Chevrolet Cruze sales decreased in the United States and increased in Canada in January 2018.
Chevrolet Cruze Sales - January 2018 - United States
In the United States, Chevrolet Cruze deliveries totaled 10,858 units in January 2018, a decrease of about 46 percent compared to 19,949 units sold in January 2017. The results represent the model's lowest-ever January sales performance.| MODEL | JAN 2018 / JAN 2017 | JANUARY 2018 | JANUARY 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRUZE | -45.57% | 10,858 | 19,949 |
Chevrolet Cruze Sales - January 2018 - Canada
In Canada, Chevrolet Cruze deliveries totaled 2,329 units in January 2018, an increase of about 105 percent compared to 1,136 units sold in January 2017. The results represent the model's highest-ever January sales performance since at least January 2014.| MODEL | JAN 2018 / JAN 2017 | JANUARY 2018 | JANUARY 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRUZE | +105.02% | 2,329 | 1,136 |
The GM Authority Take
Cruze sales continued their unfavorable trend in January, with the model seeing one of the highest year-over-year slumps in its segment during the month.
The performance places the Cruze in fifth place in its competitive set in terms of U.S. January sales volume, behind the Honda Civic in first, Toyota Corolla in second, Hyundai Elantra in third and Nissan Sentra in fourth. The Cruze outsold the remaining segment contenders including the Volkswagen Jetta and Golf (which accounted for a combined 7,885 sales), Kia Forte, Ford Focus, Mazda3, Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Lancer, and the now-discontinued Dodge Dart.
We attribute the Cruze’s continuously slumping January sales performance to the following factors:
- An ongoing shift in consumer buying dynamics that favors crossover utility vehicles at the expense of other vehicle types like sedans and hatchbacks
- An extremely strong launch for and market reaction to the new Honda Civic and Subaru Impreza
- Aggressive sales tactics for Nissan Sentra and Hyundai Elantra, a circumstance that we imagine is led by high incentives and fleet sales
- Product-related issues for the Cruze, including it not being a standout model in the segment in that it doesn’t offer much that would get it noticed in a sea of well-established rivals from Japan. In addition, the model has various other shortcomings, such as not offering all-wheel-drive or a high-performance variant. It’s also the only model in its competitive set that can not be equipped with a roof rack without drilling into the vehicle’s roof
Sales Numbers - Compact Mainstream Cars - January 2018 - United States
| MODEL | JAN 18 / JAN 17 | JANUARY 18 | JANUARY 17 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIVIC | +2.83% | 23,749 | 23,095 |
| COROLLA | -0.74% | 21,407 | 21,567 |
| SENTRA | +31.89% | 17,731 | 13,444 |
| ELANTRA | +6.31% | 14,017 | 13,185 |
| CRUZE | -45.57% | 10,858 | 19,949 |
| JETTA SEDAN | -33.95% | 4,522 | 6,846 |
| GOLF | -59.19% | 495 | 1,213 |
| GOLF GTI | -2.54% | 1,687 | 1,731 |
| GOLF R | -99.32% | 3 | 443 |
| GOLF SPORTWAGEN | -42.45% | 1,178 | 2,047 |
| FORTE | +6.72% | 6,688 | 6,267 |
| FOCUS | -30.98% | 6,610 | 9,577 |
| MAZDA3 | -12.05% | 5,825 | 6,623 |
| IMPREZA | +4.82% | 5,351 | 5,105 |
| LANCER | -53.81% | 678 | 1,468 |
| DART | -94.06% | 83 | 1,397 |
| TOTAL | -9.76% | 120,882 | 133,957 |
The compact mainstream sedan and hatchback segment contracted 10 percent in January.
About Chevrolet Cruze
2018 Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback and Sedan Redline editions
The Chevrolet Cruze is a range of compact passenger cars currently consisting of a four-door sedan and five-door hatchback. It slots above the Chevrolet Spark city car and subcompact Chevrolet Sonic and below the midsize Chevrolet Malibu and full-size Chevrolet Impala.
The current model was introduced for the 2016 model year and represents the second generation of the Cruze nameplate. It rides on the GM D2 platform shared with the second-generation Chevrolet Volt and Buick Verano (in China).
