Fiat Panda x 2 in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2017
It’s been two years since our last Photo Report in Ventimiglia, at the border with France northwest of the country, so it’s time for our traditional update. You can also see the 2013 Photo Report here. See also our 2016 Photo Report on driving a Panda in Sardinia here. If last time the car parc seemed immobile compared to two years prior because of a particularly weak Italian market over the period, this year the differences are blatant and the renewed dynamism of Italian car sales shows. In 2017, it’s like all drivers of the small town on the Italian “Riviera” had given each other the word: Panda. It’s a total invasion I witnessed in the streets of Ventimiglia, the nameplate finally justifying its continued domination of the market – it has now been the local best-sellers for five straight years and is headed towards a 6th consecutive one in 2017. All Panda generations are well represented in the streets but the latest one clearly coming on top.
Fiat 500 in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2017 Fiat Tipo in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2017
The Fiat 500, overwhelmingly dominant at the time of my two previous Photo Reports, takes a step back in line with its receding towards the second half of the Italian Top 10 over the past couple of years. It is still the second most common vehicle in town though. My main element of curiosity coming here was to check the popularity of the new Fiat Tipo which has managed to climb up to 2nd place for a couple of months in 2017, currently stands at a stunning third position in the 2017 YTD ranking and totally obliterates the Station Wagon ranking. And the proof is in the pudding: I did spot five Tipos in a little more than one hour spent in town, two sedans, two station wagons and just one hatch. I would have expected the hatch to be more prevalent. Granted, the sample is tiny.
Renault Clio in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2017
Lancia Ypsilon x2 in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2017
Also very frequent in Ventimiglia this year are the Renault Clio – logical, it will be the best-selling foreigner in the country for the 4th straight year in 2017, the Lancia Ypsilon – but less so than the two previous times I was here, the Renault Twingo, and a surprisingly high number of Dacia Duster.
Fiat Panda Cross in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2017Fiat Tipo SW in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2017 Smart Forfour and Fortwo in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2017A valiant 1989 Fiat Uno surviving in Ventimiglia.
Daihatsu Sigra sales are up 124% year-on-year in July.
* See the Top 20 best-selling models by clicking on the title *
After freefalling 27% in June, the Indonesian new car market rallies back up 36% in July to 85.131 registrations, lifting the year-to-date total up 4% to 619.034 units. The Top four best-selling nameplates all brilliantly beat the market: The Toyota Avanza is up 49% to 10.7% share, the Toyota Kijang Innova up 55% to 7%, the Toyota Calya up 86% to 6.5% and its twin the Daihatsu Sigra up 124% to 5.3%. In fact, the entire Top 10 is in positive territory wit the Suzuki Ertiga (+52%) and Suzuki Carry Pikap (+172%) also impressive. The Suzuki Ignis is up 5 spots on June to #14 while the Toyota Yaris climbs back into the Top 20 despite deliveries down 43%.
The Citroen Berlingo is equal #1 with the Fiat 500L in July.
* See the Top 35 All-brands and Top 10 models by clicking on the title *
According to data published by our Central European data partner CE Auto, new car sales in Serbia are up 1% year-on-year to 2.315 registrations, leading to a year-to-date total up 14% to 18.518 units. Local publication Vrele Gume, which reports brand sales in the country, has these figures at 2.531 and 17.993 respectively. This month Skoda (+7%) overtakes local producer and traditional leader Fiat at 12.5% share vs. 11.6% (-15%) for the Italian carmaker. Volkswagen (+82%) is also nipping at Fiat’s heels with a 11.2% share. In 4th place, Citroen shoots up 7-fold compared to July 2016 thanks to a one-off stunning score by the Berlingo, equal #1 with the Fiat 500L this month, while the C3 soars to #4, making its first Serbian Top 10 appearance since BSCB started following this market monthly in 2014. Ford (+32%), Dacia (+20%) and Audi (+78%) also impress near the top of the ranking. Model-wise, the Kia Cee’d (#5), Audi A3 (#8) and Skoda Rapid (#10) also punch well above their YTD weight.
The Renault Clio is now #1 year-to-date in Bosnia.
