Car sales in America have taken off this year. They collapsed early in the COVID-19 pandemic, with the plunge starting in earnest in April 2020. There was very little recovery until the fourth quarter. Recently, prices of both new and used cars have risen because of demand. However, the increases may start to end. Semiconductors used in cars are in short supply, and auto manufacturers have begun to halt the production of many models. Nevertheless, some well-known models have posted sales that more than doubled so far in 2021.
The list of vehicles that had sales declines of more than 50% is spread across a wide range of vehicles.
Sales of the Volkswagen Golf dropped 81% to 1,578. After 55 years, VW will no longer sell the Golf in America. The quick, small sedan has a base price of $23,195.
Another small car that has been discontinued by its manufacturer is the Ford Fusion. Ford largely has exited the sedan market in the United States because of flagging sales and a focus on crossovers, pickups and sport utility vehicles, which have dominated the American vehicle sales charts for over a decade. Fusion sales fell 79% to 7,889.
The Mitsubishi Outlander is the SUV on this list with the largest drop-off. Its sales fell 68% to 4,106. The base price is $25,795. It can carry up to seven people, which, in general, has become more and more popular among SUV buyers.
Sales of the Buick Encore were down 63% to 6,228. This subcompact SUV carries a base price of $23,200.
Sales of the Infiniti QX60 fell by 63% to 3,315. This is in the middle of the Infiniti model line, bracketed between the QX50 and QX70. The crossover has a base price of 44,350.
Sales of the Nissan Pathfinder decreased 51% to 8,906. The Japanese car company’s midsized SUV has a base price of $31,980.
Interestingly, the cars with large sales drops in the first quarter of 2021 don’t follow any pattern in terms of size, price or model segment.
Click here to see read about the slowest-selling new car.
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