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.

Scion iA

If there was a winner in terms of percentage increase vs last year, the Scion iA, aka Toyota Yaris iA was a winner with a mammoth 269.2% increase over 2015. Granted, its numbers are a bit out of scale, since they only sold 7,600 some-odd units in '15. Regardless, they sold a lot more in 2016. Because math. Then there was the Mazda CX-3 crossover, which jumped a big-old 189.7% and moved 18,557 little Mazda-branded crossovers. A more accurate number, however, would come in the form of the Honda HR-V subcompact crossover, which was up a healthy 96.1% and moved an impressive 82,041 units in '16. Not bad, Honda—not bad.

The largest sales drops for '16 were the Fiat 500L, down a semi-alarming 59%, vs. '15; the Toyota Prius c, which down slightly less semi-alarming 46.7%; and the two-door MINI Cooper /S Hardtop, down 43%, which is just moderately semi-alarming.

Nissan Versa Note

Sales gains are nice, but units sold is arguably more important since that's what brings home the bacon, and by bacon I mean money. And by money I mean profits, which are used to buy real bacon. And yet again, the Kia Soul killed it in the sales department selling 145,786 models. That make six straight years in which the Soul has been the best-selling car on our charts. Nissan's Versa also sold a lot of cars, as it often does, moving 132,214 units. And in third place, the Jeep Renegade which is also the top-selling subcompact CUV, probably because it's awesome, moved 106,606 baby Jeeps.

And in the negatory department, the slow selling (and fairly slow driving) Honda CR-Z hybrid only managed to sell 2,338 units, and still didn't get impressive fuel economy. Only 3,118 Fiat 500L models were sold to people looking for a strange-looking car (despite they fact they drive quite well). Finally, MINI sold 4,584 Cooper /S Convertibles in '16. I'm sure that had nothing to do with the fact they start at about $31,000 ...

Chevrolet just started selling its Bolt EV in December, and it moved 579 units. This one we'll be keeping an eye on in '17. Not only is it a neat looking little thing, but it could be a game changer in the EV world. Additionally, the Fiat Spyder, aka the "Fiata" will be a wildcard in '17.

Right now, fuel prices are on the upswing, and depending on how high those prices soar can depend on how many small cars are sold. Buckle up people—2017 will undoubtedly be interesting.

2016 Subcompact Car Sales

Make/Model	% 2015 vs 2016	YTD
Scion iA/Toyota Yaris iA	269.2	27983
Mazda CX-3	189.7	18557
Honda HR-V	96.1	82041
Jeep Renegade	75.0	106606
MINI Cooper /S Convertible	48.0	4584
Hyundai Accent	29.7	79766
Chevrolet Trax	25.4	79016
Hyundai Veloster	24.0	30053
Kia Rio	20.9	28700
Buick Encore	16.3	78565
Mazda MX-5 Miata	10.2	9465
Chevrolet Spark	8.1	35511
Honda Fit	7.8	56630
Mitsubishi Mirage	3.3	22226
Fiat 500X	3.0	11712
Kia Soul	-0.9	145786
Nissan Versa	-8.5	132214
Chevrolet Sonic	-14.7	55255
Smart Fortwo	-17.0	6211
Honda CR-Z	-23.9	2338
MINI Countryman	-23.9	12706
Ford Fiesta	-24.3	48807
MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 4 dr	-26.4	11174
Nissan Juke	-27.8	19577
BMW i3	-30.8	7625
Toyota Yaris Liftback	-35.2	10872
Fiat 500	-36.0	23980
MINI Cooper /S Hardtop 2 dr	-43.1	11264
Toyota Prius c	-46.7	20452
Fiat 500L	-59.0	3118
MINI Cooper /S Clubman	na	12204
Fiat Spyder	na	2475
Chevrolet Bolt	na	579

Table represents sales of cars in the U.S. only.