Automotive Sales Data - Shows Massive Shifts in Trends

I’ve always found data fascinating. And for almost two decades now, I’ve manually compiled automotive sales data on a monthly, quarterly, & yearly basis. Weird I know – but compiling the data was priceless for me. Way back when I entered the automotive business at Vossen Wheels, I continued to process this data. I remember analyzing the usual data around 2014 or so, and truly realizing ‘an undeniable shift’ where cars were dying-out… and crossovers, SUVs, and trucks were taking over… and taking over fast.

And while I might despise it as a car enthusiast…

As a realist (and marketing director), you have to acknowledge & pivot. I wasn’t in charge of production at Vossen, but I remember adamantly showing the data to the team. And the data undoubtedly showed that building & marketing products for primarily ‘the car segment’ (aka: coupes & sedans), wasn’t the future of the wheel industry. To complicate matters, at that time around 2014, there seemed to be 10 new wheel companies popping-up every month… and most just copycats. So we were entering an environment where our pie of ‘selling to cars’ wasn’t just shrinking… it was over-saturated as well.

Then at the LA Auto Show in 2018…

I vividly remember both the heartache and glaring evidence that cars were dying. BMW was showing off their new X7 SUV, their biggest vehicle ever. Next to it was their new redesigned Z4 roadster… and I think an 8-series. What I saw blew me away: You couldn’t even take a picture of the X7 as journalists swarmed the vehicle… and the Z4 had like one person checking it out. It really hit me at that moment – how things had changed… and how fast.

In 2024, BMW sold 29,612 X7s in the US.

And just 2,129 Z4s. What’s more – the Z4 starts at 55k-85k, and the X7 starts at 85k-135k. In other words, the vehicle with a starting price that begins where the other one ends… still outsells it 10:1. And the X7 looking basically like a Nissan Rouge doesn’t seem to hurt sales one bit. Whereas the Z4 has to be damn near perfect for someone to buy it.

Obviously these vehicles have vastly different targets…

And the BMW scenario (above) is just one comparative example from the now dozens of crossovers that have taken over today. But it’s just wild to me that this is the automotive sector in 2025. I can only imagine what people with more tenure & experience than me has seen change in their careers & lifetimes. Change is the only constant I guess.