Compared to its first-generation predecessor, the second-gen model is an all-new vehicle that is slightly larger, sleeker and more modern. The first-generation Cruze family was produced in sedan, hatchback, and wagon body styles, but only the sedan was available in North America. By comparison, the second-generation model is available as a sedan and hatchback. Though a wagon variant of the second-gen model was never produced, the hatchback model was made available in North America.
The Chevrolet Cruze sedan is built by GM USA at the GM Lordstown factory while the Cruze hatchback is assembled by GM Mexico at the GM Ramos Arizpe factory.
About The Numbers
- All percent change figures compared to Chevrolet Cruze January 2017 sales
- In the United States, there were 25 selling days in January 2018 and 24 selling days in January 2017
- In Canada, there were 25 selling days in January 2018 and 24 selling days in January 2017
- Chevrolet Cruze sales include Cruze sedan and Cruze hatchback, plus all variants thereof
- Ford Focus sales include Focus sedan and Focus hatchback, plus all variants thereof (see Ford Focus sales)
- Hyundai Elantra sales include Elantra sedan and Elantra GT (hatchback), plus all variants thereof
- Volkswagen:
- Volkswagen Jetta sales include Jetta sedan plus all variants thereof such as Jetta GLI and Jetta Hybrid (see Volkswagen Jetta sales)
- Volkswagen Golf sales include Golf 3-door hatchback and Golf 5-door hatchback (see Volkswagen Golf sales)
- Volkswagen Golf GTI sales include Golf GTI 3-door and Golf GTI 5-door (see Volkswagen Golf GTI sales)
- Volkswagen Golf R sales include Golf R (see Volkswagen Golf R sales)
- Volkswagen Golf SportWagen sales include Golf wagon and Golf AllTrack (see Volkswagen Golf SportWagen sales)
- Volkswagen e-Golf sales are not included in the numbers (see Volkswagen e-Golf sales)
- Honda Civic sales include Civic sedan, Civic hatchback, and Civic Coupe, plus all variants thereof
- Toyota Corolla sales include Corolla sedan and Corolla iM hatchback
- Nissan Sentra sales include Sentra sedan, plus all variants thereof such as Sentra SR
- Subaru Impreza sales include Impreza sedan and Impreza hatchback, plus all variants thereof such as Impreza WRX and Impreza STI
- Kia Forte sales include Forte sedan, Forte hatchback, and Forte coupe (Koup), plus all variants thereof
- Mazda3 sales include Mazda3 sedan and Mazda 3 hatchback, plus all variants thereof (see Mazda3 sales)
- Mitsubishi Lancer sales include Lancer sedan, plus variants thereof such as Lancer Evolution sedan
- Dodge Dart sales include Dodge Dart sedan, plus all variants thereof (see Dodge Dart sales)
Related News & Info
- GM news
- GM incentives and offers
- Chevrolet Cruze information
Related Sales Reporting
- Running GM sales results
- Running Chevrolet sales results
- Running Chevrolet Cruze sales results
- Running Cadillac sales results
- Running Buick sales results
- Running GMC sales results
- Running Chevrolet sales results
- January 2017 GM sales results
- U.S. GM January 2017 sales results
- U.S. January 2017 Chevrolet sales results
- U.S. January 2017 Cadillac sales results
- U.S. January 2017 Buick sales results
- U.S. January 2017 GMC sales results
- GM Canada January 2017 sales results
- Canada January 2017 Chevrolet sales results
- Canada January 2017 Cadillac sales results
- Canada January 2017 Buick sales results
- Canada January 2017 GMC sales results
- GM China January 2017 sales results
- Global January 2017 Cadillac sales results
- U.S. GM January 2017 sales results
Comments
More made up nonsense about buyers preferring crossovers to cars. Wrong. I see plenty of brand new sedans on the road, just not Cruzes. Your #1 bullet point is contradicted by your #2 and 3 points regarding strong sales of both Civic and other small compacts.
