Some of you might ask yourself what’s so special about sports cars? They aren’t designed to go off-road, the biggest part of them have space for just one passenger and still the sports cars sales are up in US this Spring.
U.S. sales of compact sports cars are up 3.4 percent in 2017, while overall car demand is off 12 percent, including an 11 percent slump in April. Truck sales, including crossovers and SUVs, have increased 4.4 percent so far in 2017.
The big winner among small sports cars this year is Mazda’s MX-5 Miata, which, after a redesign, got off to a slow start last year but is now showing signs of life in the showroom. A new model with a retractable hardtop was recently added. MX-5 Miata sales in April totaled 1,319, down from 1,345 sold in March, but up sharply from the 929 sold in January and 1,108 sold in February. Overall, MX-5 Miata deliveries are up 35 percent this year in the U.S
The MX-5 Miata’s sibling, the Fiat 124 Spider, is also selling in steady volume, albeit in small numbers. U.S. sales of the roadster started the year at 240 sold in January and grew to 465 in April.
Even the BMW Z4, which went out of production in August, has seen U.S. sales rise 42 percent this year, though monthly volumes have been small.
