Best Selling Cars – Matt's blog

BMW 3 Series

* See the Top 10 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *

The European new car market continues to struggle at -6% year-on-year in April to 1,069,243 registrations, bringing the year-to-date total to 4,507,515 units, down 7% on 2011. The Top 2 best-seller stay unchanged: the VW Golf leads with 37,151 sales but is down 13% on April 2011 while the Ford Fiesta is down 9% at #2 with 25,927 units. Like in the 2012 year-to-date ranking, the VW Polo rounds up the podium, but with 24,193 sales it is down a worrying 23% year-on-year.

Fiat Panda

In spite of a 8% fall the Renault Clio is up 8 spots on March to #4, followed by the Opel Corsa (-16%), Astra (-18%) and Ford Focus (-6%). Only two Top 10 models progress year-on-year, both thanks to new generations boosting their sales: the Fiat Panda is up 3% to 17,268 sales and #8, only its 2nd time since May 2010 with last February and its highest European ranking since February 2010 when it reached #7. The best performer this month is the BMW 3 Series taking advantage of an impressive 2nd place in Germany to reach #9 in Europe with 17,171 sales and 1.6% share, its first time in the Top 10 since December 2008.

Previous month: Europe March 2012: Nissan Qashqai and Toyota Yaris break records

One year ago: Europe April 2011: VW Passat shines

Full April 2012 Top 10 Ranking Table below.

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Hyundai Accent

* See the Top 200 best-selling models by clicking on the title! Many thanks to Igor *

In April 20,541 vehicles found a buyer in Ukraine, bringing the year-to-date to 68,236 units. The Skoda Octavia takes its newfound leadership of the models ranking even further by ranking #1 for the third month in a row with 833 sales and 4.1% share, making its 4 months total 2,779 units, nearly one percentage point above the #2 the Lada Samara at 2,159 sales and 3.2%.

Kia Rio

Similarly to neighbour Russia where it is called the Solaris, the Hyundai Accent is a hit in Ukraine, up 2 spots on March to rank #2 this month with 724 sales and 3.5% and #4 year-to-date at 1,929 units and 2.8%. Below the Lada Samara down one spot to #3 the Kia Rio continues to progress, up 2 ranks to #4 with 592 sales and 2.9%. The Chevrolet Aveo is back up to #6 while the ZAZ Lanos drops further to a disappointing 7th place with 2.5%. It is now #5 year-to-date whereas it had dominated the models ranking for the last 5 years.

The best-selling Chinese model is still the Geely CK however it is down to #16 this month. It is followed by the Geely MK up 6 spots to #24 and the Chery QQ up 10 to #65. Other great performers this month include the Hyundai Elantra up 4 spots on March to #10, the ZAZ Forza up 2 to #15, the Chevrolet Cruze up 18 to #21, the ZAZ Vida, a rebadged previous generation Chevrolet Aveo, up 62 ranks to #60, the VW CC up 71 to #64 and the Mazda CX-5 up 71 to #77.

Previous month: Ukraine March 2012: Skoda Octavia and Geely CK shine again

Previous year: Ukraine Full Year 2011: ZAZ Lanos leader, two Ladas on podium

Full April 2012 Top 200 Ranking Table below.

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BMW 3 Series

* NOW UPDATED AGAIN with the Top 308 best-selling models! Click on title to see *

Car sales in Germany are up a solid 3% year-on-year in April at 274,066 registrations, bringing the year-to-date total to 1,047,702 units, up 2% on 2011. No surprise in pole position: the VW Golf dominates as usual with 22,457 sales and 8.2% share, however there is a nice surprise for BMW in 2nd place: boosted by the new generation launched late last year and now widespread in dealerships around the country, the Series 3 sells 7,907 units for an excellent 2.9% share, its first time at #2 since December 2008! It is also the first time since June 2011 that Volkswagen doesn’t place a model in both #1 and #2 in Germany.

2012 Audi A3

The 3 Series’ formidable month means the Passat and Polo are kicked down to #3 and #4 respectively, while the Opel Astra and Mercedes C-Class resist at #5 and #6. Very strong month for the Audi A3 up 14 spots on March to #7, its highest ranking since December 2010, and for the Audi A6/A7 back up inside the Top 10 for the third time this year at #8. At #9, the VW Tiguan maintains itself in the Top 10 for the 4th consecutive month whereas it had only managed to break into it twice before in the nameplate’s 4 years life - in January and February 2011!

Audi Q3

Robust showings for the Mercedes B-Class up to #12, the VW Up! equalling its best-ever ranking at #22, the Audi Q3 reaching a best-ever #35 and the Fiat Panda up 23 spots on March thanks to the new generation. It’s a very chauvinistic month for German car sales: if we consider Skoda and Seat ‘German’ (I know this is controversial, but bear with me), there is only 4 ‘true’ foreign models in the Top 40: the Fiat Ducato at a very unusual #28, the Hyundai i30 at #31, the Renault Twingo at #36 and Megane at #39…

Infiniti FX

Further down, notice the Peugeot 208 up 79 spots to #68, the Mazda CX-5 up 28 to #77, the VW Beetle up 30 to #122, the Seat Mii up 129 ranks to #148 and the Infiniti FX up 62 to #163.

