20 years ago, SUVs accounted for only 3% of the new car market in Romania, but last year they reached 43%. Small city SUVs appeared, as well as huge ones, over 200 thousand euros. Many varieties were released and sales continued to grow. Why are SUVs so successful? Why do Romanians love “hypanele” so much?

From 10% to 40% in ten years

In many European countries, SUVs have reached more than 40% of the market in ten years, compared to less than 10% in 2011. Psychologists also explain this with a high position behind the wheel, which gives a sense of protection and security in a world that is increasingly full of dangers. Automakers also took the psychological aspect into account when they decided to launch SUVs of all sizes, cars with a higher profit margin than other models.

More than 35 million SUVs were sold worldwide last year, with the Toyota RAV4, Tesla Model Y, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage being the best-selling models.

In 2004, SUVs accounted for only 3% of the Romanian market and less than 10% in 2009, before the launch of the Duster. In 2011, SUVs occupied about 15% of the market, and the best-selling models 12 years ago were Dacia Duster, Volkswagen Tiguan, Hyundai ix35, Mitsubishi ASX and Ford Kuga.

SUVs reached 26% of the new car market in 2017, 38% in 2020 and 43% last year. The most popular model was the Duster, which produced more than 10,000 cars, and the third place in terms of sales of SUVs went to the Ford Puma produced in Kraiów, followed by the Hyundai Tucson.

APIA’s forecast for 2023 points to 44% of the SUV segment.

SUVs overtook the C-class in 2020. In 2017, C-class occupied 42% of the market, and last year – only 26%.

How many new SUVs have Romanians bought in the last six years?

2017: 34,600

2018: 50,700

2019: 56,000

2020: 47,200

2021: 53,200

2022: 54,600

APIA Estimate for 2023: 61,790.

The two best-selling SUVs in Europe are produced in Romania: Duster and Puma.

The most expensive SUVs cost more than 200,000 euros

In the list of the best-selling new cars in Europe last year, ten of the top 20 places were occupied by SUVs, the best of them being Volkswagen T-Roc, Hyundai Tucson and Dacia Duster. Ten years ago, at most 4-5 SUVs were in the top 20.

In January 2023, the Volkswagen T-Roc (which also has a convertible) was the second best-selling car model in Europe, the Duster the sixth and the Volkswagen Tiguan the tenth.

The segment has grown thanks to strong sales figures for small and medium models such as Renault Captur, Dacia Duster, Ford Puma, Peugeot 2008, Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Qashqai, Volkswagen Tiguan, Opel Mokka or BMW X1.

If 20 years ago SUVs were in the range of only a few brands, especially American, German and Japanese, now all brands have them, some even have 4-5 models. Porsche sold less than 20,000 cars a year in Europe before launching the Cayenne, and now has two SUVs and sells 75,000 cars a year.

SUVs, being more expensive, brought more revenue and profit to car companies.

When Porsche announced that it would launch an SUV, many of the brand’s fans were stunned and said that the brand’s image would be “shriveled” and that it would be a disaster. But Cayenne, because it was a model with a comfortable design and a powerful engine, became a “hit”.

15 years ago the heads of Lamborghini, Ferrari, Rolls Royce and Bentley said “NO!” convinced if they were asked: Do you have plans to launch an SUV? They said the same thing when asked about an electric car. Now these brands cannot imagine a future without SUVs and electric cars.

The most expensive SUVs on the market cost more than 200,000 euros (Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus), and the cheapest – less than 20,000 euros. All brands saw that the profit margins in SUVs were higher, and the extreme development of SUVs caused the decline of the minivan segment, which was all the rage in the 90s, especially in Western Europe. SUVs took a significant part of the market from sedans and station wagons. The segment of small and compact urban SUVs has developed particularly well.

When Renault took over the Dacia factory, no one could have thought that a Dacia SUV would appear and that it would sell more than 200,000 units a year. The fact that Dacia will produce an SUV was confirmed in 2006 by the famous Carlos Ghosn, the former head of Renault-Nissan, and the car was released four years later.