* See the Top 10 best-selling models by clicking on the title *
Thanks to our partnership with Central European market data partner CE Auto, we can share with you today July sales for Bosnia & Herzegovina, a market up 16% year-on-year to 865 registrations, lifting the year-to-date tally up 20% to 6.241 units. The hero of the month is the Renault Clio, up 51% to 6.5% share in July which earns it both the #1 spot for the month and YTD where it overtakes the Skoda Octavia, holding a 5.3% share (+33%) vs. 5% (+21%) for the Czech sedan. The Opel Astra (+64%) and VW Golf (-7%) round up the podium while the Toyota Yaris soars to 4th place overall with 3.7% share.
The Dacia Sandero is the best-selling nameplate in Moldova in July.
* See the Top 10 best-selling models by clicking on the title *
According to data published by our Central European market data partner CE Auto, new car sales in Moldova bounce up 54% year-on-year in July to 468 registrations, lifting the year-to-date tally up 29% to 2.751 units. This month the Dacia Sandero comes out of nowhere (namely outside the Top 10) to directly land in pole position with just under 10% of the market. The Romanian hatchback doesn’t rank in the YTD Top 10 however. The Hyundai Tucson posts an outstanding month at 9.2% share (+139%) and so does the Skoda Octavia at 6.4% (+150%). Traditional leader in Moldova, the Dacia Logan (-17%) is knocked down to 4th place but retains the YTD lead for now, but only 15 units above the Hyundai Tucson. The Kia Sportage also makes a rare appearance inside the Moldovan Top 10 at #5 while the Skoda Kodiaq breaks into the Top 10 for the first time at #10.
As of 2015, the Toyota Hilux was the best-selling vehicle in an estimated 42 countries in the world, by far the most crowned nameplate on the planet. Stay tuned for an update article coming soon featuring H1 2017 sales. In 2016, the Hilux became the first commercial vehicle to top the Australian annual sales charts, and it is in the lead again so far in 2017. It was high time for BSCB to test-drive this worldwide best-seller, and Toyota Australia kindly loaned us a Hilux Double Cab TD SR5 4×4 2.8L for one week. We decided to take it to spectacular Fraser Island, or K’gari in local Butchulla Aboriginal language (pronounced “Gurri”) which means paradise. But first to find a name for our Hilux. The last loaner we had was a Haval H9 we nicknamed Ivanhoe, so this one needs to start in J. The search quickly narrowed down to Joey, meaning a baby kangaroo, apt for this agile and shining new Hilux.
It all started in Sydney…Fraser Island location in AustraliaFraser Island map
We took hold of the Hilux at Toyota’s Sydney headquarters, and from here to Fraser Island it’s a 15h, 1.250km-long trip traversing countryside New South Wales and Queensland. The return voyage ended up adding 2.639 km to Joey’s odo, all done in four days. K’Gari Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world at 1.840 km2. Yep, that means there isn’t a single rock on the island! It is located 250 km north of Brisbane on the Australian east coast, has a length of 120 km (75 mi) for a width of around 24 km (15 mi). It houses over 100 freshwater lakes that are some of the cleanest in the world. Joey couldn’t resist a splash in one of the freshwater rivers running down into the ocean:
K’Gari Fraser Island has been inhabited by humans for at least 5.000 years and is the home of roughly 200 inhabitants today. It was formerly known as the Great Sandy Island in the late 18th and early 19th century and owes its current name to Eliza Fraser who created what may well be one of the first instances of what we call today “fake news”… Eliza Fraser was the wife of Captain James Fraser, master of the Stirling Castle that struck a reef north of the island in 1836. They landed with the crew on a longboat, then attempting to trek south. Eliza claimed she was captured by the Badtjala people who she wrongly accused of being cannibals. Many other survivors of the same shipwreck later disputed her claims. However, Fraser’s fictional report of her ill-treatment on the island eventually led to the massacre and dispossession of the island’s tribe. The 1976 film “Eliza Fraser” sustained the legend and was at the time the most expensive Australian film ever made.