GM buyers prefer crossovers to their cars, more so because the lease specials have always been stronger in their crossovers. I can lease a 34000 Equinox for less than a $27000 Cruze, not because there some undercurrent of crossover popularity stealing buyer preferences, unless of course their market is for a minivan.
If anything your #4 should be #1. A 1.6L turbo would do wonders for a SS or sport version, but that seems to never be happening for some odd reason. And GM is sorely lacking in compact cars now that Buick doesn’t have one, and the ATS prices itself out of a traditional buyer looking for something similar to a Kia, Hyundai, Honda, etc…
“More made up nonsense about buyers preferring crossovers to cars. Wrong. I see plenty of brand new sedans on the road, just not Cruzes. Your #1 bullet point is contradicted by your #2 and 3 points regarding strong sales of both Civic and other small compacts.”
Let’s take a look at the overall segment. In case you don’t know where to look – that’s the bottom line in the chart that lists all of the segment contenders. See that line? Great. Now… what does that line say? It clearly shows a 9.76 percent DECREASE for the entire segment. Now that you’ve had some time to take a look at that data, please tell me that the segment is NOT shrinking.
The Corolla is down… the Focus is down… the Mazda3 is down… those are contenders that typically have been very successful in this space. As for the Civic – it’s the only model that’s doing well on its own, without major incentives and sky-high fleet sales. The rest (especially Nissan and Hyundai) are shoving their models into daily rental fleets… so these aren’t “real” sales that matter.
Other than that, the four reasons that are listed in the article are in no particular order… yet you seem to be giving them a priority ranking – which is simply vacuous.
I welcome you to re-evaluate your position.
It doesn’t understand math. When it can’t accept reality it says ‘fake news’.
Small hands
The Cruze needs the 2.0L turbo and 8 speed transmission. A true Sport variant.
8 speed transmission is very problematic. The 6 speed is very reliable and works well.
2.0 turbo would be great, but would require suspension mods and bigger tires, so might not work.
The 8-speed that is problematic is for rear-drive applications… it would be a totally different unit for front-drive applications like the Cruze.
Either way, the Cruze already offers the 9-speed on the diesel automatic model… we should see that expanded to more models/trims for 2019.
9 speed would cost at least twice as much as 6 speed and produce maybe 2 mpg better fuel economy which most people don’t base purchase decision on. Price is a big factor in this category.
If anything, Cruze should have standard push button start. Key start is annoying especially for women who keep key in purse.
Standard heated seat would be great too. At least it should be available as stand alone option along with navigation.
Also some LED headlights please. GM is so far behind on the Headlight game it is unbelievable. I mean the new Regal has Halogen bulbs unless you get the fully loaded car and get LED’s. I mean what is this 1990?
The freaking corolla has LED headlights standard.
I agree that It is the Cruze that does not sell not the compact sedan market itself.
The Corolla and Civic are doing very well.
GM, you cannot simply be as good or just below the completion, you have to blow them away to steal sales. How hard is this.
Nobody bases purchase on headlights.
OTOH, blind spot detection and warning should be standard.
You would definitely be surprised then. People do base purchases on headlights. I know of at least five people that passed on an ATS, Cruze, and Acadia models due to lack of LED headlights. It’s is 2018 and people are waaaaaay more tech savvy right now than ever. Trust me there is a reason why Audi is arguing with US DOT to allow their Matrix Light system to be sold here.
I try to push people on GM cars but man they are starting to seriously lack the competition. I mean with GM you basically need full optioned models to get stuff that is sometimes standard fare on other manufacturers cars. GM has the awesome 2.0T four and they simply refuse to offer it on almost everything like VW does.
Like why does the Colorado, Envision, Acadia, Impala even offer the outdated 2.5 still?
I think it is ridiculous that GM is pushing Buick as a Luxury brand but they still offer Halogen headlights as standard. GM should be better than that.
Acura is starting to hit their stride and all of their models come equipped almost fully loaded.
HID headlights are a big improvement, but they cost a lot more. Nobody buying a Cruze is going to pay hundreds more for headlights.
Heated seats, push button start, blind spot monitor — yes, those are decisive factors. Headlights — not so much.
Corolla and Civic have LED’s. Is this not the same class vehicle as the Cruze?
