Opel_Astra-2016-auto-sales-statistics-Europe

European car sales analysis January 2016 – models

Opel_Astra-2016-auto-sales-statistics-EuropeAfter looking at which brands were selling well in January, we’ll zoom in on model level to see what’s caused the trends. It won’t surprise anybody to see the VW Golf still firmly in the lead, but it does lose 8,5% on last year. That has been expected, as the Golf VII is now three years old and the competition is getting stronger with the new Opel/Vauxhall Astra storming up the charts and a new Renault Megane ready to do the same. The Golf is again followed by the Polo in 2nd place ahead of the Ford Fiesta and Renault Clio. The Opel/Vauxhall Corsa used to be close behind these three subcompact models, but has fallen behind in 2016, and the Peugeot 208 has moved into the vacant spot at #5. The Corsa’s loss is made up by the advance of the Astra, the fastest growing model in the top-40, now firmly back in the top-10 and here to stay.

The Nissan Qashqai has its strongest January ever in 6th place, but the big surprise comes from the Fiat Panda. The 4-year-old minicar has the best January of this generation and grabs a top-10 position for the first time in almost 2 years with an increase of 28,9%. However, almost 80% of its sales came from its home market Italy, where it was the #1 seller with 13.367 units, an increase of 42%. That means it was actually down 5% to 3.481 sales in the rest of Europe. Another late-bloomer is the Toyota Yaris, launched in 2011 and showing steady sales improvements for the past three years, and again in January, up 4% and into 11th place.

The Volkswagen Passat finishes its twelve-month streak of double digit increases as the new generation was starting to arrive in dealerships in the beginning of last year, and it drops out of the top-10. Not to worry, it still sells almost 2,5 times as much as its closest competitor, the Ford Mondeo at #50.

Mitsubishi_Outlander-auto-sales-statistics-EuropeThe Peugeot 308 is surprisingly stable coming off its high in December, when it registered a record 27.144 vehicles thanks to a tax benefit in The Netherlands that ended January 1st. For example, two other beneficiaries of the year-end spike in Dutch demand suffered a blowback last month: the Volvo V40 was down 12,6% on last year at #81 (December: 10.158, January 4.708) and the Mitsubishi Outlander lost 18,7% on January 2015 in 128th place (down from 7.805 in December to 2.457 last month).

The Renault Captur plateaus at #16 while the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka closes in with a 7,3% increase in 20th place, moving ahead of the Peugeot 2008 at #22. In that same segment, the Jeep Renegade hits a new volume record with 5.681 sales at #61. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class loses 13,9% in #19, but stays well ahead of the Audi A4 at #30 and the BMW 3-series at #31.

Hyundai_Tucson-new_generation-auto-sales-statistics-EuropeThe best selling newcomer is in 23rd place and it’s surprisingly the Hyundai Tucson which manages to beat its rival Renault Kadjar for the first time, and by a large margin. In fact, the Tucson has taken the #2 spot of the midsized SUV segment behind the Qashqai, but ahead of the Volkswagen Tiguan (#25, -2,6%), Kia Sportage (#27, +19,2%) and finally the Kadjar (#36). As we said in the brand ranking, Renault may suffer from a blowback after possibly boosting sales artificially in December. We’ll know for sure when next month’s results come in, but also the Espace (#142 behind the Ford S-Max at #108 and Volkswagen Sharan at #133) and the Twingo (-28,1%) are far lower than we had expected them to be. The Megane and Scenic are down naturally due to being replaced this year.

The new generation Volkswagen Touran is up 34,1% into 34th place, taking the lead of the midsized MPV segment ahead of the Citroën C4 Picasso (#38) and BMW 2-series Active/Gran Tourer (#44). Its sibling Golf Sportsvan is cannibalized at -26,7% and 48th place.

