DOWN TOWN

More than half of 2017 is in the rear-view mirror, and the overall market is gunning for a bumper year. But not everyone is in winning form. Here are the segments, models, and marques that, so far, haven’t fared so well.

Small SUVS

Demand is cooling, despite an explosion in the variety available. In the first seven months of 2017, the small-suv segment pegged 65,011 sales across both mainstream and premium brands, 1641 units less than this time last year.

Sports cars

Ignore the Mustang’s booming popularity (5967 sales year-to-date, up 91 percent) and the sports car segment isn’t so rosy. There’s plenty of daylight between Mustang, second-placed Mercedes-benz C- Class Coupe and third-placed Hyundai Veloster. Everyone else, including the fan-favourite Mazda MX-5, is starting to taper off. Is no one interested in fun anymore?

Toyota C-HR

You’d expect the eye-catching, dynamically talented Toyota C-HR would be kicking goals. Yet only 2681 C-HRS have shifted since its February launch, while Mazda has sold more than 10,000 CX-3S. Why? Tight supply, apparently.

Jeep

The off-road brand’s fortunes dwindled in the first half, with Grand Cherokee sales slipping almost a quarter relative to 2016. Only 5075 Jeeps have been sold so far in 2017 – more than a third down on its year-to-date form in 2016.

Holden

Holden has suffered a dramatic slide. With 48,580 sales year-to-date, it is 6500 sales and a full market-share point behind where it was this time last year. If trends continue, Ford could overtake Holden by year’s end.

Hyundai

After achieving a half-year sales record in 2016, Hyundai has failed to build on that achievement so far this year. During the first seven months of 2017, the Korean giant moved 57,320 vehicles – 4633 sales less than it managed to this point last year.