Access to the barge to Fraser Island
As we had booked accomodation in Happy Valley, about half-way up the eastern coast of the island (see map above), we decided to enter Fraser Island from the south, taking the barge from Rainbow beach and Inskip Point. We thought it would be a small yet proper harbour with, well, a sealed street leading to it. None of this in this part of Australia! To reach the barge we first had to cross a pretty deep sand field. My co-driver David and I have no prior experience of sand driving – one of the reasons we wanted to take the Hilux here – so we had just previously lowered the pressure of our tyres slightly, thinking it would be enough with the help of the low range 4WD gear. How naive were we.
Maxtrax recovery tracks
Only a few metres and we got bogged down. After watching us for a few minutes trying to extricate ourselves and just as we were starting to think that Fraser Island would remain unreachable for this trip, two good samaritans (as only they come by in Australia) got us out of here with a pair of bright orange Maxtrax recovery tracks such as the one pictured above. A must-buy for any trip where you are planning to drive in the sand. They also had a valve that automatically lowered our tyres to 100kpa (or 15 psi). Perfect. We were now set.
Joey and the barge to Fraser Island Joey on the barge towards Hook Point on Fraser Island
We are the only vehicle on the southern barge to Fraser, with a German backpacker giving us our ticket. Payment is by credit card with the captain perched atop a steep ladder and our National Park entrance fee is only available to purchase online. Thankfully the beaches on Fraser have very good wifi access (!). Upon landing on Hook Point is the real test of our sand driving and the lowered pressure are working a treat: it’s like we’re flying above the sand… Off we go on the exactly named 75 mile Beach. The entire eastern coast of the island is indeed a “beach track” open to vehicles. Only 4WDs are allowed on the island however.
Dingos on Fraser Island
Fraser Island invariably triggers one reaction among Australians: “don’t feed the dingos!” Dingos are a type of free-ranging dogs native to Australia. They are the largest terrestrial predator in Australia and have a prominent role in Aboriginal culture. Dingoes of Fraser Island, estimated to be around 180 to 220, are considered some of the last remaining pure dingoes in the country. As a result and to prevent cross-breeding, dogs are now allowed on the island. Since the 2001 killing of a boy by several dingoes on the island, strict measures have been taken regimenting human interaction with the animals (see card above). You can be heavily fined for feeding dingoes or even leaving food and rubbish out which may attract them.
GPS on the beach40 km/h speed limit sign along the 75 mile Beach
The 75 mile Beach is in effect a sort of sand highway, so much so that speed limit signs have been installed on the side of the beach! As far as I was concerned this was a first for me. It’s rather simple: where freshwater rivulets or rivers cross the beach towards the ocean creating creases, the speed limit goes down to 40 km/h. Otherwise it’s 80 km/h. Seems like a pretty high speed for driving on the sand but, as we’ll explain further down, high(ish) speed on sand isn’t actually a bad thing, rather much needed help. Another peculiarity of the 75 mile Beach “highway” is that the southern part of it towards Hook Point which is where the barge lands isn’t passable at high tide. To add fun to the game, the tides actually vary greatly from day to day, so we ended up being glued to the Fraser Island tide webpage for a good part of our stay on the island and opted to drive when the tide was going down rather than up, “just in case”…
Air Fraser Island plane. Picture wikipedia
One of the other “dangers” of driving on this part of the island is that it also serves as a landing strip for Air Fraser Island planes – these are not seaplanes – which offer touristic overviews of the Island. During my first trip to the island back in 2003, one of these planes landed just next to us and it was a mighty unforgettable sight. We did not have that luck this time but did see a couple of planes take off further along the beach. So in a word, when driving on the 75 mile Beach, you have to pay attention above more so than right or left…
Joey posing next to the shipwreck of the S.S. Maheno
An iconic sight of Fraser Island is the shipwreck of the S.S. Maheno, also located along the east coast of the island. It became beached in 1935 while being towed to Osaka to be broken up. But it doesn’t stop there… During the Second World War, the S.S. Maheno wreck served as target bombing practice for the Royal Australian Air Force. Today, almost three and a half storeys are buried under the sand. Speaking of which, now onto sand driving…
Sand driving on the way back to the bargeOne of Fraser Island inland sand tracks. And yes this is a two-way track!
