mobile-menu-icon
GM Authority

Chevy Equinox Sales Place Third In Segment During Q2 2020

By Francisco Cruz

August 31, 2020 7:14 am

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email Print
9

Chevy Equinox sales decreased in the United States, Canada, South Korea, Mexico, and Brazil, while increasing in Argentina during Q2 2020.

Chevrolet Equinox Sales - Q2 2020 - United States

In the United States, Chevrolet Equinox deliveries totaled 50,798 units in Q2 2020, a decrease of about 41 percent compared to 85,657 units sold in Q2 2019.

In the first six months of the year, Equinox sales decreased about 29 percent to 124,251 units.
MODEL Q2 2020 / Q2 2019 Q2 2020 Q2 2019YTD 2020 / YTD 2019 YTD 2020 YTD 2019
EQUINOX -40.70% 50,798 85,657 -28.66% 124,251 174,157

Chevrolet Equinox Sales - Q2 2020 - Canada

In Canada, Chevrolet Equinox deliveries totaled 2,392 units in Q2 2020, a decrease of about 59 percent compared to 5,849 units sold in Q2 2019.

In the first six months of the year, Equinox sales decreased about 41 percent to 6,175 units.
MODEL Q2 2020 / Q2 2019 Q2 2020 Q2 2019YTD 2020 / YTD 2019 YTD 2020 YTD 2019
EQUINOX -59.10% 2,392 5,849 -41.07% 6,175 10,479

Chevrolet Equinox Sales - Q2 2020 - South Korea

In South Korea, Chevrolet Equinox deliveries totaled 460 units in Q2 2020, a decrease of about 29 percent compared to 648 units sold in Q2 2019.

In the first six months of the year, Equinox sales decreased about 32 percent to 738 units.
MODEL Q2 2020 / Q2 2019 Q2 2020 Q2 2019YTD 2020 / YTD 2019 YTD 2020 YTD 2019
EQUINOX -29.01% 460 648 -31.86% 738 1,083

Chevrolet Equinox Sales - Q2 2020 - Mexico

In Mexico, Chevrolet Equinox deliveries totaled 219 units in Q2 2020, a decrease of about 69 percent compared to 714 units sold in Q2 2019.

In the first six months of the year, Equinox sales decreased about 51 percent to 577 units.
MODEL Q2 2020 / Q2 2019 Q2 2020 Q2 2019YTD 2020 / YTD 2019 YTD 2020 YTD 2019
EQUINOX -69.33% 219 714 -50.56% 577 1,167

Chevrolet Equinox Sales - Q2 2020 - Brazil

In Brazil, Chevrolet Equinox deliveries totaled 975 units in Q2 2020, a decrease of about 24 percent compared to 1,289 units sold in Q2 2019.

In the first six months of the year, Equinox sales decreased about 27 percent to 1,886 units.
MODEL Q2 2020 / Q2 2019 Q2 2020 Q2 2019YTD 2020 / YTD 2019 YTD 2020 YTD 2019
EQUINOX -24.36% 975 1,289 -27.24% 1,886 2,592

Chevrolet Equinox Sales - Q2 2020 - Argentina

In Argentina, Chevrolet Equinox deliveries totaled 168 units in Q2 2020, an increase of about 1 percent compared to 166 units sold in Q2 2019.

In the first six months of the year, Equinox sales decreased about 26 percent to 398 units.
MODEL Q2 2020 / Q2 2019 Q2 2020 Q2 2019YTD 2020 / YTD 2019 YTD 2020 YTD 2019
EQUINOX +1.20% 168 166 -26.02% 398 538

Competitive Sales Comparison

Chevy Equinox sales performance during Q2 2020 caused the model to slide to the third-best-selling spot in the segment. The Equinox was only outsold by the Toyota RAV4 in first and the Honda CR-V in second.

The Equinox outsold all other contenders, including the Nissan Rogue (comprised of two models – the regular Rogue and Rogue Sport), Subaru Forester, the all-new Ford Escape (see Ford Escape sales), Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-5 (see Mazda CX-5 sales), Volkswagen Tiguan (see VW Tiguan sales), Subaru Crosstrek, Jeep Cherokee, Kia Sportage, GMC Terrain – the Equinox’s corporate cousin – (see GMC Terrain sales), as well as the Dodge Journey, Mitsubishi Outlander, and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.

