Best-selling 2017 models: 15 cars so hot they’re sometimes out of stock

Grant Suneson | 24/7 Wall Street

For the first time since 2010, the number of automobiles sold in America dropped in 2017. Americans were more willing to hold on to older vehicles than in previous years, leading to a 1.8% dip in sales compared to 2016.

The trend of shifting consumer tastes from sedans and coupes to SUVs has been even more pronounced in 2017. As Tim Fleming, an analyst at Kelley Blue Book, told 24/7 Wall Street in an interview, “People don’t want big entry luxury cars. They want crossovers, they want SUVs right now.”

As car sales have declined, SUVs and crossovers have become the biggest growth area in the automotive marketplace. Car sales dropped about 10% over the last year, even as crossover and small SUV sales jumped by 18.2% and 27.9%, respectively.

Some of these models are so popular, dealers have a hard time keeping them in stock. The number of days it takes to sell a car, also known as days to turn, is a way to measure how certain cars are performing against manufacturer expectations. It can also provide insight into the struggles of a company and the auto industry as a whole.

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24/7 Wall Street reviewed data provided by Kelley Blue Book to determine which types of vehicles sold the quickest in 2017.

15. Land Rover Discovery

Avg. days on lot: 41.2

2017 sales: 5,989

2016 sales: N/A

Starting at: $52,090

Land Rover’s new SUV, the Discovery, made a strong debut in 2017. The company sold nearly 6,000 models, each lasting on the dealer’s lot for about six weeks on average. Discovery sales may have been bolstered by positive critical reviews and the overall trend of Americans buying more SUVs than cars.

14. Audi A5

Avg. days on lot: 41.1

2017 sales: 21,301

2016 sales: 8,354

Starting at: $42,600

Though sales for most types of cars are struggling, luxury cars are holding steady — and the Audi A5 is one of the of the most resilient luxury cars. After introducing the new B9 family of A5s in 2016, unit sales increased by more than 150% the following year.

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13. Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Avg. days on lot: 40.4

2017 sales: 4,188

2016 sales: 3,950

Starting at: $123,600

The $123,600 price tag on a Mercedes-Benz G-Class didn’t stop consumers from quickly snatching it up. Sales of the boxy SUV increased from 2016, selling over 4,000 units in 2017.

12. Honda Pilot

Avg. days on lot: 38.1

2017 sales: 127,279

2016 sales: 120,772

Starting at: $30,900

Honda, one of the most popular car makers in the U.S. market, makes three of the cars on this list. There was a slight uptick in Pilot sales in 2017 compared to 2016, when Honda unveiled the SUV’s third-generation model.

11. Honda CR-V

Avg. days on lot: 38.0

2017 sales: 377,895

2016 sales: 357,335

Starting at: $24,150

The Honda CR-V is one of the most popular vehicles in the entire country and it flies off the lot quickly. The 2017 model continued to be a big draw, selling nearly 378,000 vehicles. Honda sold more than 1 million CR-Vs over the last three years.

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10. Subaru Forester

Avg. days on lot: 37.8

2017 sales: 177,563

2016 sales: 178,593

Starting at: $22,795

Crossovers are one of the fastest growing segments in the automotive world. As an affordable, highly rated crossover, the Subaru Forester is cashing in on that trend. Forester sales jumped from under 124,000 in 2013 to nearly 160,000 in 2014, when Subaru rolled out the fourth generation model. Sales have continued their upward trajectory in recent years, and over 177,000 units were sold last year in the U.S.

9. Audi Q5

Avg. days on lot: 37.1

2017 sales: 57,640

2016 sales: 49,550

Starting at: $41,500

Audi rolled out the first member of the second generation Q5 in 2017 and it was an immediate success. U.S. News & World Report named the 2018 Q5 the best Luxury Compact SUV for Families. Sales for the Q5 saw an impressive 16% increase compared to 2016.

8. Volkswagen Atlas

Avg. days on lot: 34.3

2017 sales: 27,119

2016 sales: N/A

Starting at: $30,750

Upon its debut, the Volkswagen Atlas became the second-best selling vehicle in Volkswagen’s lineup in 2017. It can be tough to anticipate how well a car will sell, but with the popularity of crossovers and SUVs, the Atlas seems to be in high demand, lasting on dealership lots just over a month on average.

7. Audi A4 allroad

Avg. days on lot: 34.0

2017 sales: 3,240

2016 sales: 2,300

Starting at: $44,500

Demand for wagons like the Audi A4 allroad is dropping sharply, but Audi has managed its inventory well enough to make sure the A4 allroad, which started its fifth generation in 2016, doesn’t sit on the lot for too long. Audi sold just 3,240 A4 allroads in 2017, though the wagon lasted just 34 days on average on dealers’ lots.

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6. Lexus LC

Avg. days on lot: 31.6

2017 sales: 2,484

2016 sales: N/A

Starting at: $92,000

While cars appear to be going out of style in favor of SUVs and crossovers, luxury cars are the one segment of the market that is holding steady. The Lexus LC made a strong debut in that category in 2017, selling nearly 2,500 models in its first year.

5. Toyota Highlander

Avg. days on lot: 29.8

2017 sales: 215,775

2016 sales: 191,379

Starting at: $31,030

Toyota has been rolling out third generation Highlanders since 2013, but a slight update to the SUV in late 2016 appears to have made a world of difference. Sales have jumped 36% in the past two years, increasing from under 159,000 in 2015 to over 191,000 in 2016 and 215,775 last year.

4. Range Rover Velar

Avg. days on lot: 29.3

2017 sales: 6,153

2016 sales: N/A

Starting at: $49,900

Range Rover debuted its fourth model, the Velar, in mid-2017. The Velar provides a middle ground compared to other Range Rovers in terms of both price and size. Though only a few thousand Velars were sold, they lasted on the lot less than a month on average.

3. Mercedes-Benz GLC

Avg. days on lot: 27.3

2017 sales: 48,643

2016 sales: 47,872

Starting at: $40,050

As SUVs grew to dominate the automobile marketplace, Mercedes-Benz rolled out the GLC in 2015 to replace its GLK line. One of the least expensive Mercedes-Benz SUVs, the GLC offers a popular style of vehicle from a marquee manufacturer for just over $40,000, and it has become one of the best-selling luxury SUVs in the U.S.

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2. Audi Q7

Avg. days on lot: 23.9

2017 sales: 38,346

2016 sales: 30,563

Starting at: $49,900

After coming out with a second generation in 2015, sales of the revamped Audi Q7 continued to increase, likely due to largely positive reviews from critics. After selling just under 19,000 cars in its first year, Audi sold over 30,000 Q7s in the U.S. market in 2016 and over 38,000 in 2017.

1. Honda Clarity

Avg. days on lot: 13.2

2017 sales: 2,455

2016 sales: 8

Starting at: $33,400

Honda could barely keep its new Clarity on the lot in 2017. After selling just a handful at the end of 2016 — when the new model was introduced — Claritys stayed on dealers’ lots less than two weeks on average before being sold. A low supply may have contributed to the high demand, as only a dozen Honda dealerships carry the car, which comes in electric, fuel cell, or hybrid.

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Detailed findings and methodology

In order to determine the cars so hot they’re out of stock, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data provided by Kelley Blue Book about the cars with the shortest days to turn in the U.S. market in 2017. KBB also provided data about the 2017 and 2016 sales figures. If a car was not available in 2016, the 2016 sales was was marked “N/A.” Days to turn measures the average number of days a car sat on a dealer’s lot until it was sold in 2017. Only vehicles that sold over 1,000 models in the U.S. market in 2017 were considered. For more on how this list was determined, click here.

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