Driving on sand turned out to be much easier than expected once our tyre pressure was significantly lowered. That is, if you follow one simple rule: don’t drive slow! Completely counter-intuitive, driving kind of fast on sand is key to avoid getting bogged down. This explains why the speed limit is as high as 80 km/h on some parts of the 75 Mile Beach. On average, driving at around 40 km/h constantly will do the trick. To me, it felt like driving on semi-solid mud, to my co-driver David who also flies planes, the way the car follows the sand tracks and ruts more than obeying your steering reminded him of how a plane feels in windy conditions. A scary part though was driving on one of the inland sand tracks that didn’t allow space for more than one vehicle even though it was a two-way track!
Here’s Joey driving through the last bit of sand we had for him, after arriving back to Inskip Point, before a (very quick) review of the vehicle below.
A happy crew!
Sand driving ability: this is why we came to Fraser Island and we weren’t disappointed, once a few basics were applied on our side. Nothing can stop the Hilux outside the beaten tracks and this test drive proved it again.
Interior comfort is top notch, the pickup feels robust to drive yet is very manoeuvrable.
2.8L TD Engine has all the grunt that is needed for this type of trip, be it on sand or on asphalt.
Commands are all very intuitive apart from one (see below)…
Fuel consumption is correct given the size of the vehicle
The main and surprising source of grunts was the GPS: disconcerting at best, frustrating at worst, it’s convoluted to operate, and thus dangerous because requiring complete attention on the screen. Names of hotels cannot be picked up unless you are “near”, the GPS continues to calculate the route once arrived at destination… The list goes on.
A pet hate of mine: for this type of price (AU$ 59.459 driveaway), you’d expect not just the driver seat to be electric but the passenger one as well. It is manual. Feels a tad cheap.
The Skoda Rapid is the best-selling nameplate in Kosovo so far in 2017.
* See the Top 10 best-selling models by clicking on the title *
Thanks to our partnership with CE Auto, today we welcome a new market on BSCB, a rare event lifting the total count to 201 markets covered by this site. No other website in the world covers new car sales data for as many markets, so you have chosen well by reading these lines. The new entrant is Kosovo, and first we need to clarify some information about this country. Since its declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008, international recognition of Kosovo has been as follows: it is recognised by 57.5% of United Nation members states, 82% of European Union member states, 86% of NATO member states and 63% of OIC member states. Although Serbia does not recognise Kosovo as a sovereign state it has begun to normalise relations with it in accordance with the Brussels agreement. This information from Wikipedia.
1.470 light vehicles found a buyer in Kosovo over the first six months of 2017, making it among the smallest markets in the region: Montenegro is estimated to have roughly 1.100, the Republic of Macedonia roughly 2.500, Bosnia 5.376 and Serbia 16.203. The Skoda Rapid is the best-seller in Kosovo so far this year with 7.6% market share, distancing the Dacia Sandero at 7.1%. These two nameplates are the only ones managing more than 100 sales over the period. Skoda also places the Octavia and Fabia inside the Top 10 while Volkswagen has the Golf, Tiguan and Caddy. The Peugeot 301 ranks 8th and the Renault Captur 9th.
What we have put Ivanhoe through: 4.000km to the middle of nowhere, Australia.
Breakfast at Hawker’s servo…
Arrived at Hawker at dark, I still manage to spot a few 2WD vehicles, the first ones since we left Broken Hill a few days ago… As it did last time I emerged from the Birdsville Track, it always prompts a double-take: “how the heck has this type of vehicle possibly arrived here?” And then it all comes back to me that we have returned to “civilisation” with mostly sealed roads around us.
Flinders Ranges from afar…
Hawker is the main jumping board to explore the iconic Flinders Ranges located just north of town. It used to be a thriving railway town between 1880 and 1956, located on the famous Ghan line, but that came to an abrupt stop when the route was moved west during a line upgrade. Today, Hawker, population 229, lives from tourism, sheep and cattle, but the stocking rate, one sheep per three to four hectares, is incredibly low due to the arid climate.
