Vehicle Remarketing Logo

Peak SUV: Red-Hot Segment Poised for Slowdown

After five straight years of market-share gains, the SUV segment may be poised for a slowdown, according to a new analysis from Edmunds.

by Staff
June 29, 2017
Peak SUV: Red-Hot Segment Poised for Slowdown

Sketch via Pixelbay.

2 min to read


Sketch via Pixelbay.

After five straight years of market-share gains, the SUV segment may be poised for a slowdown, according to a new analysis from Edmunds.

While incentive spending overall is up 23% so far in 2017 compared to 2016, incentives on SUVs are up as much as 47%. And despite these attractive offers and relatively strong demand, SUVs are now starting to linger longer in the showroom. Between January and May of 2017, an SUV sat for an average of 61 days on the dealer lot before it was sold, compared to 56 days for the same time period in 2016.

Ad Loading...

“For the last few years, SUVs almost seemed to sell themselves. But as the market starts to level off, automakers are having to work a little harder and make the deals a little bit sweeter to hit their sales targets,” said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds’ executive director of industry analysis. “The silver lining is that SUV demand isn’t completely hitting the wall, but even this hot segment isn’t immune to the dip the entire market is experiencing this year.”

Even though the auto sales are softening, Edmunds expects that strong economic conditions and enticing deals will be enough to rally sales in the back half of the year. The firm's analysts maintain their sales forecast of 17.2 million vehicles for 2017, representing a 2% decline from 2016’s record high and the fourth-best auto sales year in U.S. history.

Edmunds forecasts that 1,479,042 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in June for an estimated seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 16.6 million. This reflects a 2.3% decrease in sales from May 2017 and a 2.3% decrease from June 2016.

“While six straight months of sales declines sounds troubling, June is sandwiched between two major holiday sales events, which makes it a bit of a gloomy month historically,” Caldwell said. “Car shoppers are savvy enough to know automakers push the deals on holiday weekends and are willing to hold off on buying until they know they’re getting a hot bargain.”

Originally posted on Automotive Fleet

More Operations

Collage of CAR speakers
Used Vehicle Valuesby Chris BrownApril 27, 2026

CAR2026 in Two Words: Velocity, Value (Part 1)

The 2026 Conference of Automotive Remarketing convened with a mandate to involve a new constituency — fleet managers — and an updated mission to demonstrate unrealized value in de-fleeted vehicles.

Read More →
Graphic promoting CAR 2026 roundtables featuring headshots of five speakers and topics including Wall Street trends, fleet data, upfits, fair market value, and AI in remarketing.
Operationsby Chris BrownMarch 31, 2026

CAR 2026: Get the Wall Street Update on the Key Players in Remarketing

From a Wall Street analyst's take on remarketing's key players to whether fleets need their own version of Carfax, CAR 2026's afternoon roundtables will answer key operational and industry questions.

Read More →
Promotional graphic for CAR 2026 panel on data-driven value in commercial vehicles, featuring five industry experts and session details for April 16 in Cleveland.
Fleetby Chris BrownMarch 31, 2026

CAR 2026 Session to Uncover the Missing Data That's Costing Fleets at Disposal

Work trucks lose value at remarketing, not because they aren't worth more, but because the data to prove it rarely makes it to the auction.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
A rental car rolling through a UVeye overhead vehicle inspection terminal.
Operationsby News/Media ReleaseMarch 13, 2026

TSD Mobility, UVeye Partner On Automated Vehicle Inspections

The enhanced technology allows rental car operations, dealerships, and auctions to compare a vehicle’s condition at pickup and drop-off within the same rental or loaner record.

Read More →
Graphic promoting a CAR 2026 conference session showing four speaker headshots above the title “What Really Moves Vehicle Value Now — And What Doesn’t” with automotive conference branding
Operationsby Chris BrownMarch 11, 2026

CAR 2026: What Really Moves Vehicle Value Now — And What Doesn’t

A panel at the 2026 Conference of Automotive Remarketing will examine how resale value is created across the vehicle lifecycle and which traditional remarketing practices still deliver ROI.

Read More →
A collage of two photos of day cab trucks above a checklist for maximizing resale values.
Used Vehicle ValuesMarch 1, 2026

How To Maximize TCO and Resale Value in Day Cab Fleets

Smart operational and spec'ing decisions can dramatically improve both the total cost of ownership during use and the resale value when it's time to remarket day cabs.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Image of rows of cars and a shopping cart.
Used Vehicle Valuesby Chris BrownMarch 1, 2026

How to Drive Better Returns on De-Fleeted Vehicles in 2026

Smart remarketing begins before vehicles enter the fleet, and is built on strong data and stronger FMC partnerships.

Read More →
Summary table of January auction sales report.
Used Vehicle Valuesby News/Media ReleaseFebruary 9, 2026

Auction Sales Kick Off 2026 In High Step

Winter snowstorms and frosty freeze-overs could not slow down the hot vehicle auction action nationwide in January.

Read More →
Arun Rajagopalan's, CEO and co-founder of Motorq, headshot is placed above text about the 2026 CAR conference.
Operationsby Chris BrownFebruary 6, 2026

CAR 2026: Rethinking Vehicle Valuation Through Health Data

How can vehicle-sourced performance data change the way fleets assess condition, time de-fleets, and set remarketing expectations? A seminar at the 2026 Conference of Automotive Remarketing (CAR) has answers.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
A star B2X logo sits on a white and blue background with arrows pointing to the right.
Operationsby StaffJanuary 29, 2026

Bobit Business Media Inc. (BBM) Launches B2X Rewards

B2X Awards is one of Bobit's newest initiatives dedicated to increasing engagement across the company's sites.

Read More →