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With summer in full swing, automotive insiders are poring over 2024 vehicle sales numbers and discovering some interesting shifts in consumer behaviors. One of them, it seems, is over small cars. Some are now calling July and August 2024 “Small Car Summer.” Here’s why – and what it might indicate for the country’s future car-buying behaviors.

In the car world, Summer 2024 is now “Small Car Summer”

As an automotive insider, I pay close attention to national industry headlines. We reported earlier this year that 82% of Americans can’t afford average new car prices. Interestingly, I’ve indeed noticed more sedans driving around the Midwest this summer than in recent years. At first, I thought maybe it was my “industry goggles” filtering what caught my eye.

However, according to GoodCarBadCar, the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Kia Forte, and Mazda 3 are all experiencing impressive sales increases over 2023. Heck, the Honda Civic is up almost 34% in year-over-year sales. Why, though? Fortune says it directly: it’s all Americans can afford.

This year, J.D. Power estimates the average new car runs Americans nearly $46K. Experian says the average American’s car payment is about $735 a month.

The 2024 Honda Civic starts at $24,250 and ends with the Type R at $44,795. Compare that to the best-selling truck, the 2024 F-150, which starts at $36,965 for the XL and tops $78,440 with the Raptor.

Will this turn the U.S. into a “Small Car Nation”?

We’ve also reported that year-to-date, one of the top five highest-selling used cars is a sedan: the Toyota Camry. To me, this indicates Americans still rely on sedans in the aftermarket.

Add the boost in new compact car sales, and it’s looking like Americans could be migrating to smaller vehicles.

What’s more, we reported that in early July, Ford CEO Jim Farley said that Americans need to “get back in love” with small cars. This was said in relation to the expense of bigger EVs and larger gas vehicles in general. SUVs and trucks are just, well, costly to build, buy, maintain, and repair.

And anyway, looking toward the “dark looming cloud” of China’s cheap, small, and efficient EVs, it seems we’re due for a small car takeover.

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Editor-in-Chief

Sarah Kennedy

Sarah Kennedy joined the MotorBiscuit team as managing editor in 2021 and brings with her a bevy of automotive expertise. She’s an ASE-Certified Automotive Service Consultant and licensed car salesperson with over a decade of shop operations experience.

Sarah was the creator of “Shop Smarts” for MOTOR Magazine and was a contributor from 2013 to 2020. Her work earned her a Gold Medalist award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors in 2014 and Bronze Medalist awards from the International Automotive Media Competition in 2014 and 2015.

She has attended the Automotive Management Institute and earned her bachelor’s degree in English from The Ohio State University.