Previous month: Germany March 2012: Polo above 10,000 units, BMW 1 Series #5

One year ago: Germany April 2011: VW Golf stronger

Full April 2012 Top 308 Ranking Table below.

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Toyota Aygo

* See the Top 75 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *

Another shy month for Danish new car sales, down 14% year-on-year to 11,274 registrations, bringing the year-to-date total to 52,041 units, down 3% on 2011. The Toyota Aygo was the best-selling model in Denmark in 2010 but had not led the ranking for nearly 2 years until this month: with 645 sales it grabs an impressive 5.7% of the market and is now #4 year-to-date. Its twin the Peugeot 107 stays #2 both in April with 573 units and 5.1% and year-to-date with 1,811 sales and 3.5%, only 10 units below the Chevrolet Spark down to a disappointing 41st place this month, its first time outside the Top 20 in over 2 years…

Peugeot 107

Surprising leader last month, the VW Up! manages to stay on the Danish podium for the 2nd month in a row at #3 in April with 370 units and 3.3%. Below the Kia Picanto still in great shape at #4, the Citroen C1 is up 5 spots on March to #5 with 336 sales and 3% which means the twins Aygo/107/C1 all manufactured in Kolin Czech Republic add up to a gargantuan 1,554 sales and 13.8% of the Danish market this month! It also means the entire Top 5 is composed of mini cars.

Citroen C1

Other great performers include the Ford Fiesta up 6 spots to #8, Citroen C3 up 10 to #11, Ford Focus up 40 to #13, Hyundai i20 up 11 to #14, Ford Ka up 11 to #19, Peugeot 207 up 15 to #23, Peugeot 308 up 19 to #25, Audi A4 up 32 to #29, Suzuki SX4 up 18 to #30 and BMW 1 Series up 34 to #50.

Previous month: Denmark March 2012: VW Up! already in pole position!

One year ago: Denmark April 2011: Hyundai i30 jumps to #1

Full April 2012 Top 75 Ranking Table below.

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Ferrari 599. Picture by Yannick Van As, all rights reserved.

* See the Top 3 best-selling brands and many more pictures by clicking on the title! *

Thanks to Frederic and Gilles from blogautomobile.fr, I can add one more European Principality to the countries covered on BestSellingCarsBlog: Monaco! Yes, all supercars lovers will know that the Place du Casino in Monaco is probably the best place in the world to see that super rare Lamborghini/Bugatti/Koenigsegg/Pagani that was produced at just 3 units…and now I can share with you which cars sell best there!

Lamborghini Murcielago x2. Picture by Raphael Belly, all rights reserved.

At just 1.98 square km, Monaco is the second smallest country in the world after the Vatican and counts 35,800 cars for 35,986 inhabitants or 0.995 car per inhabitant, by far the highest ratio in the world… Crisis? What crisis? In 2011 new car sales in Monaco are up 13% on 2010 and 19% on 2009 to 2,524 registrations…

The armada of Royal Wedding BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Series 

2011 was a special year for the principality with the Royal Wedding of Prince Albert. For the occasion, no less than 200 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Series were registered, taking sales of the German manufacturer to 381 and 15.1% market share, up 135% on 2010 and enough to make it the best-selling brand in the country. Lexus was also involved as the official car of the wedding.

Lexus LS460h

The #2 brand in Monaco in 2011 is Audi with 356 sales and 14% share followed by Mercedes at 306 units and 12%… Even though it is located in the French Riviera and bordered by France on each side, it is interesting to notice that neither Renault, Peugeot or Citroen have a dealership in Monaco… As a result in 2011 Ferrari sold more cars in Monaco than Citroen or Peugeot! (I am trying to source the exact figures for you).

Ferrari Monaco – aptly named…

Lastly, anectotally from Gilles it seems like the Mini Countryman and Range Rover Evoque have had a very promising start in the Principality.

Full 2011 Top 3 Ranking Table and more pictures of Monaco supercars below.

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VW Passat

* See the Top 20 best-selling brands by clicking on the title! Many thanks to DC *

We continue on our series of tiny European countries! After Andorra and Liechtenstein, once again thanks to DC I am able to add San Marino to the list! San Marino is also (very) romantically called the Most Serene Republic of San Marino, is a 61 square kilometres enclave surrounded by Italy and is home to 30,000 inhabitants. In 2011, 1,545 cars were registered in San Marino, down 5% on 2010 and over the first 3 months of 2012 401 cars found a buyer.

Audi A4

Even though it is right in the middle of Italy, Fiat is not the best-selling brand in the country: Volkswagen dominates by far, in 2011 it held a 15.2% market share with 235 sales but over Q1 2012 its share shot up to 23.4% or roughly 1 car in 4 thanks to 94 units sold. #2 in 2011 with 12.6% share, Fiat is down to #3 this year at a meagre 9.2%, passed by Audi with 59 sales and 14.7% up from 12.3% in 2011. Excellent performance of Suzuki at #4 with 25 units and 6.2% followed by Opel, BMW, Toyota and Renault.