There is not much indeed in Hawker, but the Lonely Planet describes its petrol station as “the most helpful in the world” and it’s true! They are right on the mark for any weather forecast that could affect the road conditions in the region. But as is often the case in the Australian Outback, the most reliable source of information about road conditions is drivers themselves as the rangers cannot cover the entirety of the unsealed tracks 24/7. This way, a couple of bikers inquired how the Strzelecki Track was west of Cameron Corner as they were planning to head that way. One of them, incidentally, recognised our vehicle as a Haval. We recommended prudence on the way back if they were to return via Broken Hill due to the flooding we encountered a couple of days prior.Animals of the Flinders Ranges: Kangaroos, a wallaby, shingle-back lizard and… quolls?
Off we drive to the Flinders Ranges National Park. The last time I visited the Park, in 2003, it was under a constant torrent of rain so I have only scattered memories of the place. Under a stunningly blue sky (this is the second day of the year hence full Summer in Australia), we encounter a few local animals, either though road signs or in real life like a herd of shy grey wallabies hopping along us on the way. Now I can see a few of you with wide open eyes in front of the “Quolls” sign. Never heard of them? Quolls are are carnivorous marsupials native to mainland Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania. They sport white spots, eat smaller mammals, small birds, lizards and insects and are mostly active at night. They were “discovered” by Captain Cook in 1770 who adopted the Aboriginal name for the animals, although the language used is that of the Guugu Yimithirr people who live very far, in northern Queensland. An enigma right here…
Stokes Hill lookout
After visiting the Wilpena station in the Flinders Ranges National Park, we head north to check the Stokes Hill lookout then backtrack to turn left to the Bunyeroo and Brachina Gorges. The landscape gets redder as we make our way through the gorges and we are allowed to stay a little longer in the Bunyeroo Gorge courtesy to our second puncture of the trip, this time the front left wheel. We sort it out in less time than is needed to write these lines (the truth) as we are eager to explore the Ranges further.
Brachina and Bunyeroo Gorges in Flinders Ranges National Park.
A few stops to snap the H9 in action (see the lead picture in this article) and we are back on the sealed road to Hawker. After a refill we are now headed to Mildura where we will spend our first night in the past four with an internet connection! Then it’s an uneventful all-day highway trip back to Sydney under a summer rain that managed to clean almost all the mud from the outside of the car. We started the trip in Melbourne with 4.076 km at the odo, and one week later we arrive in Sydney in one piece, this time the odo indicating… 8.043km. We doubled Ivanohe’s age for a 3.967km-trip. Fuel consumption over the entire trip is 13.6L/km (veering towards thirsty). And this ends another great adventure at the wheel of China’s #1 SUV brand, Haval. Make sure you read the full review of the Haval H9 below.
Meeting road trains on the way back to Sydney. Arrived!Upon return to Haval Sydney: “What trip to Cameron Corner?”
Four wheel driving ability. As it was the case for the H8, the Intelligent AWD system automatically engages at the right time and we drove through tougher, more slippery and deeper muddy terrain than the H8 without a problem. Great adherence and controllable vehicle in adverse conditions.
Drive on sealed roads is smooth with no acceleration lag (there was one on the H8).
Interior quality with leather seats is optimal, back air con is good but back seats may be a little too steep, we couldn’t move them due to our equipment in the boot. Rooftop is a great addition to the enjoyment of driving the car.
As for the H8, High speed driving integrity, both on bitumen (160km/h-100mph) and rocky track (100km/h-80mph) where these speeds were attained with no behaviour change.
Exterior design is, here too, rather timeless. Was compared to Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan X-Trail during the trip. Appears robust and solid.
Some fun bonuses like the brand name projected on the floor in red letters from rear view mirrors and on the step in white letters (see picture below).
The car’s main weakness on this outback trip is its underbody cover made of plastic and fixed with screws that loosen up and fail during water passings. Not easily fixable in the middle of the desert and as a result we had to let the cover tear itself from the car and lose it. The entire underbody protection needs to be strengthened.
Two punctures and overheating tyres on the Strzelecki track mean to us that the perfect tyre combination remains to be found on the H9.