Sales Numbers - Mainstream Compact Crossovers - Q2 2020 - United States

MODEL Q2 20 / Q2 19 Q2 20 Q2 19 Q2 20 SHARE Q2 19 SHARE YTD 20 / YTD 19 YTD 20 YTD 19
TOYOTA RAV4 -26.60% 85,729 116,790 17% 16% -8.60% 183,360 200,610
HONDA CR-V +10.42% 67,712 61,321 13% 8% -21.50% 138,898 176,944
CHEVROLET EQUINOX -40.70% 50,798 85,657 10% 12% -28.66% 124,251 174,157
NISSAN ROGUE -41.99% 47,249 81,453 9% 11% -38.97% 106,965 175,267
SUBARU FORESTER +2.67% 46,780 45,563 9% 6% -0.42% 85,860 86,219
FORD ESCAPE -49.34% 36,680 72,398 7% 10% -36.29% 84,797 133,100
HYUNDAI TUCSON -7.86% 34,206 37,123 7% 5% -12.15% 57,941 65,954
MAZDA CX-5 -19.06% 29,861 36,891 6% 5% -12.52% 65,072 74,387
VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN -17.35% 25,318 30,634 5% 4% -17.16% 47,494 57,331
SUBARU CROSSTREK -24.94% 24,216 32,262 5% 4% -21.77% 45,732 58,459
JEEP CHEROKEE -51.32% 23,263 47,790 5% 7% -41.43% 56,938 97,210
KIA SPORTAGE -6.30% 19,561 20,877 4% 3% -1.14% 39,618 40,075
GMC TERRAIN -44.22% 13,939 24,988 3% 3% -22.09% 39,231 50,352
DODGE JOURNEY -74.64% 5,434 21,428 1% 3% -54.69% 20,586 45,431
MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER -76.92% 2,735 11,849 1% 2% -39.26% 15,544 25,589
MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE CROSS -67.67% 1,162 3,594 0% 0% -49.60% 6,346 12,591
TOTAL -29.56% 514,643 730,618 -24.09% 1,118,633 1,473,676

At a nearly 41 percent decrease in sales, Chevy Equinox sales fell at a faster pace than the segment average during the quarter, though other models posted even greater declines. For instance, the Nissan Rogue posted a 42 percent decline, Ford Escape sales dropped 49 percent, Jeep Cherokee saw sales slide 51 percent, Dodge Journey sales fell 75 percent and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross deliveries slipped 68 percent. The Equinox’s top rival – the RAV4 – also posted a decline, of nearly 27 percent. The only models in the segment to grow sales volume during the quarter were the Honda CR-V and the Subaru Forester, which posted gains of 10 and 3 percent, respectively.

The second quarter 2020 sales performance gives the Equinox a segment share of 10 percent, a drop of two percentage points over the 12 percent it held in Q2 2019. The performance places the Equinox behind the 17 percent commanded by the RAV4 and 13 percent commanded by the CR-V.

The compact mainstream crossover segment contracted nearly 30 percent to 514,643 units in Q2 2020.

The GM Authority Take

The decline in Chevy Equinox sales during Q2 2020 follows a 17 percent drop in Q1 2020, which itself follows another decline during Q4 2019 as a result of the 40 day-long UAW strike. Before the three consecutive slumps, the Equinox posted its best-ever third quarter sales performance, preceded by its best-ever second quarter performance in Q2 2019, very healthy growth during Q1 2019, and a strong performance in Q4 2018.

We posit that Equinox sales suffered in Q2 as a result of the following events:

  1. A reduced number of dealership foot traffic caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which has held back sales for the entire auto industry.
  2. An idling of production at all three facilities that produce the Equinox, including:
  3. Residual effects from the UAW labor strike, which lasted 40 days between Q3 and Q4 of 2019, sapping Chevrolet and its parent company, General Motors, from vital production volume in the United States. Production in other markets, such as Canada and Mexico, was also disrupted due to parts shortages resulting from the UAW strike. Given that the Equinox is produced in Canada and Mexico, the vehicle was somewhat protected from the walkout.
  4. Increased intensity of competition in the mainstream compact crossover space.
  5. More lucrative incentives from rivals or even on other Chevrolet crossovers, such as the Chevy Trax – which posted sales volume growth in Q2

It’s also worth noting that combining the 50,798 Chevy Equinox sales with the 13,939 deliveries of its corporate cousin and platform mate, the GMC Terrain, gives GM 64,737 combined deliveries in the compact crossover space. The result aren’t overly impressive, as the RAV4 and CR-V still sold more units (with the RAV4 selling about 21,000 units more than the Equinox and Terrain combined).

