Toyota Motor Corp.'s U.S. sales chief predicted in late 2015 that the RAV4 would outsell the Camry within five years. It won't take nearly that long.
Family sedans like Toyota's Camry — the top-selling U.S. car for the last 15 years — are set to be surpassed for the first time by a trio of compact sport utility vehicles: the Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. Until Hurricane Harvey hit, some analysts expected strong demand for these models to pace the industry's first monthly sales gain this year in August.
The faster-than-anticipated rise of crossovers reflects a sweeping shift in American consumer taste and rushed efforts by manufacturers to rework their factories at the whims of car shoppers. As the companies reconsider projections for just how much appetite there is for compact SUVs, more pointed advertising campaigns are going to help determine which models come out on top.