A
Crossover — variously called
XUV or
CUV, for
crossover utility vehicle — is a marketing term for a vehicle that derives from a car while borrowing features from an
SUV or
Minivan.
The crossover combines, in highly variable degrees, the design features such as tall interior packaging, high
H-point seating, high ground-clearance, or all-wheel-drive capability of the SUV — with design features from an automobile
platform such as car-like handling, ride, or economy. A crossover also uses a car's
unibody or
monocoque construction while forgoing the
body on frame construction in use on most SUVs. CUVs typically are designed for only light off-road capability,
[1] if at all.
2009 Dodge Journey, CUV
The term crossover began as a marketing term,
[2] and a 2008
CNNMoney article indicated that "many consumers can't tell the difference between an SUV and a crossover."
[1] A January, 2008
Wall Street Journal article called the CUVs, "wagons that look like sport utility vehicles but ride like cars,"
[3]
While the segment has notable historical antecedants, it had come into strong visibility in the US by 2006, when crossover sales "made up more than 50% of the overall SUV market."
[4] Sales in the crossover market segment increased in 2007 by 16%,
[3] Notably, the crossover segment is one of the the few segments of the light truck market where import brands lead domestic brands,
[1] and the segment has strong appeal to aging
baby boomers.
[1]
The broad spectrum of CUVs or crossovers includes:
- Compact to mid-sized sedan-derived CUVs: e.g., BMW X3, Cadillac SRX, Honda CR-V, Lexus RX 350, Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe.
- Full sized minivan or sedan-derived CUVs: e.g., Saturn Outlook/Chevrolet Traverse, Toyota Highlander
- Station wagon or hatchback-derived CUVs: e.g., Subaru Forester
- Minivan-like vehicles: e.g., Dodge Journey, Kia Rondo, Mazda 5 (Mazda Premacy).
The European
MPV or
large MPV may broadly resemble the crossover, including vehicles such as the
VW Golf Plus,
Ford Kuga,
Renault Koleos and
Ford S-Max. Notably, during the development of the
Dodge Journey CUV, Dodge benchmarked the S-Max.
[5]
Historical antecedents
Moskvitch 410 was introduced in 1957.
The 1957
Moskvitch 410 (the 4WD version of the
Moskvitch 402) is an early example of a CUV. Later examples include the
Lada Niva and the
AMC Eagle, which debuted in 1977 and 1980 respectively. The Eagle combined modest off-road functionality with the
AMC Concord platform and bodywork (
sedan,
wagon, and
hatchback) all with raised ground clearance.
Notably, certain vehicles that pre-date the term "crossover" more logically meet crossover rather than SUV criteria, vehicles such as the
Subaru Forester and
Subaru Outback. By the same token, certain SUVs feature the crossover's trademark unibody construction, vehicles such as the
Jeep Cherokee (XJ), though capable of full off-road duty.
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