European-sales-premium_small_crossover_segment-Audi_Q3The Audi Q3 improves 50% on last year and its second highest ranking at #41 (after its 35th place in August 2012). This means it outsells its hatchback sibling Audi A1 (#42) and mainstream rivals like the Fiat 500X (#43) and almost the Nissan Juke (#40). Not far behind is the new generation BMW X1 in 52nd place, doubling the sales of the previous generation last year, and way ahead of the Mercedes-Benz GLA in 84th place. One segment up, Mercedes is the big winner with the all-new GLC, taking the lead in the midsized premium SUV segment in 64th place, ahead of the Volvo XC60 (#73), Range Rover Evoque (#76), Audi Q5 (#87) and BMW X3 (#102). The GLC even almost outsells the Mercedes-Benz E-Class at #63. Audi wins the close race in the large premium SUV segment with the new generation Q7 at #119, the BMW X5 at #123, the new Volvo XC90 at #126 and the new Mercedes-Benz GLE at #135.

Opel_Karl-Vauxhall_Viva-auto-sales-statistics-EuropeThe Opel Karl / Vauxhall Viva is finally making a mark in the minicar segment, setting a new volume record at 5.971 sales and #58, or 6th place of the segment, just behind the Hyundai i10 (#57), but ahead of the Peugeot 108, Citroën C1 and the already mentioned Twingo, in places 66 to 68. Contrastingly, the Suzuki Celerio (#146) just seems unable to break through, as its 1.995 sales are down 29,5% on what it sold with the outgoing Alto last year, and also down from Alto sales in 2014 and 2013. And that’s not even accounting for the fact that Suzuki hasn’t replaced the Splash either. Fortunately for the brand, the all-new Vitara is proving to be a hit with a new volume record at #60, although also slightly cannibalizing on S-Cross (#152) sales. Suzuki has two important launches coming up in 2016 with the Baleno and the Ignis, so it won’t be too worried about those struggling minicar sales.

Honda was struggling all of last year and was the only manufacturer to lose volume in Europe, but this year starts off on a positive note thanks to the new generation Jazz (#107) finally starting to make a mark, and the addition of the HR-V (#147), although that’s still far behind its segment rivals. For example the Mazda CX-3 (#89) sells twice as many units.

We have one newcomer to the ranking this month: the Infiniti Q30 at #248 with 167 sales, already almost the best selling model for the brand, with the Q50 in 245th place.

