New SUV registrations for the whole of 2014: The tops and flops among SUVs

Jeep celebrates spectacular success with new SUV registrations

T he analysis of where German SUV lust comes from reveals several reasons. Above all, it is due to the constant expansion of the model range, and in 2014 a number of SUV model series came onto the market again. Many of them are based on normal car platforms. They therefore offer comparable driving comfort and economical maintenance as a regular car. In addition, there is the currently clear focus of the manufacturers on compact SUVs in the B and C segments, which, in addition to being suitable for everyday use, also bring an attractive price for private buyers. Jeep is celebrating a spectacular success, not least thanks to the Renegade, which was only introduced at the end of 2014 (the most rapidly growing brand in Germany, +48.8 percent growth). And at Opel you can also be happy because the short, crisp mocha has freed the brand from the SUV sales slump of recent years. The Mocha is the most popular SUV of 2014 after the obligatory all-time winner Tiguan.

Of course there are also losers this year in what is actually a booming segment. First and foremost is the Chevrolet - the brand started a sale at junk prices, Captiva and Trax had practically disappeared from the market in the second half of the year. Then the upcoming new releases caused break-ins in established models - the BMW X6, the Land Rover Freelander and the Volvo XC90, for example, can tell a lot about this.

New SUV registrations - winners and losers

The annual statement also provides a more precise picture of market conditions than our monthly approval statistics can achieve. Because especially with the importers, not only the respective demand plays a role in the new registrations, but also the delivery situation. It can happen with you that a fresh vehicle delivery from a distant production facility doubles the new registrations in one month and then drops them again in the next. These effects are offset in the overall annual balance sheet.

Some models that are new to the market have not yet been on the market for a full year were all the more remarkable. This applies, for example, to the BMW X4, but also to the new Nissan X-Trail and especially to the Jeep Renegade already mentioned: in just three months of sales, the new small Jeep catapulted itself in front of established market sizes such as the Land Rover Freelander.

You can find out in our picture gallery which SUV models were among the big hits on the German market in 2014 and who had to sort themselves into the cellar kids.