As for the H8, Premium Unleaded petrol mandate adds 20 to 50 AU cents per litre and makes Australian outback trips logistically challenging due to the rarity of this petrol in remote stations. We needed to permanently carry two 20L jerrycans of fuel to be able to reach our destinations.
The centre console touchscreen is prone to sun glare which makes it impossible to read. Some info should be transferred onto the driver’s control panel (see picture below).
As for the H8, the sat nav vastly overestimates the time required to reach destination by applying speeds that are a lot lower than the speed limit, and is not incorporating unsealed roads in its route calculations.
User manual is required to operate the jack – not as straight-forward as expected.
Headlamps wash died on us on the Strzelecki Track.
The Ford F-150 wins 31 out of 51 U.S. States in 2016.
* See the Top 10 best-selling vehicles for each U.S. State by clicking on the title *
For the third year in a row and thanks to JATO Dynamics we can share with you today separate rankings for the Top 10 best-selling vehicles for each U.S. State over the Full Year 2016. This data is exclusive to BSCB, you won’t find it anywhere else. This year the methodology is slightly different: not only the Ford F-Series is split into F-150, F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty and F-350 Super Duty Chassis Cab, but all its competitors as well, finally creating an even playing field: Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500HD and up, Ram 1500, 2500 and up, and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and up. This actually has a drastic impact on the State rankings as we’ll see further down. The market push towards light trucks is once again confirmed: a truck is #1 in 45 States out of 51 vs. 43 in 2015 and 39 in 2014, with cars winning just 6 States vs. 8 in 2015 and 12 in 2014.
The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 wins four U.S. States in 2016.
If during the two previous years the Chevrolet Silverado dominated the count of winning States, this year due to the new methodology splitting each pickup variant – justified as these are actually very different vehicles – the runaway leader is the Ford F-150, winning a whopping 31 out of 51 States. Its largest volume once again comes from Texas where it sells 85.077 units, followed by California (38.371), Florida (37.893) and Michigan (31.065). Down from 19 in 2015 when all Silverado variants were combined, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 wins just four States in 2016, still making it the 2nd best-performing nameplate. These States are Indiana, Iowa, Maine and New Hampshire but its largest volumes come from different States altogether: Texas (52.774), Michigan (34.941), California (29.720) and New York (21.569). The Silverado also ranks #2 in 15 States, 14 of which to the F-150.
No State win for the Ram 1500 in 2016, only two 2nd places in Idaho and Montana.
Interestingly, on top of its four State wins, the Silverado 1500 also outsells the Ford F-150 in four additional States: Michigan, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island. All-in-all, in the duel between the 2 overall best-sellers on the U.S. market, the F-150 outsells the Silverado 1500 in 43 States vs. just 8 wins for the Silverado 1500. The third best-selling vehicle in the U.S., the Ram Pickup, goes from 7 State wins in 2015 to none this year once its variants are split. The Ram 1500 ranks #2 in Idaho (1.997 sales) and Montana (1.941) and #3 in Texas (41.017), Arkansas (8.496), Utah (2.562) and Nebraska (3.321). For its part the GMC Sierra 1500 ranks #2 in Arizona (5.501) and Vermont (1.695).
Most Overall State Wins by year. Note Silverado, Ram and Sierra not split up by variant in 2014 and 2015:
2016
2015
2014
Model
Overall State Wins
Overall State Wins
Overall State Wins
Ford F-150
31
8
12
Chevrolet Silverado 1500
4
19
15
Toyota RAV4
3
2
0
Honda Civic
2
1
0
Toyota Corolla
2
1
1
Subaru Outback
2
0
0
Nissan Rogue
2
0
0
Toyota Camry
1
3
6
Honda CR-V
1
3
3
Ford Transit
1
1
0
Toyota Tacoma
1
1
1
Ford Escape
1
0
1
Ram Pickup
0
7
5
Nissan Altima
0
2
1
GMC Sierra
0
1
1
Honda Accord
0
1
3
Subaru Forester
0
1
1
Ford Fusion
0
0
0
Chevrolet Cruze
0
0
0
Hyundai Elantra
0
0
1
The Nissan Rogue wins New York and Connecticut in 2016.