They are all factors that go into the purchase consideration. Not having a feature that a competitor does makes the car look old/outdated.
In the case of the Cruze, not having even HIDs while the competition offers full LEDs is a competitive disadvantage. HIDs no longer cost that much… that is now the case with full LED headlights… and even those can be offered properly if purchased at scale (see Honda).
Consumer Reports and IIHS say that one lighting technology is not necessarily better than another. Halogen can outperform LED and HID depending on the vehicle.
https://www.consumerreports.org/headlights/are-hid-and-led-headlights-worth-buying/
It doesn’t matter what Consumer Reports, IIHS, you, me, or anyone else says. When a car “has LED headlights”, buyers take notice. It’s a wanted feature by the market.
Or are you recommending that GM/Chevy try to convince the market that halogen lights are better than LED lights? Sounds like a pointless and costly uphill battle. They’d be better served by simply giving the market what they want (or what they think they want) and offer the LED lights. Span the technology and supplier-related cost structure across the entire GM product portfolio and the increase in cost will be negligible.
You’re 100% right; one thing to notice is “LED headlights/headlamps” could mean two different things; most on here seem to be talking about the low and high beams…Some could be talking about LED parking lamps and that is what a lot of people think “LED headlights mean”, the cool looking parking lights…NOT having them greatly increases the “dated” look…
The halogens in my 2013 Impala work great and better than some new cars I have driven with projector or LEd units. The best part- they cost 10 bucks to replace and can be done so in less than 10 minutes. No stupid bumpers or grilles to remove here. It should be this way on all cars.
Joe – have you even experienced a car with full LED headlamps? The difference between halogen and full LED is night and day. You have to drive one to really feel the difference… it’s the difference that 30 years of lighting technology advances make.
Please name one car with a full LED headlight setup that your 2013 Impala supposedly outperforms in the lighting department.
Agreed Alex. GM is lagging behind in a couple of things right now and Headlights are unfortunately one of the issues. I mean most of Cadillac cars do not even have LED’s let alone Chevy vehicles. Not even the Vette offers them as an option. I also really do think that GM needs to step up the interior materials in Chevy cars, Almost all of their upper dashes are hard plastics. I cannot wait for the day where we can honestly talk people to purchase into a GM vehicle with zero compromises. We’re all GM people here so we overlook or just outright pay more for the features we want. But some customers need a huge reason to switch from Toyota/Honda unfortunately.
I bought a Cruze last year to travel between Florida and Virginia.
With the cruise control set at 75, it consistently gets 40 mpg. The ride is smooth and quiet.
Most important, it has 4G LTE wifi and Sirius XM so wife can work on her computer while I am entertained by the comedy channels.
No problems with the car at all and everything works well. Paid just over $15k for LT trim.
Definitely enjoying this car beyond what we expected.
According to FuelEconomy.gov, the Cruze diesel with 9 speed auto trans has a HIGHER annual fuel cost than the gasoline with the 6 speed auto trans.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/PowerSearch.do?action=noform&path=1&year1=2018&year2=2018&make=Chevrolet&baseModel=Cruze&srchtyp=ymm
So you pay nearly $4000 more for the diesel 9 speed for a HIGHER annual fuel cost!
Quite the value proposition.
Quite possibly…based on EPA ratings. One thing you may want to watch is the frequency each of these technologies meets the EPA estimates. If you watch sites that report actual mileage achieved, it seems that very frequently people driving gasoline vehicles fall well short of the EPA estimates….while people driving diesel vehicles tend to exceed the EPA estimates. It’s not by insignificant margins either. Depending on the vehicle it can be 5-10% below EPA estimates for gasoline and greater than 10% above EPA estimates for Diesel.
Diesel owners bought their cars for the “great” fuel economy. They have a strong motive to show that they made the smart choice. Without objective data, the government info seems more reliable.
GM is so far behind in small cars, its a laugh. I was a GM person, sold them for 37 years, but GM doesnt have a vehicle that interests us.. So we leased a Focus Hatchback & Civic Hatchback. Both with Sport packages that cruze doesnt have. Wake up GM you are loosing your customer base. SUVs suck!