Data from research firm AlixPartners indicates that for automakers, an SUV is on average 20% more profitable than a sedan, and SUVs, with their higher profit margins, have become a key source of funding for the transition to electric cars, a transition that has begun and will accelerate after 2025. Especially since several brands have announced that they will only sell fully electric cars in Europe.

The segment of electric SUVs with a range of 250 to 350 km has grown the most, with models such as the electric Hyundai Kona, Volkswagen ID4, Skoda Enyaq, Peugeot e-2008, Nissan Ariya or Kia EV6.

The second best-selling SUV in the world is an electric model, the Tesla Model Y, which is also the number one electric car in Europe, with 137,000 units sold in 2022.

Why Romanians love SUVs

Romanians love SUVs because they want to impress and shock. There are many drivers (and not only in Romania) who believe that an SUV makes you stand out from the crowd, “sticks” to you with the label of a strong person.

SUVs give you a sense of security. The larger ones seem impregnable, tall, well-made, have the appearance of fortresses that can protect the inhabitants. In collisions at low speed, the SUV survives well, the other car is more “shriveled”. But it would be wrong to consider an SUV an impassable car.

Some are good off-road. Real off-road vehicles are designed for driving on serious slopes in rain, mud or snow. On hunting, forays through forests or on difficult forest roads, these machines have a noticeable advantage compared to other models. Few of the purchased off-road vehicles get off-road.

It must be said that women play an important role in the success of SUVs, studies in various countries show that female customers had an important share in the sales of small and compact models. And the car dealer’s marketing insists on the idea of ​​safety, a high driver’s seat, better visibility, space for luggage and child seats. There were also models of bright colors, for example, orange or turquoise.

The SUV is generally a spacious vehicle, and for more and more people, it is becoming a family car and a recreational vehicle. Compared to MPVs, SUVs have a more interesting design.

Indeed, many SUV models have an attractive design, they are no longer simple angular metal boxes. SUVs with a coupe appearance appeared, curved shapes were in trend, and crossovers, which, according to the manufacturers, “combine the capabilities of an SUV with the comfort of a sedan” took hold on the market.

There are young people who consider an SUV to be “cool” and a sedan or station wagon are no longer “fashionable” cars.

SUVs are not consumed as before. As a result of the diversification of SUV offers, models with low consumption have appeared and the future belongs to electric SUVs, but the price of the battery should drop significantly

An SUV doesn’t always equate to an extremely fuel-efficient car, but in general, SUVs consume and pollute more than other types of small and compact cars.

There are European cities where environmentalists protest and say that SUVs are suffocating the urban environment and that they should be banned.

The French magazine L’Argus calculated that from 1960 to the present, the length of cars on the road has increased by an average of 25 cm, the height has increased by 10 cm, and the weight has increased by almost half a ton. from 800 to 1200 kg. Larger, more spacious and heavier cars are bought.

ChatGPT and SUVs

At the end I also asked ChatGPT why SUVs are so popular. It should be noted that in his answers he took phrases from press releases, using epithets from there, Per total responded to the object.

ChatGPT, why do SUVs sell so well?

ChatGPT: SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicles) are popular for their combination of fun driving features and useful features for a variety of activities. Here are some of the reasons why SUVs sell so well:

1. Space and utility: SUVs offer more space for passengers and cargo than other types of cars, making them attractive to families with children, as well as people who need extra space for activities such as camping, the beach or outdoor sports in the air

2. Performance: SUVs are designed to handle a variety of terrains and road conditions well, providing a more enjoyable drive compared to other vehicles such as sedans or hatchbacks.

3. Security. Due to their larger size and stronger chassis, SUVs are considered safer in the event of an accident than other types of vehicles.

4. Images and Status: Over time, SUVs have come to be associated with a certain image of luxury and style, which can make these cars more attractive to certain people who want to show off their social status.

5. Flexibility: Many SUVs also have 4×4 capabilities, making them ideal for off-road driving or other activities that require the ability to handle challenging off-road conditions.

In summary, SUVs are popular for a variety of reasons, including their space and utility, performance, safety and flexibility, as well as the image and status associated with them.

Photo source: Dreamstime.com