Over the first three months of 2016 a remarkable 20.44 million new cars hit the roads around the world and as is increasingly the case, whether consumers are in China, Europe or the US, they're most likely snapping up a crossover or SUV.
Despite fears that the market may be cooling, 558,700 more light commercial vehicles (i.e., vans) and passenger cars have been sold than during the same period in 2015 according to the latest consolidated data from Jato Dynamics, published Monday.
And the countries where cars are most in demand? China, the US, Japan, the UK and Germany, which account for 13.3 million vehicle sales alone.
As for the brands we're most hankering for, Toyota is the best selling marque with VW in second and Ford overtaking Nissan to claim third place thanks to a 7% jump in sales.
However, the biggest climber is Mercedes-Benz, a 14% surge in demand saw the premium marque move into 10th place just behind Kia.
Overall, the demand for premium automobiles show no sign of slowing. Luxury marques accounted for 10.8% of global car sales in the first quarter of 2015 and a year later represent 11.4% of the market.
According to Jato's figures, of the 2.15 million premium cars sold over 2016 Q1, 833,300 — that's almost 40% — fall into the SUV/crossover class.
But regardless of the brand, we're most likely to be buying a crossover or SUV. In the first quarter of the year, SUVs accounted for 36% of vehicle sales in China and accounted for 1.1 million new vehicles on the road in Europe.
Felipe Munoz, Global Automotive Analyst at JATO, said: "Q1 2016 saw dramatic changes as the SUV category increased its market dominance. The whole world wants a SUV, and this shift is evident in the brand ranking, as those that focused on this segment, were the brands that posted the largest gains."
More than a quarter (27%) of new cars sold in the first quarter of 2016 are SUVs and this demand has pushed five high-sided vehicles into the global top 10, the Nissan X-Trail, the Honda HR-V, the Toyota RAV4, the Honda CR-V and the Ford Escape.