In addition to the Encore, whose sales surged 72 percent in November over the previous year, the Nissan Juke and Mitsubishi Outlander Sport are already vying for a slice of the tiny-S.U.V. pie. And more competitors are poised to enter the game as Honda, Jeep and others plan to introduce smaller sport utilities next year.
Jessica Caldwell, a senior analyst with Edmunds, said that price was another selling point for the smallest S.U.V.s. “We’re now talking about true entry-level buyers having choices they never had before,” she said.
This month, Chevrolet began shipping its long-awaited Trax subcompact, aimed at urban, budget-conscious S.U.V. shoppers. Its price tag starts at just over $20,000.
“This is about as small as an S.U.V. can get,” said Steve Majoros, Chevy’s crossover marketing director. “It’s not going to climb a mountain, but is has still many of the benefits people look for from a traditional sport utility.”
Chevy has deemed it the “city smart S.U.V.” and while it will take until February for them to fully arrive at dealerships around the country, some dealers in Western states have already started to sell them.