The Toyota RAV4 is next in line in terms of State wins at 3: Massachusetts (15.585), Rhode Island (1.922) and Vermont (1.703) whereas it only won two in 2015. The Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla both gain one State win to make it 2 in 2016. The Civic wins both the largest volume State: California with 82.944 sales (+3%), and the smallest: the District of Columbia with just 685 sales. The Toyota Corolla remains master in command in Florida, the third largest U.S. State below Texas with 51.140 units sold there (-2%), and also wins Nevada (3.682).
The Subaru Outback wins Washington and Oregon. The Toyota Tacoma once again wins Hawaii (not pictured here!) The Ford Escape wins Michigan.
Among the nameplates winning two States in 2016, we also have two newcomers: the Nissan Rogue goes from #5 to #1 in the country’s fifth largest State: New York, where it sells 33.334 units, also winning in Connecticut (6.440). The Subaru Outback for its part is victorious is “Subaru territory”: Washington State (8.352) and Oregon (5.421). Five nameplates win one State each: The Honda CR-V, down from 3 wins in 2015, in New Jersey (17.011), the Toyota Camry also down from 3 wins in 2015 in Maryland (9.116), the Ford Transit repeats its rental-induced win in Arkansas (13.538) and the Toyota Tacoma prolongs a decade-long domination in Hawaii (5.853). The Ford Escape for its part had no win in 2015 but is the favourite model in the 4th largest State, Michigan, thanks to 35.991 sales there.
Now looking into the detail of these full-size heavy-duty pickup variants, to see which States are the most fond of them. The Ram 2500 is the most performant at this little game, managing an outstanding 2nd place both in Utah (3.988) and Wyoming (706), each time outselling the Ram 1500. It also ranks #5 in Montana (1.127), #8 in Idaho (1.088), #9 in South Dakota (533) and Alaska (453). The Ford F-250 Super Duty reaches a high of #5 in Oklahoma (3.046), Wyoming (534), also ranking #7 in Texas (27.945), #8 in New Mexico (1.127) and #10 in Louisiana (4.106). The Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD also hits a high of #5 in North Dakota (762), #6 in Iowa (2.669), #7 in Montana (1.031) and #8 in Wyoming (470). The Ford F-350 Super Duty is #6 in Montana (1.085), #7 in Wyoming (470), #10 in Idaho (1.050) and South Dakota (521) while the Ram 3500 ranks #9 in Wyoming (447). Wyoming has no less than 5 heavy duty full-size pickups in its Top 9 in 2016, on top of the F-150, Ram 1500 and Silverado 1500…
First ever podium ranking for the Peugeot 3008 nameplate at home.
* NOW UPDATED with Top 40 best-selling brands, Top 270 models and Top 10 private sales – click on title to see *
For the third consecutive month, the growth of the French new car market (+10.9% in July to 147.514 registrations) is spread relatively evenly across distribution channels. Private sales are up 11.1% to 75.423 units and are back above the symbolic 50% share mark at 51.1%. Company sales (including long-term rentals) also beat the market at +12.7% to 36.230 units, and demo sales are up 15.4% but stock sales are down 17%. The year-to-date total is now up 3.8% to 1.282.860 units. As it has become ethnic routine, given Renault loads up its end of quarters (March, June, September and December), itfalls to 2nd place in July despite gaining 18.2% to 16.3% share vs. 19.9% YTD. Peugeot (+12.6%) is in the lead at 18% share and Citroen (+17.9%) holds onto the third spot at 10.5% share. Note all three French manufacturers see even larger private sales gains: Renault is up 34% to 11.607 through this channel, Peugeot up 16.7% to 11.593 and Citroen up 13.3% to 7.185. Overall, 49.1% of Renault sales are private this month, with this ratio dropping to 46.2% for Citroen and 43.6% for Peugeot. Peugeot is the most generous to long-term leases (14.5% of its sales), with Renault at 7.9% and Citroen 8.5%. Finally when it comes to business sales, Renault gives them 21.% of its sales vs. 16.7% for Peugeot and 15.7% for Citroen.
Volkswagen sales are up 13.4% year-on-year in July.
