MIAMI — The National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers (NAMAD), in partnership with Mobility Global, presented the 2026 Diversity Volume Leadership (DVL) Awards this morning, sponsored by American Honda, recognizing the vehicles that earned the strongest combined new-vehicle registrations among Black, Asian American, and Hispanic American consumers, a group Mobility Global now calls America's Growth Consumers.
The Toyota RAV4 took home the ceremony's most prestigious honor, Top Overall Future Majority Vehicle, edging out the Honda CR-V and Toyota Camry as the top overall choice among Growth Consumers in 2026. In a separate recognition, automotive journalist Brian Armstead announced the Ford F-Series as the overall sales winner across the full U.S. market, a distinction that highlighted a recurring theme throughout the ceremony: several segment winners among Growth Consumers differed from the top-selling vehicle in that segment overall.
That gap surfaced repeatedly across the morning's award categories. In the Van segment, for example, the Ford Transit Van won the DVL award while the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter was named the segment's overall sales leader.
Segment | DVL Winner (Growth Consumers) | Overall Sales Leader |
|---|---|---|
Van | Ford Transit Van | Mercedes-Benz Sprinter |
Subcompact Utility | Nissan Kicks | Subaru Crosstrek |
Compact Utility | Toyota RAV4 | Honda CR-V |
Upper Mid-Size Utility | Toyota Grand Highlander | Jeep Grand Cherokee |
Luxury Mid-Size Utility | Cadillac Lyriq EV | Lincoln Nautilus |
"The Future Has Arrived"
Marc Bland, VP of New Business Development and Growth Audiences at Mobility Global, opened the ceremony by retiring the term his organization has used for two decades to describe this consumer group.
For years, we described these buyers as The Future Majority. That phrase served its purpose. But today, the future has arrived. These consumers are no longer an emerging opportunity, they are America's Growth Consumers. They are the families, entrepreneurs, professionals and first-time buyers fueling growth across nearly every segment of the automotive marketplace.
Bland noted that 21 different brands were nominated across this year's categories, with 11 different brands taking home DVL awards, a sign, he said, of broadening manufacturer investment in reaching diverse buyers. Tesla and Rivian were excluded from consideration, as neither operates a franchised dealer network.
For NAMAD dealers, that opportunity comes with real challenges. Acquisition opportunities remain limited. Consolidation continues across the retail landscape. Capital is more expensive, margins are tighter, and every customer interaction carries greater importance than ever before. Yet NAMAD dealers continue to demonstrate what has always distinguished this organization: leadership, innovation, resilience and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
Toyota Also Claims Top Overall Volume Vehicle
Toyota Motor North America accepted a second major honor of the morning, Top Overall Volume Vehicle. Monica Womack, General Manager of Business & Community Engagement at Toyota Motor North America, accepted on the company's behalf.
This award represents far more than sales volume. It reflects the trust that our customers place in Toyota, the strength of our dealer network and the dedication of thousands of team members who work every day to deliver vehicles people can rely on. It also speaks to the true power of partnership.
Womack, who has spent more than 27 years at Toyota, credited the automaker's long relationship with NAMAD directly.
For decades, NAMAD has challenged our industry to expand opportunity, strengthen minority dealer success and build a more inclusive future. Toyota is proud to share that commitment, and our partnership continues to grow stronger because of it.
Toyota and Lexus Lead a Strong Morning for Japanese Brands
Toyota and Lexus combined to win DVL awards across a wide range of segments:
Camry — Mid-Size Car, Top Non-Luxury Hybrid
Sienna — Mid-Size Van
RAV4 — Compact Utility
Grand Highlander — Upper Mid-Size Utility
Tacoma — Compact to Mid-Size Pickup
Lexus IS — Compact Luxury Car
Lexus ES — Mid-Size Luxury Car
Lexus NX — Compact Luxury Utility, Top Luxury Hybrid
Lexus RX — Upper Mid-Size Luxury Utility, Top Overall Future Majority Luxury Vehicle
Ford's F-Series won DVL honors in both the Full-Size Half-Ton Pickup and Full-Size Three-Quarter to One-Ton Pickup segments, the former by a margin of just 88 sales.