Models ranking January 2016

  Model jan-16 jan-15 change
1 Volkswagen Golf 37.613 41.107 -8,5%
2 Volkswagen Polo 25.292 23.322 8,4%
3 Ford Fiesta 21.525 21.796 -1,2%
4 Renault Clio 21.126 22.111 -4,5%
5 Peugeot 208 19.419 16.007 21,3%
6 Nissan Qashqai 18.259 18.119 0,8%
7 Opel/Vauxhall Corsa 17.914 21.117 -15,2%
8 Skoda Octavia 17.195 17.158 0,2%
9 Opel/Vauxhall Astra 16.873 11.129 51,6%
10 Fiat Panda 16.848 13.072 28,9%
11 Toyota Yaris 15.879 15.262 4,0%
12 Audi A3 / S3 / RS3 15.734 15.396 2,2%
13 Volkswagen Passat 15.498 14.794 4,8%
14 Peugeot 308 15.229 14.031 8,5%
15 Ford Focus 15.003 14.410 4,1%
16 Renault Captur 14.736 14.729 0,0%
17 Fiat 500 14.012 13.893 0,9%
18 Dacia Sandero 12.360 11.896 3,9%
19 Mercedes-Benz C-Class 12.319 14.312 -13,9%
20 Opel/Vauxhall Mokka 12.069 11.253 7,3%
21 Skoda Fabia 12.047 9.278 29,8%
22 Peugeot 2008 11.970 12.016 -0,4%
23 Hyundai Tucson 11.224 0 New
24 Toyota Auris 11.159 9.511 17,3%
25 Volkswagen Tiguan 11.138 11.431 -2,6%
26 Dacia Duster 10.507 11.018 -4,6%
27 Kia Sportage 10.296 8.640 19,2%
28 Citroën C3 10.151 8.252 23,0%
29 Seat Leon 10.108 10.089 0,2%
30 Audi A4 / S4 / RS4 9.335 9.353 -0,2%
31 BMW 3-series 9.092 9.597 -5,3%
32 Mercedes-Benz A-Class 9.086 9.283 -2,1%
33 BMW 1-series 8.883 8.274 7,4%
34 Volkswagen Touran 8.730 6.510 34,1%
35 Volkswagen Up! 8.429 10.486 -19,6%
36 Renault Kadjar 8.333 0 New
37 Seat Ibiza 8.295 8.704 -4,7%
38 Citroën C4 (Grand) Picasso 8.219 8.065 1,9%
39 Ford Kuga 8.167 6.759 20,8%
40 Nissan Juke 8.130 7.860 3,4%
41 Audi Q3 8.083 5.389 50,0%
42 Audi A1 7.997 6.573 21,7%
43 Fiat 500X 7.782 2.071 275,8%
44 BMW 2-series Active/Gran Tourer 7.121 4.605 54,6%
45 Audi A6 / S6 / RS6 / Allroad 7.046 6.640 6,1%
46 Ford (Grand) C-Max 7.037 5.724 22,9%
47 Mini 6.640 7.845 -15,4%
48 Volkswagen Sportsvan 6.584 8.979 -26,7%
49 Renault Megane 6.540 8.445 -22,6%
50 Ford Mondeo 6.508 4.900 32,8%
51 Skoda Superb 6.372 3.632 75,4%
52 BMW X1 6.242 3.150 98,2%
53 Hyundai i20 6.223 7.658 -18,7%
54 Toyota Aygo 6.186 7.040 -12,1%
55 Fiat 500L 6.177 7.745 -20,2%
56 Citroën C4 Cactus 6.164 6.355 -3,0%
57 Hyundai i10 6.115 5.648 8,3%
58 Opel Karl / Vauxhall Viva 5.971 0 New
59 Kia Cee’d 5.859 5.507 6,4%
60 Suzuki Vitara 5.752 0 New
61 Jeep Renegade 5.683 3.307 71,8%
62 Lancia/Chrysler Ypsilon 5.658 5.373 5,3%
63 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 5.599 5.242 6,8%
64 Mercedes-Benz GLC 5.563 0 New
65 Toyota RAV4 5.461 6.040 -9,6%
66 Peugeot 108 5.437 7.092 -23,3%
67 Citroën C1 5.365 5.547 -3,3%
68 Renault Twingo 5.322 7.397 -28,1%
69 Hyundai i30 5.302 5.352 -0,9%
70 Opel/Vauxhall Insignia 5.225 5.815 -10,1%
71 BMW 5-series 5.198 7.689 -32,4%
72 Kia Rio 5.183 4.468 16,0%
73 Volvo XC60 5.128 5.276 -2,8%
74 Mazda CX-5 4.958 4.966 -0,2%
75 Mercedes-Benz CLA 4.957 2.800 77,0%
76 Range Rover Evoque 4.931 5.687 -13,3%
77 Peugeot 3008 4.902 5.196 -5,7%
78 Renault (Grand) Scenic 4.853 7.426 -34,6%
79 Nissan Micra 4.797 5.579 -14,0%
80 Skoda Rapid 4.757 5.539 -14,1%
