American buyers prefer them small: size (and price) matters

For a long time, American buyers could not conceive of buying a car that was not big. The long distances across the country and mobility demands meant that larger vehicles were more widely accepted. More space, more power and more presence. But also more consumption, although the price of petrol meant this was not a problem.

The market has changed a lot and today there is a different view of what mobility should be. So Americans are changing the way they understand mobility. And one of the reasons they have for doing so is the price of fuel and that of the vehicles themselves.

Smaller and cheaper cars

The market is changing and this is evident in American dealerships. Large and expensive models are starting to lose momentum and sales declines are being recorded. More and more buyers are interested in smaller and more economical vehicles. Sales of large pick-ups, a type of vehicle very popular in the country, have fallen slightly by 1.9% and those of mid-size SUVs have decreased by 2.3%.

And what has happened to smaller and more affordable models? Well, buyers interested in this type of model find that there are few options at dealerships that match their wishes and needs. Even so, sales of these smaller models have grown by 23%.

That was for the whole year, but in November sales of compact cars grew by 16% and those of compact SUVs increased by 11.5%. Currently, there are barely 11 models on the American market priced below $25,000, although it is expected that in 2025 a figure of 45 models with these characteristics will be reached. A very clear sign that the market is changing.

One model that has been gaining presence in the market has been the compact SUV offered by Chevrolet, the Chevrolet Trax. The brand has withdrawn most compact models and saloons from the market and only offers this model in a similar segment. And this has caused its sales to grow by 89% in November.

Affordable cars and Trump’s future tariffs

The problem is that buyers are looking for affordable cars, but most of these models, although from American brands, are manufactured outside the United States, in Mexico and Canada. And Donald Trump has announced that he will impose heavy tariffs on cars arriving from these countries.

Will this affect the sale of compact and more affordable cars? It is too early to know, but we already know that once a buying trend begins in the automotive industry, it is difficult to stop, and the American market seems to be leaning towards more affordable cars, with more moderate consumption and smaller size than Americans are used to.