kia Rio round out the bottom.

As for the models not yet a year old, the Jeep Renegade keeps selling like hotcakes and the Chevrolet Trax continues to sell well. Thew Scion iA sold 1,787 sedans. Onto the big board!

Make/Model	% Nov. 15 vs Nov. 14	Units Nov. 15	% YTD Nov. 15 vs Nov. 14	Units YTD
MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 4DR	463.8	1325	5832.8	13942
Mazda MX-5 Miata	226.8	732	80.6	7885
Hyundai Veloster	70.1	2204	-15.1	21999
Hyundai Accent	44.1	5041	7.4	58768
Honda CR-Z	36.4	236	-17.4	2757
Buick Encore	12.1	5133	33.3	61051
Kia Soul	9.8	10045	-0.3	134974
Nissan Versa	5.4	9783	2.2	133470
Ford Fiesta	-0.4	3422	2.4	60908
Toyota Prius c	-5.0	2601	-5.2	35623
Nissan Juke	-5.5	1897	-30.2	25163
BMW i3	-11.3	723	89.1	9602
MINI Countryman	-18.4	1260	-29.8	14538
Mitsubishi Mirage	-18.6	1085	30.1	20253
Smart Fortwo	-18.8	662	-28.1	6815
MINI Paceman	-21.8	330	-14.5	1670
Chevrolet Sonic	-24.7	3653	-34.7	57482
Chevrolet Spark	-43.1	1628	-13.0	31469
MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 2DR	-44.5	1460	2.1	18822
Toyota Yaris	-45.1	348	40.6	16402
Honda Fit	-48.9	3018	-8.2	48527
Fiat 500	-51.0	968	-25.0	23583
Kia Rio	-57.0	898	-33.1	22745
MINI Cooper /S Convertible	-71.2	62	-11.0	2951
Fiat 500L	-80.0	228	-31.0	7555
Jeep Renegade	-	7345	-	51971
Chevrolet Trax	-	6481	-	57707
Honda HR-V	-	3505	-	37232
Fiat 500X	-	1833	-	7467
Scion iA	-	1785	-	5797
Mazda CX-3	-	1323	-	4743