81 Volvo V40 4.708 5.386 -12,6%
82 Fiat Punto 4.692 7.087 -33,8%
83 Kia Picanto 4.602 4.503 2,2%
84 Mercedes-Benz GLA 4.535 4.492 1,0%
85 Ford Ecosport 4.398 2.911 51,1%
86 Mercedes-Benz B-Class 4.340 6.337 -31,5%
87 Audi Q5 4.253 4.357 -2,4%
88 Smart Fortwo 4.206 3.906 7,7%
89 Mazda CX-3 4.155 0 New
90 Skoda Yeti 4.154 4.381 -5,2%
91 Nissan X-Trail 4.089 2.631 55,4%
92 Opel/Vauxhall Meriva 4.037 3.688 9,5%
93 BMW 4-series 4.019 4.630 -13,2%
94 Citroën C4 4.004 3.630 10,3%
95 Honda CR-V 3.989 3.087 29,2%
96 Volkswagen Caddy Life 3.982 3.264 22,0%
97 Opel/Vauxhall Adam 3.942 4.534 -13,1%
98 Dacia Logan 3.917 4.233 -7,5%
99 Mazda3 3.789 4.774 -20,6%
100 Alfa Romeo Giulietta 3.725 2.995 24,4%
101 Opel/Vauxhall Zafira 3.658 3.906 -6,3%
102 BMW X3 3.648 4.082 -10,6%
103 Toyota Avensis 3.575 2.423 47,5%
104 Suzuki Swift 3.545 4.020 -11,8%
105 Mitsubishi ASX 3.510 3.458 1,5%
106 Audi A5 / S5 / RS5 3.488 2.811 24,1%
107 Honda Jazz 3.459 1.837 88,3%
108 Ford S-Max 3.399 1.753 93,9%
109 Land Rover Discovery Sport 3.383 414 717,1%
110 DS3 3.337 3.315 0,7%
111 Honda Civic 3.278 3.551 -7,7%
112 Citroën C3 Picasso 3.235 3.063 5,6%
113 Peugeot 508 3.208 3.503 -8,4%
114 Ford Ka 3.163 3.677 -14,0%
115 Ford B-Max 3.062 3.944 -22,4%
116 Volvo V70 / XC70 3.035 3.315 -8,4%
117 Mazda2 2.979 1.530 94,7%
118 Nissan Note 2.946 4.794 -38,5%
119 Audi Q7 2.872 718 300,0%
120 Smart Forfour 2.854 2.689 6,1%
121 Mazda6 2.818 2.166 30,1%
122 Volvo V60 2.749 3.589 -23,4%
123 BMW X5 2.738 2.856 -4,1%
124 Citroën Berlingo Multispace 2.721 2.482 9,6%
125 Mini Countryman / Paceman 2.617 3.382 -22,6%
126 Volvo XC90 2.517 33 7527,3%
127 Dacia Dokker 2.496 1.984 25,8%
128 Mitsubishi Outlander 2.457 3.023 -18,7%
129 Hyundai ix20 2.431 2.859 -15,0%
130 Peugeot 5008 2.398 2.311 3,8%
131 Skoda Citigo 2.381 2.475 -3,8%
132 Nissan Pulsar 2.339 3.447 -32,1%
133 Volkswagen Sharan 2.295 2.078 10,4%
134 Jaguar XE 2.286 0 New
135 Mercedes-Benz GLE 2.280 0 New
136 Dacia Lodgy 2.256 1.950 15,7%
137 Range Rover Sport 2.236 2.384 -6,2%
138 Toyota Verso 2.211 2.566 -13,8%
139 Kia Venga 2.179 2.219 -1,8%
140 Toyota Corolla 2.179 1.765 23,5%
141 Mitsubishi Space Star / Mirage 2.171 3.392 -36,0%
142 Renault Espace 2.093 121 1629,8%
143 Seat Alhambra 2.066 1.865 10,8%
144 Audi TT 2.055 1.427 44,0%
145 Peugeot Partner Tepee / Ranch 2.051 1.657 23,8%
146 Suzuki Celerio 1.995 1.447 37,9%
147 Honda HR-V 1.985 0 New
148 Mercedes-Benz V-Class 1.965 1.354 45,1%
149 Hyundai ix35 1.930 7.762 -75,1%
150 BMW X4 1.818 2.301 -21,0%
151 BMW 2-series Coupe & Convertible 1.764 1.036 70,3%
152 Hyundai i40 1.740 2.112 -17,6%
153 Suzuki S-Cross 1.628 2.338 -30,4%
154 Volkswagen Touareg 1.594 1.659 -3,9%
155 Ford Galaxy 1.578 1.067 47,9%
156 Kia Carens 1.566 1.517 3,2%
157 Porsche Macan 1.437 1.846 -22,2%
158 Volkswagen Beetle 1.433 1.536 -6,7%
159 Renault Kangoo 1.423 1.798 -20,9%
160 Renault Zoe 1.422 675 110,7%
161 DS4 1.375 1.299 5,9%
162 Seat Mii 1.321 2.055 -35,7%
