Based on the latest report from DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, the light truck side of the market accounted for 88.1% of total new light vehicle sales and continues to grow into 2025, with sales up 4.7% in Q1. But segment sales performance also diverged during this period.
DAC said the SUV segments splintered, with intermediate luxury and large luxury SUVs enjoying a sales boost of 18.9% and 14.9%, respectively, against subcompact SUVs and intermediate SUVs, which saw declines at 6.3% and 7.5%, respectively.
However, vans and pickups showed strength: small pickups, outperformed by a significant margin, saw sales rise 89.6% alongside small vans, which was up 32.9% over the first quarter of 2024. And large vans experienced a 21.1% sales increase, with large pickups also up 5.0%.
“Consumer preferences continued to adjust the segment-level sales picture in the first quarter of 2025, complicated by rapid declines in BEV sales,” said Andrew King, Managing Partner at DAC, in a statement. “Looking forward, with tariffs now in place on U.S. built vehicles, we may yet again see further changes as vehicle companies, dealers, and consumers adapt to the new market realities.”
As for passenger vehicles, DAC said this side of the market continued to languish, with a first quarter decline of 9.3% overall. The luxury, sport, and intermediate passenger car segments experienced heavy declines at 33.0%, 38.9%, and 44.9%, respectively. But luxury sports cars and subcompact cars enjoyed a significant increase in sales, “albeit at relatively low volumes,” said DAC.