That said, the RAV4 is an all-new model while the Equinox has been around since the 2018 model year. GM recently revealed the midcycle refresh for the Equinox, which was originally set to arrive in a few months as the 2021 Chevy Equinox. However, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the refresh to the 2022 model year (see more on the 2022 Chevrolet Equinox). The updates include revised exterior styling, a new Equinox RS trim level, and a few other enhancements that should increase the crossover’s competitiveness and command more attention from shoppers.

Going forward, we expect sales of all automobiles – including those of the Equinox – to continue to struggle as economies recover from COVID-19 pandemic. That said, things should start to pick back up once things return to normal levels.

About The Numbers

  • All percent change figures compared to Chevrolet Equinox sales for Q2 2019, except if noted
  • There were 77 selling days in Q2 2020 and 77 selling days in Q2 2019
  • South Korea sales figures reflect actual vehicle registrations rather than wholesales
  • China sales figures represent retail deliveries and not wholesales
GM Q2 2020 sales reports:
[nggallery id=852] [nggallery id=793] [nggallery id=747] [nggallery id=1043]

By Francisco Cruz

A car-loving millennial. We Are!

Subscribe to GM Authority

For around-the-clock GM news coverage

We'll send you one email per day with the latest GM news. It's totally free.

You may also like

Comments

  1. I could also see part of that attributing to lease prices on Blazers being within $25 of Equinox in some markets, and dead even price wise in others.

    Reply

  2. Equinox sales will not improve unless GM offers a small V6 engine for the 2021 MY. Many new Equinox owners have complained about the problematic I4 for such a heavy vehicle. That makes its only weak point. The Toyota RAV4 has a hybrid model that also takes away Equinox sales since GM never decided to offer a hybrid Equinox.

    The Ford Escape may be smaller, but offering both a hybrid and a plug-in version will take away sales from both the RAV4 and the Equinox. The Kuga (European version of the Escape) is already a top hybrid and PHEV seller .

    Reply

    1. I don’t think a lot of people really want a hybrid, or an EV. It feels like a thing automakers are always trying to push on us because we’re SUPPOSED to want it, not ’cause we actually do. And I doubt a V6 is really that important, either. If I were looking for a compact crossover, I’d be fine with the 2.0. Except for the part where they strongly recommend using premium… which I just am not going to do.

      But I drove a 1.5L AWD for a couple of days while my Traverse was getting its air conditioning fixed, and I found it to be sufficient. I did miss my Traverse’s V6… and it’s a 15, so it’s one of the heavier first-gens with the under-300-horsepower engines, and only six gears on the auto… but the Equinox wasn’t far behind. And while I had it out there, I tried a ton of things with it to see if it really was that slow. It had no problems getting up to speed. It passed two or three cars okay with a decent amount of space. It came out of corners and kicked back up to cruise smoothly. And for good measure, I also tried all those things with AWD activated, too. It did fine.

      I think the real problem is the Equinox is like the Malibu. It does a lot of things well, it just doesn’t do anything better than the rest.

      Reply

  3. I am having doubts that Equinox sales will improve much with another carryover year, only one engine choice and no other changes. Things will eventually pickup but I doubt in the numbers they were before.

    Reply

  4. Dealers can’t sell something they don’t have. GM needs to be cranking up production.

    Reply

  5. Here’s what I can’t figure out in all this: How the heck so many people just keep buying the POS Honda CRV. It’s ugly, uses a CVT and is about as much fun as having a tooth pulled. Just shows how many sheep buy cars.

    Reply

    1. so many sheeple

      Reply

  6. Wake up GM you need to update and build on what you have and not keep competing with you own products . It would have made more since to add a real powertrain to the Equinox instead of playing games with old badges and V6 is not a dirty word just do it right this time . The next move will be a one cylinder with an electric cruse engine and a very long cord ! America will not want this mark my word.

    Reply

  7. I have no confidence in any GM Auto’s, tired of the lies, cheap engines and tyranny’s they just don’t give a damn.

    Reply

Leave a comment

Cancel