163 Kia Sorento 1.266 909 39,3%
164 Lexus NX 1.204 1.537 -21,7%
165 Porsche 911 1.198 1.007 19,0%
166 Renault Talisman 1.176 0 New
167 Range Rover 1.168 866 34,9%
168 Land Rover Discovery 1.136 1.222 -7,0%
169 Jaguar XF 1.125 1.100 2,3%
170 Porsche Cayenne 1.104 1.515 -27,1%
171 Mercedes-Benz S-Class 1.086 1.241 -12,5%
172 Volkswagen Jetta 1.047 887 18,0%
173 BMW X6 1.039 1.379 -24,7%
174 Nissan Leaf 1.024 1.040 -1,5%
175 Jeep Grand Cherokee 1.011 1.103 -8,3%
176 Hyundai Santa Fe 1.002 1.306 -23,3%
177 BMW i3 939 649 44,7%
178 Citroën C4 Aircross 936 937 -0,1%
179 Mazda MX-5 926 212 336,8%
180 Kia Soul 919 985 -6,7%
181 DS5 891 873 2,1%
182 Seat Toledo 889 813 9,3%
183 Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe 861 0 New
184 Fiat Ducato 854 717 19,1%
185 BMW 7-series 845 338 150,0%
186 Suzuki Jimny 844 958 -11,9%
187 Fiat Qubo 838 751 11,6%
188 Citroën C5 828 1.264 -34,5%
189 Audi A7 / S7 / RS7 805 986 -18,4%
190 Alfa Romeo MiTo 798 1.047 -23,8%
191 Mercedes-Benz Vito Tourer 789 557 41,7%
192 Subaru Forester 785 911 -13,8%
193 Volvo S60 749 901 -16,9%
194 Jeep Cherokee 744 950 -21,7%
195 Subaru XV 717 767 -6,5%
196 Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro Tour 715 332 115,4%
197 Lexus RX 711 333 113,5%
198 SsangYong Tivoli 680 0 New
199 Citroën C-Elysee 663 337 96,7%
200 Lexus CT 644 705 -8,7%
201 Mercedes-Benz SLK 639 672 -4,9%
202 Audi A8 / S8 636 672 -5,4%
203 Volkswagen Scirocco 632 907 -30,3%
204 Renault Trafic Passenger 629 376 67,3%
205 Fiat Doblo 625 602 3,8%
206 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Combi 614 451 36,1%
207 Subaru Legacy / Outback 613 331 85,2%
208 Mercedes-Benz CLS 604 770 -21,6%
209 Tesla Model S 593 420 41,2%
210 Volkswagen CC 593 1.011 -41,3%
211 Toyota Prius 591 635 -6,9%
212 Kia Optima 589 318 85,2%
213 Renault Fluence 541 680 -20,4%
214 Toyota Land Cruiser 540 524 3,1%
215 Toyota Prius+ 524 589 -11,0%
216 Lexus IS 505 566 -10,8%
217 Mitsubishi Pajero / Montero / Shogun 478 413 15,7%
218 Nissan NV200 Evalia 473 330 43,3%
219 Fiat Freemont 454 1.270 -64,3%
220 Porsche Boxster 428 292 46,6%
221 Porsche Cayman 384 172 123,3%
222 Mercedes-Benz Citan Combi 374 298 25,5%
223 BMW 6-series 371 423 -12,3%
224 Opel/Vauxhall Antara 328 503 -34,8%
225 Maserati Ghibli 326 363 -10,2%
226 Jeep Wrangler 320 364 -12,1%
227 Mercedes-Benz G-Class 319 197 61,9%
228 Subaru Levorg 316 0 New
229 Mitsubishi Lancer 313 355 -11,8%
230 Jaguar F-type 302 231 30,7%
231 MG3 294 106 177,4%
232 SsangYong Korando 289 496 -41,7%
233 Peugeot Expert Tepee 275 245 12,2%
234 Lexus GS 239 139 71,9%
235 Peugeot iOn 235 77 205,2%
236 Ford Transit Tourneo 234 270 -13,3%
237 Peugeot 4008 231 213 8,5%
238 Porsche Panamera 227 354 -35,9%
239 Mercedes-Benz GL 225 310 -27,4%
240 Toyota Verso-S 218 685 -68,2%
241 Lexus RC 212 33 542,4%
242 Mercedes-AMG GT 199 49 306,1%
243 Jaguar XJ 197 118 66,9%
244 Peugeot 301 190 184 3,3%
245 Infiniti Q50 181 172 5,2%
246 Opel/Vauxhall Cascada 175 202 -13,4%