Among foreign manufacturers, Volkswagen impresses at +13.4% but remains down 3.4% YTD, with Toyota (+22.7%), Nissan (+19.7%), Opel (+19.4%), Kia (+24.5%), Seat (+13.8%), Suzuki (+25.6%) and Skoda (+18.3%) all posting double-digit gains inside the Top 20. Further down, Alfa Romeo (+72%), Porsche (+66.1%), Smart (+38.8%) and Lexus (+21.2%) also shine. Looking at sales by channel, 27.3% of Nissan sales are demo sales this month (new Micra and facelifted Qashqai), for Opel this ratio is 23.4% due to the start of the Crossland X and for Volvo it is 22.5% due to the XC60. Fiat, up 7.3% to #9 overall, only has a 39.4% private sales ratio and 24.9% are demo sales in July. Audi (#7) is by far the most popular premium brand in France this month with sales up 6.9%, distancing Mercedes (#10) up 0.4% and BMW (#13) down 12.2%. Only 37.8% of BMW sold this month are private sales vs. 46.5% for Mercedes and 49.2% for Audi. 20% of Mercedes sales are demo sales vs. 14.9% for BMW and 12.5% for Audi.
The Dacia Sandero remains #1 with private buyers in July.
Over in the models ranking, the Renault Clio soars 28.5% to 7.065 registrations and 4.8% share, reclaiming the July pole position off the Peugeot 208 down 1.3% to 6.571 units and 4.4% share. But the big news come from the Peugeot 3008: ranked #1 halfway though the month, Peugeot’s new best-selling SUV breaks all records in July. It climbs to a best-ever third position – the first time the 3008 is on the podium at home – beating both this generation’s previous best (#4 in January and in June) and the last one’s (#4 in March 2013). At 6.139 sales, the 3008 even teases the 208 for 2nd place and hits 4.2% market share, an all-time high for both generations. It kills two birds with one stone this month by snapping the #3 spots YTD as well, overtaking all at once the 2008, 308 and Captur.
The Stelvio is Alfa Romeo’s best-seller in France this month.
The 3008 is #1 in the company sales channel at 2.841 or 46% of its July sales above the Renault Clio (2.001). It ranks 8th with private buyers (3.325 or 38% of its sales), a channel still controlled by the Dacia Sandero (4.077). As a result the Renault Kadjar freefalls 31%, plus the larger 5008 is also headed towards solid success, at #17 this month with 2.219 sales, 48% for companies and 29% for private buyers. All-in-all, Peugeot SUVs represent 8.7% of the French market this month, when accounting for the 2008 (4.465). Further down the ranking, notice also the Ford Kuga up 84% to #27, the Kia Sportage up 50% to #33, the Nissan Micra up 95% to #40 thanks to the new model, the Mercedes GLA up 93% to #42 and the Renault Zoe up 69% to #43. Among recent launches, the Opel Crossland is up 27 spots to break into the Top 100 at #82, the Alfa Romeo Stevio is up 42 ranks to #109, becoming the brand’s best-seller in France and the Jeep Compass reappears at #139 with the new generation. We also welcome the Range Rover Velar at #170.
All data tables automatically lock up seven days after publication. As a premium member you unlock absolutely all data tables for all 6,500 articles on the site, accessible by clicking on “Read more” at the bottom of each article.
Premium members have access to:
- All data tables of all articles on the site regardless of date of publication. This includes all Historical Data tables for over 100 markets spanning decades and, in the case of France, over 120 years of data.
- All Full Year Reports data tables - 134 markets were covered for 2014 and we are aiming at 150 for 2015. These are restricted to premium members on publication day and do not have a 7-day free access period.
- Complete exclusive data for markets such as the UK, Russia, Turkey, China imports, South Korea imports and South Africa. Exclusive articles do not have a 7-day free access period on BSCB either.
Fiat Panda x 2 in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2017
Fiat 500 in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2017 
Fiat Tipo in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2017 
Renault Clio in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2017 
Lancia Ypsilon x2 in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2017
Fiat Panda Cross in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2017
Fiat Tipo SW in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2017
Smart Forfour and Fortwo in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2017
A valiant 1989 Fiat Uno surviving in Ventimiglia.