Focus Hatchback looks way worse than any SUV.
Cruze gets way better gas mileage.
Civic costs much more in the real world of buying.
Last month I sat on a new civic. It’s a really good car, and the interior has good materials, much better than I saw in a Cruze. It also drives more dynamic, and it’s more fun to drive. Cruze, however, is more comfortable. But is this what the buyers are looking for?
I know about the decrease on compact car sales, but I think GM could attract more buyers with a combination of a better interior and handling. The same for Malibu.
Alex, is it possible to compare from a macro to a segmented micro analysis by mfg between the 2016 and 2017 years? If/when needed show the price breaks of the segment. Perhaps this can demonstrate the change in market dynamics.
Thanks!
Chevy Cruze looks like (inside and outside) cheap toy vs it´s former European model Opel Astra. I don´t understand GM decision to sold Opel to PSA. Cruze needs adult design and quality materials (no cheap plastic) and colors.
There´s zero connection to modern and fresh European design and technology. Now it´s everything in hands of American and Chinese taste, which is not the best option. Big trucks, SUV led “Old GM” to ruins. CEO Bara forget it and trying use the same way (+new autonomous technology). GM cuts it own rope.
Completely disagree. Cruze interior on LT is excellent. Exterior looks good and I have 2 C7s along with my Cruze.
Lack of diversity.. every time you read an article of this, the first thing that pops into your head is whether things be different with a SS model equipped with the 200-horsepower LWC 1.6L DOHC-4v 4-cyl turbo used exclusively in Buick’s Cascada.
With an additional sport/hatch Cruze, they can replace the Cascada with an Alpha based convertible and have a convertible Cruze to pick-up sales.
I could care a less about the overrated LED headlights that look blinding and garish coming at you at night but do agree that you need to keep the young buyers amused and at least offer them. Also agree that a more powerful engine needs to make its way into this car. Is Chevrolet trying to be just like Toyota here and offer bland mediocre performing vehicles with little to no spice? Every Ford vehicle offers a performance option yet GM offers chicken scraps to its customers. There is a 6.2 V8 offered in a select few high end pickup trucks and the Malibu offers the 2.0T in the top line non sporty Premier. And the Traverse has a lower output 2.0T RS version in FWD only format and little else to entice customers.
Cruze offers excellent fuel economy, smooth ride and quiet, comfortable interior.
If you want a performance car, Camaro offers 4 passenger seating for about the same MSRP.
How about getting rid of stop/start or offering a button to shut it off. I have complained about this many times and there is a blog right here on GMA that has tons of complaints and people stating they will never buy another GM product because of this. My friend had a rental Cruze last month while on vacation, knowing I am a car guy he txt me” what the hell is wrong with GM?” I reply what you mean? He goes on to say that the car keeps turning off every time it stops at a light and its making him crazy. I told him what it was and this is currently why I do not drive a new Lacrosse. He is getting ready to get out of a Civic lease and was going to look at a new Cruze but after seeing that start/stop he is no longer interested in one. This was also why my mother never got out of her 13 Cruze after test driving the 16, she just refinanced her old car and kept it.
I really think GM’s strange upper management should look into how this might be effecting sales and I wonder how many owners have called GM customer service complaning about this awful technology. My friend stated exactly what I said to a T. If they would of offered a way to shut it off I would of been fine but no way am I going to buy a car that forces that on me.
I have to wonder what makes GM think that people will put up with that kinda of business practice when every other automaker that offers this start/stop tech offers a on/off switch for it. I am not saying this is completely why sales for these cars are down, but if people test driving them have the same reaction my friend did, then it could explain some of the sales trends.
I like auto shut off. I hate wasting gas sitting in traffic and I like the quiet, lack of vibration with the engine off.
Obviously there is no defeat button so GM can get credit for the fuel savings with auto shut off. It really does save gas and every car will soon have it. Great for reducing pollution too.
Quit whining.