247 Audi R8 168 56 200,0%
248 Infiniti Q30 167 0 New
249 Citroën C-Zero 163 18 805,6%
250 Infiniti QX70 148 105 41,0%
251 BMW Z4 143 200 -28,5%
252 Fiat Tipo 143 0 New
253 Toyota iQ 142 27 425,9%
254 SsangYong Rexton 134 149 -10,1%
255 Bentley Continental GT / GTC 132 119 10,9%
256 Volvo S80 127 187 -32,1%
257 Suzuki Grand Vitara 123 180 -31,7%
258 Lada Niva 117 135 -13,3%
259 Mercedes-Benz SL 112 135 -17,0%
260 Citroën Nemo Multispace 111 112 -0,9%
261 BMW i8 110 304 -63,8%
262 Peugeot RCZ 98 344 -71,5%
263 SsangYong Rodius / Stavic 94 54 74,1%
264 Peugeot Bipper Tepee 89 183 -51,4%
265 Toyota GT86 86 119 -27,7%
266 Mercedes-Benz GLK 85 1.811 -95,3%
267 Ferrari 488 GTB 75 0 New
268 Renault Twizy 75 123 -39,0%
269 Hyundai H1 / Starex 66 58 13,8%
270 Land Rover Defender 58 53 9,4%
271 Nissan 370Z 57 35 62,9%
272 Hyundai Elantra 55 71 -22,5%
273 Maserati Quattroporte 53 74 -28,4%
274 Subaru Impreza 50 72 -30,6%
275 Renault Laguna 47 796 -94,1%
276 Suzuki SX4 44 551 -92,0%
277 Bentley Flying Spur 43 44 -2,3%
278 Ferrari California 40 70 -42,9%
279 Aston Martin V8/V12 Vantage 39 36 8,3%
280 Mazda CX-9 38 178 -78,7%
281 Chevrolet Spark 37 83 -55,4%
282 Aston Martin DB9 36 15 140,0%
283 Ferrari F12 35 17 105,9%
284 Jeep Compass 35 132 -73,5%
285 Alfa Romeo 4C 34 11 209,1%
286 Mazda5 33 552 -94,0%
287 Renault Koleos 33 1.459 -97,7%
288 Skoda Roomster 32 1.471 -97,8%
289 Seat Altea 30 1.300 -97,7%
290 Infiniti Q70 29 63 -54,0%
291 Lamborghini Huracan 28 52 -46,2%
292 Lancia/Chrysler Voyager 27 183 -85,2%
293 Bentley Mulsanne 27 24 12,5%
294 Volkswagen Phaeton 26 106 -75,5%
295 Subaru BRZ 25 23 8,7%
296 Maserati GranTurismo 23 29 -20,7%
297 Rolls Royce Ghost 22 20 10,0%
298 Rolls Royce Wraith 21 17 23,5%
299 Ferrari 458 Italia 20 71 -71,8%
300 Lamborghini Aventador 20 12 66,7%
301 Aston Martin Vanquish 19 19 0,0%
302 MG6 19 29 -34,5%
303 DR5 17 23 -26,1%
304 Mitsubishi Attrage 17 40 -57,5%
305 Mitsubishi i-MiEV 16 102 -84,3%
306 Lotus Elise 16 15 6,7%
307 Lotus Evora 15 6 150,0%
308 Chevrolet Aveo 13 28 -53,6%
309 Hyundai Genesis 13 22 -40,9%
310 Nissan Murano 13 59 -78,0%
311 Chevrolet Camaro 12 11 9,1%
312 Hyundai Veloster 12 35 -65,7%
313 Honda Accord 11 196 -94,4%
314 Infiniti QX50 11 16 -31,3%
315 Maserati GranCabrio 10 7 42,9%
316 Lotus Exige 10 16 -37,5%
317 Aston Martin Rapide 9 17 -47,1%
318 Rolls Royce Phantom 8 6 33,3%
319 Ferrari FF 7 17 -58,8%
320 Chevrolet Trax 6 38 -84,2%
321 Peugeot 207 5 215 -97,7%
322 DR CityCross 4 15 -73,3%
323 Chevrolet Cruze 3 33 -90,9%
324 Chevrolet Captiva 3 9 -66,7%
325 Opel/Vauxhall Agila 3 615 -99,5%
326 Nissan Pathfinder 2 71 -97,2%
327 Mercedes-Benz R-Class 1 1 0,0%
328 Chevrolet Malibu 1 2 -50,0%
329 Opel/Vauxhall Ampera 1 28 -96,4%
330 Peugeot 107 1 37 -97,3%
331 Peugeot 807 1 23 -95,7%
332 Suzuki Alto 1 1.362 -99,9%
333 Suzuki Splash 1 605 -99,8%
334 Seat Exeo 1 3 -66,7%
335 Volkswagen Golf Plus 1 1 0,0%
336 Volkswagen Eos 1 65 -98,5%
  1. Thanks for the information Bart.

