Sales of premium midsized cars in Europe continue their steady decline, down another 6% after sales already were down 7% over the full year 2013. No change at the top, the BMW 3-series is still “king of the hill”, not only outselling every premium midsized competitor, but plainly outselling every midsized competitor, including the mainstream midsized models. And the 3-series even manages to increase its sales, albeit marginally, despite the fact that the coupe and convertible models are no longer counted within its nameplate. The BMW 4-series are now counted separately as the 4-series and add an extra 10.000 units to BMW’s midsized tally which used to be counted as 3-series sales.
Bear in mind that Mercedes-Benz C-class sales include the coupe and convertible as well and that Audi A5 sales are made up of the coupe, convertible and sportsback versions combined. That makes BMW’s performance even more impressive, considering the 4-series is already breathing down the neck of the A5, while the 4-series Gran Coupe four-door is not yet on sale. [Read more…]
Sales of premium compact cars in Europe have slowed their growth in the first quarter of 2014, increasing just 6% which is less than the overall market at +7%. Despite big differences in volume increases or decreases, the top eight ranking is stable on the full year 2013. That means the Audi A3 is still firmly in the lead it took over from the BMW 1-series. In fact, the A3’s lead over the 1-series after just three months is already larger than it was over all twelve months last year.
Sales of large SUVs in Europe have rebounded slightly after years of declines. The segment moves with the market, up 7% for the first three months of 2014. All but two models see their sales grow for the period, although the segment remains a minor portion of the European car market, selling just over 30.000 units a year combined.
Sales of midsized crossovers and SUVs in Europe keep on growing, up another 8% in the first three months of 2014. And underscoring the stability of the segment, the top 5 ranking is stable, with the Nissan Qashqai still firm in the lead, despite sales down 13% due to run-out mode for the outgoing model while deliveries of the new generation have just started. This new generation will undoubtedly keep the British-built crossover in first position for the full year, and get it back into positive territory as well, selling over 200.000 units for the fifth straight year.
Welcome to the most dynamic segment of 2013 and 2014. Sales of small crossovers in Europe have more than doubled in the first quarter of 2014, adding almost 100.000 units, after already increasing 81% over the full year 2013. Of course, new entrants are to thank for these huge steps the segment is taking. These new entrants are making big waves, shaking up the ranking big time. The two French contenders Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008 have come out of nowhere straight into the top two positions.
Sales of large MPVs in Europe are surprisingly up by a whopping 35% in the first quarter of 2014 after many years of steady declines. The only logical explanation for this unexpected phenomenon is the upcoming model changeover for the Ford Galaxy and 
Sales of midsized MPVs in Europe are relatively stable in the first quarter of 2014, down just 1% while the market is up 7%. However, similar to the 
Sales of small MPVs in Europe are up by 10% in the first three months of 2014, continuing to outperform the overall market. But the success is not shared equally between the models. In fact, only 4 out of the 13 models in this segment were able to increase their sales compared to the first quarter of 2013. Besides that, the segment’s growth of just over 11.000 units can be wholly attributed to the new generation Nissan Note, up 11.236 sales compared to the outgoing model last year. As a result, the Note has jumped into second place of the segment, coming out of nowhere (well, 6th position) in 2013.
Sales of midsized cars in Europe are down slightly again in the first quarter of 2014, after declining already 22% in the full year 2013. No change at the top, with the Volkswagen Passat still firm in the lead, although no longer selling twice as much as the number two of the segment.
Sales of compact cars in Europe are growing slightly faster than the market in the first quarter of 2014, up 8% while the overall market is up 7%. And whereas the growth in the subcompact segment can be fully attributed to the Renault-Nissan alliance, the compact segment’s growth is fully thanks to the VW Group’s compact platform with the Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Octavia and Seat Leon increasing their first quarter sales by a combined 45.628 units, while the whole segment grows by 43.314 sales.