So GM is willing to get credit for fuel savings at expense of current and potential buyers that hate it and will not buy thier product or will not buy another because of it? Don’t take my word for it, there is a GMA thread about it that has been going for a few years now with Chevy, Buick and even Cadillac owners saying how disgusted they are with GM and that this will be thier last GM product. As far as me whining, far from from it! They will just get no business from me on cars that have this feature since there are plenty of automakers that either don’t have this or have a defeat switch. The only car I would entertain from GM at this moment is a Cadillac CT6 which DOSE offer the on/off switch for start/stop.
All cars will have auto stop soon because it is an easy, cheap way to better fuel economy and less pollution. Why are you “disgusted” about saving gas money and reducing pollution while enjoying no engine noise or vibration sitting in traffic?
My Cruze always starts immediately when I release the brake. No problem at all.
Paul, I am not disgusted by it at all. After test driving a few GMs with it I made the decision not to touch one of thier cars with it. And I am happy as can be with the car I went with instead. The people that are pissed are the ones that forked over all that money to be in a car that they are very unhappy with. People complain about being in near accidents because of it, very jerky operation, in hot weather a/c turning off and car becoming uncomfortable while off at a light or simply not happy with a car turning on and off 100 times a day and the list goes on and on.
Now I will say its part thier fault for not doing a good enough test drive of the car and that is one thing I see a lot of people say is that they were sorry they did not test drive it first. Regardless, no one that spends all that money on car should be forced with that garbage. If there comes a time when ALL companies have it as you stated and there is no way to shut it down,,then I guess I will be forced with it. But right now thankfully there are plenty of other companies that do not force it on you.
Auto Stop is maddening. Here is a detail most don’t know. The power steering and brakes also shut off with the engine. When you’re in the middle of a turn and have to stop, the engine, brakes and steering all turn off. When it all restarts, the steering and brakes jerk back to life as you resume the turn . It is not subtle and gives that momentary feeling of lack of control.
Brakes and steering are functional. Power assist is not. So what? You are stopped.
My Cruze doesn’t jerk when it re-starts; it is smooth and quick.
You just hate to save gas and love to pollute, right?
I have a 2017 Cruze Premier Hatchback with every option. I love the car. Very quiet, handles great (although no sports car) and looks fantastic with the RS package. Yet there are glaring omissions. No lumbar support, foot operated parking brake, no LED tail lamps, only one USB port and no leather-wrapped shifter handle. The car stickered at nearly 30k, significantly higher than a comparably equipped Civic or 3. I got a great lease deal, but if I had been buying, the Cruze was simply too pricey.
Beyond that, the sedan, to my eye, looks cheap, poorly proportioned and generic. From the rear, I see a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. Any sub-Premier model, Hatch or Sedan, with the 16″ flanged wheels (with the ugly weight balance that NOBODY else in the industry still uses) looks low-rent, especially without the RS package. The interior is drab, with the dullest fabric and seat design GM could come up with (again, compare to a Civic or 3, which offer stylish seats/fabrics/stitching even on base models).
The Cruze just seems to follow GM’s legacy “good enough” philosophy. Then they blame the sales decline solely on the market shift to SUVs and crossovers. Ridiculous.
My wife and I drive our 17 Cruze LT from FL to VA in 12 hours straight. Seats are fine, interior looks good, 4G LTE works great, Sirius XM is very entertaining. How many USB ports do you need?
From the rear, it looks like a BMW to me. I like the wheels too.
The car needs to be competitive. When the competition offers more USB ports, better interior trims/seats and wheels, push-button parking brake and LED lighting for a lower price, you’ve got a problem. Glad you like the styling. I think the Hatch looks great, the sedan a snooze.
Parking brake is not a big selling point for me. I would like push button start as standard — no key please.
I don’t like the hatch back style; sedan looks good to me, especially the front end. Most reviews like the interior and seats are comfortable. Standard heated seat would be nice.
Of course price is the big factor and Cruze undercut everyone else.
Maybe it’s time to swap one of those Chevy J.D. Power commercials for a Cruze commercial, remind the American public that is exists and is all new. Just a thought?
Why Chevrolet don’t use the same marketing research as for the Silverado and offers many trims, a Cruze for every one, from the base to the premier and to sports model an RS with the 1.6 and an SS with the 2.0. AWD as an option for the other trims.