New winners emerged in several luxury categories this year, including the Acura Integra (Sub-Compact Luxury Car), Acura ADX (Luxury Traditional Compact Utility), and Chevrolet Equinox (Top Non-Luxury Battery Electric Vehicle), which Bland cited as evidence of "outstanding efforts by manufacturers to market their luxury vehicles to growth audiences."
Electrification Categories Reflect a Shifting Market
Bland noted that the four electrification-focused categories introduced in recent years, Top Non-Luxury Hybrid, Top Luxury Hybrid, Top Non-Luxury BEV, and Top Luxury BEV, were created amid an industry-wide push toward full electrification that has since moderated.
The elimination of Federal tax credits affected the future of EV sales in the U.S. market.
Bland added that competition from Chinese EV manufacturers and ongoing tariff questions remain open variables, and noted that several manufacturers have reintroduced internal combustion models and pulled back future EV development in favor of traditional and plug-in hybrids.
The Toyota Camry won Top Non-Luxury Hybrid by a wide margin, while the Chevrolet Equinox and Cadillac Lyriq took the non-luxury and luxury BEV categories, respectively.
About the DVL Awards
For more than two decades, NAMAD and Mobility Global, through its predecessor organizations dating back to POLK, have recognized the manufacturers whose products, marketing, and overall commitment have earned the confidence of America's Growth Consumers. The DVL Awards are based on Mobility Global's personal new-vehicle registration data among Black, Asian American, and Hispanic American consumers.
Through these annual awards, the Mobility Global relationship with NAMAD brings to the forefront critical data about the incredible monetary impact Future Majority and all car buyers have on the auto industry. We urge manufacturers to keep it up. Seeking to reach out and include ALL will always deliver a better product and more sales.
About NAMAD The National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers represents the interests of Black, Asian American, and Hispanic American new-car dealers across the United States.
About Mobility Global Mobility Global provides new-vehicle registration data and consumer insights to the automotive industry.
Appendix: Full 2026 DVL Award Results
Category | DVL Winner |
|---|---|
Sub-Compact Car | Nissan Versa |
Compact Car | Honda Civic |
Mid-Size Car | Toyota Camry |
Compact/Mid-Size Sport | Ford Mustang |
Mid-Size Van | Toyota Sienna |
Compact to One-Ton Van | Ford Transit Van (Overall Sales Leader: Mercedes-Benz Sprinter) |
Subcompact Utility | Nissan Kicks (Overall Sales Leader: Subaru Crosstrek) |
Utility Plus | Honda HR-V |
Compact Utility | Toyota RAV4 (Overall Sales Leader: Honda CR-V) |
Lower Mid-Size Utility | Subaru Outback |
Upper Mid-Size Utility | Toyota Grand Highlander (Overall Sales Leader: Jeep Grand Cherokee) |
Full-Size Utility | Chevrolet Tahoe |
Compact to Mid-Size Pickup | Toyota Tacoma |
Full-Size Half-Ton Pickup | Ford F-Series |
Full-Size 3/4-to-One-Ton Pickup | Ford F-Series |
Sub-Compact Luxury Car | Acura Integra |
Compact Luxury Car | Lexus IS |
Mid-Size Luxury Car | Lexus ES |
Luxury Exotic/Sport/Prestige | Chevrolet Corvette |
Luxury Prestige Full-Size | Mercedes-Benz S-Class |
Luxury Traditional Compact Utility | Acura ADX |
Compact Luxury Utility | Lexus NX |
Luxury Mid-Size Utility | Cadillac Lyriq EV (Overall Sales Leader: Lincoln Nautilus) |
Luxury Upper Mid-Size Utility | Lexus RX |
Full-Size Luxury Utility | BMW X7 |
Top Non-Luxury Hybrid | Toyota Camry |
Top Luxury Hybrid | Lexus RX |
Top Non-Luxury BEV | Chevrolet Equinox |
Top Luxury BEV | Cadillac Lyriq |
Top Overall Future Majority Luxury Vehicle | Lexus RX |
Top Overall Future Majority Vehicle | Toyota RAV4 (Overall Sales Leader: Ford F-Series) |
