IT IS pretty clear that the market shifted from lowmargin micro, light and small cars to SUVs in the first quarter of this year compared with 12 months ago as the former lost ground and the latter firmed substantially.

This was especially the case with the medium-SUV segment, which is capable of delivering healthy profit margins in showrooms. This medium sector was the star performer in SUV segments with four times the volume growth than the small-SUV and large-SUV sectors. Put a lot of that down to the Hyundai Tuscon and the Subaru Forester. The Mazda CX-3 accounted for growth in the small-SUV market.

But, in the light and small car segments, buyers put a scythe through sales charts in the first quarter of 2016 compared with the same quarter last year as passenger cars continue to steadily lose favour.

Ford Focus, Holden Cruze, Nissan Pulsar and even the Toyota Corolla lost significant ground while the Subaru Impreza had a very good quarter compared with the same time last year.

By John Mellor