Automotive industry segments: How brands win with diverse lineups

In the US automotive market, segment leadership is a powerful asset. A top-selling nameplate delivers clear marketing wins. But for many automakers, total brand performance within automotive industry segments—across multiple models—can be just as valuable, even if no single model takes the crown.

In fact, brand-level leadership often reflects a broader product strategy, especially when multiple models span price points and propulsion types.

As of March 2025, four of the 35 US new vehicle segments feature a nameplate leader that does not belong to the brand with the highest total segment volume. This fact presents a revealing look into how strategy and lineup design influence who “wins”—and how.

Read on to see how these automotive industry trends play out in four key segments.

In the compact utility segment (the largest in the industry with 21.2% of all new retail registrations from January to March 2025), the Honda CR-V is the segment leader with 99,151 new retail registrations during that time period, followed closely by perennial rival the Toyota RAV4 with 96,303 registrations. But Toyota also offers a second small utility vehicle, the BZ4X electric vehicle, and this model’s volume of 5,076 combined with RAV4 sales pushes total Toyota deliveries ahead of the CR-V, showcasing the power of a diversified lineup.

In the upper midsize utility segment (the second largest category with 11.8% market share from January to March 2025), the Jeep Grand Cherokee leads with 44,908 new deliveries. However, Kia markets three three-row midsize utilities—the Telluride, Sorento, and EV9—and together these models have generated 55,978 registrations to claim brand-level segment leadership. Kia’s strategy? To offer both internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric vehicle (EV) options across different price points, appealing to a broader audience. Similarly, Toyota and Hyundai offer three and two models, respectively, again splitting the segment into smaller segments based on price, size—or both. 

The Lincoln Nautilus leads the lower midsize utility segment (two-row midsize utility) with 8,093 registrations in the first three months of 2025. However, the Nautilus is Lincoln’s sole entry in this category, while Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover all offer two models. The combined registration total of the two Cadillacs (XT5 and Lyriq) push Cadillac ahead of Lincoln into the number one brand in this category with 10,108 registrations. Cadillac’s offering of both ICE and EV models helps propel the brand to this segment leadership position. (Mercedes-Benz also offers both ICE (GLE Coupe) and EV (EQE SUV) vehicles, but the brand total still trails Cadillac and Lincoln.)

Finally, the Mercedes-Benz S Class leads the full-size luxury car segment with 1,639 deliveries from January to March 2025, but BMW leads at the brand level with 2,902 registrations, benefiting from a comprehensive portfolio of eight model entries versus Mercedes-Benz’s two. Audi offers three full-size luxury cars, but the brand still ranks fourth in the segment after German rivals BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. 

Competition for the half-ton full-size pickup market has led to one of the most cut-throat rivalries in the industry. The Ford F-150 has long been America’s most popular full-size half-ton pickup. Yet, GM consistently sells more full-size half-ton pickups than Ford because it offers two models: the Chevrolet Silverado and the upscale GMC Sierra. Ford tried twice, with the Lincoln Blackwood and Lincoln Mark LT, to adopt GM’s two-product strategy, but neither model gained traction, and both were discontinued. So, to this day, Ford promotes the most popular pickup while GM can claim that it sells more full-size half-ton pickups than any other manufacturer.