    To be honest, I think it’s unfair and a sign of bias when you emphasize Renault sales being “possibly artificial” while at the same time you ignore this factor or even disprove it concerning VW in other articles. Everybody knows VW is using a lot of incentives to compensate the negative effects of Dieselgate. In my country you can get a discount up to 3.000 euros for the Up…
    Last year, you wrote an article after Dieselgate started and immediately insinuated other companies probably did the same. We’re now five months after Dieselgate and despite certain (German) environmental lobby groups are trying to hurt other brands (Opel, Renault, PSA, BMW, Daimler, Toyota, Honda), VW is still the only (!) cheating company. When can we read an article with the title ‘Yes, Volkswagen Group is the only one’?

    About the list: an interesting study for marketing students: why do people ‘buy’ more VW Passats than Skoda Superbs? On the whole, the latter is the better car (e.g. space, value for money, aftersales), but significantly more customers want its VW equivalent.

    Tucson is a nice car and looks better than ever. Would be my choice over the Kadjar et al.

    I’m surprised to see the DS 4 above the 5. Although it’s less expensive, in my opinion the 4 is not that different from the roomier C4 whereas the 5 is very unique.

    1. Hi Losange,

      it’s funny you think I’m biased against Renault and for VW, because I don’t feel that way at all. It’s just that “everybody knows” that Renault is more inclined to using self-registrations to manipulate sales figures from one month to another than most other brands (except Fiat), especially in their home market France. Still, I haven’t claimed to know this for sure, I just mentioned the possibility and that we’ll see next month if their sales normalize to a healthy growth as you might expect from a brand with such a fresh product portfolio, or if there’s another reason for a more prolonged slowdown.
      The entire purpose of the article that you mention was that the European emissions test cycle is flawed and the rules give too much possibilities for manufacturers to manipulate their vehicles within the limits of the law. After our discussion I admitted that I might not have made that point clear enough initially. I am and I was pretty sure that no other manufacturer has gone as far as VW in designing illegal software to purposely cheat in the emissions test and then blatantly lie about it, nor at such a scale as VW.
      But there are other manufacturers who have used the loose limitations of the rules to get vehicles to pass the test, but whose real-world emissions are higher than in the test. Not because of a cheating device, but because the test is too far off from the real world. For example (and at the risk of sounding biased against Renault again, but it’s the first one that comes to mind. They’re not the only one), Renault has recalled 15.000 vehicles (yes, much less than Volkswagen) because their emissions filtration system didn’t work when in very high temperatures or below 17 degrees. You can read that here: http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-renault-emissions-royal-idUKKCN0UX0MY

