The Biggest Winners and Losers in Auto Sales in Q1 2025

Although SUVs dominate the automotive landscape, the sedans from South Korea thrived in the first quarter. The Kia K4—which went on sale last year to replace the Forte—found 37,004 buyers, up 10 percent, although a few of these sales are likely remaining Fortes, as Kia doesn't separate each model in its sales chart. The mid-size K5, which received its own snazzy refresh for 2025, was up a whopping 133 percent with 15,747 sales. Over at Hyundai, the Elantra experienced a 25 percent rise to 33,490 units and the Sonata was up 20 percent to 15,797 units.

Sedan sales were also strong at Nissan, despite the Japanese automaker's current dicey financial situation. The Versa almost doubled its sales in 2024 with 42,589 units and is already almost halfway there through the first quarter with 19,130 sales, a 156 percent rise. The Sentra also continued surging after a strong 2024, notching 54,536 sales, a 36 percent increase. Altima sales climbed 25 percent, reaching 35,809 units. Despite the big gains, Nissan plans to go from three sedans to just one next year, with the Altima and Versa bowing out after 2025 and the Sentra growing slightly to cover the Altima's absence.

Although the totals are low compared to more practical segments, nearly every Japanese sports car saw an uptick in sales through the first quarter of the year. The Nissan Z, now in its third model year, sold so slowly at first that it almost felt like a mythical creature. But Nissan managed to move 2154 units so far in 2025, up 221 percent over the same period last year. Sales of the Toyota GR86 rose 36 percent with 2041 sales, while its Subaru BRZ twin was up 4.7 percent to 802 units. Over at Mazda, the MX-5 Miata climbed 73 percent to 2446 units. The only sore spot among Japanese sports cars was the Toyota Supra, which slid 13 percent to 421 units.

The discontinuation of the popular gasoline-powered Challenger and Charger hit Dodge hard, and the brand's overall sales dropped 49 percent in the first quarter. This time last year the Challenger and Charger had combined for over 20,000 sales, but the new electric Charger Daytona—which went on sale this quarter—managed just 1947 units. In fact, Dodge still sold more gas-powered 2024-model-year Chargers and Challengers combined in the first quarter than the EV. Still, the new Charger should tick up, especially once the gas-powered Sixpack variant arrives later this year, although the V-8 remains missing for the time being. Dodge experienced big declines elsewhere too, with the Hornet SUV, only in its third model year, dropping 45 percent and the aging Durango sliding 9 percent.

Along with the Charger Daytona's slow start, the other two remaining American sports cars struggled in the first three months of 2025. The mid-engine Corvette dropped 21 percent to 6794 units, but an incoming refresh for the 2026 model year should help revive the icon's sales. Meanwhile, the Ford Mustang, despite no longer having to face off against the Camaro or Challenger, declined 32 percent to 9377 units.

The gigantic Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer have never been able to match the popular Cadillac Escalade in the full-size luxury SUV segment, but they fell even further behind to start 2025. Wagoneer sales slid a massive 59 percent to 5400 units, while the fancier Grand Wagoneer dropped by 48 percent to 1849 units. The latter figure was even lower than the new electric Wagoneer S, which managed to move 2595 units in its first full quarter on sale.

Both the Toyota Crown and Toyota Highlander suffered in the first quarter of the year, largely, it seems, due to internal competition. The Highlander's sales began a noticeable decline with the introduction of the more spacious Grand Highlander for 2024 and sales fell 63 percent in the first quarter to 12,017 units, The Grand Highlander, meanwhile, notched 25,718 sales. The Crown, a raised sedan that effectively replaced the Avalon, was hurt by the arrival of the Crown Signia, an SUV that cuts a low, wagon-like shape. Crown sales were down 71 percent to 2236 from 7685 units in the first quarter of 2024, while the Crown Signia showed up and collected 7908 sales.

Demand cooled for Audi's electric lineup across the board to start the year. The brand's electric flagship, the e-tron GT, had a dismal first quarter, down 68 percent to just 250 units. The Q4 e-tron SUV dropped 29 percent, with the Sportback variant down 34 percent, and the larger Q8 e-tron fell 75 percent, with the Q8 e-tron Sportback declining by 80 percent. Some of the decline for both SUVs could be explained by the arrival of the Q6 e-tron, which slots between the two and racked up 3246 sales. The Q8 e-tron is likely living on borrowed time, but the drop is not ideal for the Q4, which is Audi's most affordable EV.