      1. Hi Bart,

        That’s exactly my point. You state something, but you’re not sure. I call that insinuation. Speaking of the French market, in January 2016 VW gained 6% in sales, private sales were down 21% (what a surprise?!), but rental sales were up 741%. One of your colleagues stated “VW owed this gain solely to tactical sales.” And in another article I already responded with mentioning percentages of corporate sales in Germany. Alongside other German cars, the VW Passat had the highest percentage of 92% (i.e. more than 9 out of 10 Passats on German roads aren’t bought privately) corporate sales which is also a form of manipulation of sales figures because of business contracts between VW and corporations.

        About Dieselgate/NEDC and so on, it’s stating the obvious that current tests are far away from the truth and on average all cars (legally) exceed limits. Real-world emissions are finally going to change that. But no other car company besides VW has knowingly committed fraud (recent reports showed Winterkorn already knew in 2013) and, more important, confessed. Renault was cleared by an independent organization for not using manipulation software. Just as Daimler, Opel, Honda, Toyota, Fiat and others, they’re taking initiative by introducing real-world emission testing on their own and, unlike VW (for Euro 5 engines, not Euro 6 in your Renault example), didn’t need manipulation software to pass the NEDC-test. VW is still trying to find solutions for Dieselgate and customers all over the world aren’t happy about the way VW deals with the scandal. Result: countless number of lawsuits.

        The world needs bloggers like you to put things in perspective, but readers deserve a broader point of view. It’s too easy to state things without clarification.

      2. But Renault complies with the law, VW only did with tricks. If the NEDC cycle doesn’t provide reliable data, isn’t a maker’s problem.
        The problem with Renault was that the government want’s to clear the situation of the french makers and Renault’s results in real driving was higher than homologated. The ecologist claims about this, due to Renault knew their cars polluted more than homologation, makes a smack on Renault, but at the end it is legal, they are going to improve the engine dci 110 hp in Captur (the 15000 cars called) and that’s all.

  2. Bart do you have an explanation for the bad result of the Citroen C4 Cactus.Maybe the french domestic market doesn’t start 2016 well?

    1. Hi Phil, I don’t think the results for the Captur and the Cactus are really that bad. The Captur is stable and the C4 Cactus is down by just 3%. Sure, the weak French market may have caused some of the slowdown, but the Captur has been growing fast until now, even when a lot of new competitors entered the segment. And it’s selling well above the expectations from both Renault and analysts.
      Don’t forget the C4 Cactus was just half a year old in January 2015 and had its best sales until then, so a 3% decrease isn’t necessarily a bad sign. However, revolutionary designs like that of the Cactus are always at risk of having a shorter shelf life than “safe” designs like most Volkswagens and for example the Toyota Yaris.

  3. Hi Bart, I have a question about ne Fiat Tipo. In December was sold 667 but in January 143 only. Is it same situation as with Renualt? In Poland we have pretty strong marketing action, as Fiat havn’t had here for ages. I am interstesing how it will be with Tipo cause sales has started in February in Poland. The prize is really good.

  4. I believe all car makers manipulate with their sales at some extent – especially in January. I heard stories about dealers prolonging delivery of car to customer just to be statistically in new year. So January sales aren’t saying whole truth…
    Btw. i just saw Renault +13 (France & Spain) in February. I’m pretty sure Renault is gonna have at least +10% in February…

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.