Full Year 2011 and Q1 2012 Top 20 Ranking Tables below.

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VW Golf

* See the Top 100 best-selling models by clicking on the title! Many thanks to René *

After Andorra yesterday, thanks to René Heeres I am able to add an even tinier European nation to the list of countries Best Selling Cars Blog covers: Lichtenstein, also a principality, has just 35,000 inhabitants, covers 160 square kilometres and is located between Austria and Switzerland. And the new car market is in great shape in Lichtenstein in 2011, up 14% year-on-year to 2,029 registrations. Like in its neighbouring countries Volkswagen dominates sales, so much so that it monopolises the podium in 2011, placing the VW Golf at #1 with 83 sales and 4.1%, followed by the Polo at 77 units and 3.8% and the Passat with 53 sales and 2.6%.

Audi Q5

The VAG group grabs 4 more spots within the Top 10: the Audi A4 ranks #4, the Skoda Octavia is #5, the Audi Q5 is at #7 with 1.5% share, most probably its best year-end ranking anywhere in the world, and the VW Transporter is #9. BMW places the 5 Series in 6th place and the Mini at #8 and the Ford Fiesta rounds up the Top 10. Notice also the Ford Kuga at #11, the BMW X3 at #13, BMW X1 at #15 and Honda Jazz at #19.

Porsche Cayenne

Another very successful brand in Lichtenstein is Porsche… The Porsche Cayenne is up to an extremely impressive 25th spot with 21 sales and 1% share, the Porsche 911 ranks #41 with 15 units and 0.7% share and the Panamera is #82 with 8 sales. Plus the Range Rover ranks at a very respectable #35.

Full Year 2011 Top 100 Ranking Table below.

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Honda NBOX Custom (kinda looks like a warped Toyota Land Cruiser don’t you think?)

* See the Top 20 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *

The Kei car market once again behaves like the passenger car one this month, up 96% to 150,654 registrations due to the comparison with a record low in April 2011 when the market was devastated by the after-effects of the tsunami. The year-to-date total stands at 743,653 units, up 48% on 2011. Big surprise this month: for the first time ever, the Honda NBOX takes the lead of the rankings only 5 months after its launch, up 4 spots on March to 16,928 sales! These sales also include the Custom version pictured above, and this would be the first time ever a Honda leads the Kei car ranking!

Honda NBOX

The NBOX interrupted 6 consecutive months of leadership of the Daihatsu Mira, kicked down to #2 with 15,542 units, still up a massive 304% year-on-year thanks to the arrival of the e:s version. The Mira is #1 year-to-date with 87,081 sales, up 261% year-on-year. Rounding up the podium again is the Daihatsu Tanto at 13,486 units, up 119% on April, followed by the Suzuki Wagon R down 2 spots on March and the Daihatsu Move down 1.

Previous month: Japan Kei cars March 2012: Daihatsu Mira just under 30,000 sales

One year ago: Japan Kei cars April 2011: Subaru stops, places Stella in Top 10

Full April 2012 Top 20 Ranking Table below.

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BMW X6

* See the Top 5 best-selling brands by clicking on the title! Many thanks to DC *

Andorra, also romantically called the Principalty of the Valleys of Andorra, is located in the Pyrenees mountains inbetween France and Spain and is one of the smallest countries in the world with just 82,000 inhabitants. Thanks to DC from Autoweek.nl, Andorra is the latest addition to the list of countries covered by this blog as I am now able to share with you some official car sales data!

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

Over the first 3 months of 2012 a bit over 400 cars were sold in Andorra, down 5% on 2011 or a much better situation than its neighbour Spain. And it seems like Andorrans have pretty elitist tastes when it comes to cars. Apart from Volkswagen in pole position all Top 5 brands are premium. In 2nd place we find BMW at 12% share, followed by Land Rover at 8%, Audi at 6% and Mercedes at 5%.

Looking back at the Andorran car market in 2011, we notice that BMW was the most popular brand with 204 sales or 11.3% share. At 1,799 units, the market was down 10% on 2010 and was the 2nd worst year since 1979 with 2009 when 1,715 cars sold… By comparison the record of 4,163 registrations reached in 2003 seems really far away and 2011/2012 sales figures are closer to what was observed in the country in the seventies…

Full Q1 2012 Top 5 and 11 months 2011 Top 8 Ranking Tables below.

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Ford Ranger

* NOW UPDATED with the Top 25 best-selling models! Click on title to see *

Euphoric month for new car sales in New Zealand, up 26% year-on-year to 7,048 registrations, bringing the year-to-date total to 31,442 units, up 13% on 2011. For the first time ever in the country, the Ford Ranger becomes the best-selling vehicle overall, but only just: with 279 sales and 4% market share it is only 1 unit above the Toyota Hilux this month! The Suzuki Swift is up one spot on March to round up the podium at #3.

Mazda CX-5

Up 5 ranks to 4th place this month with 218 sales and 3.1%, the Toyota Corolla is still in pole position in the 2012 year-to-date ranking with 1,506 units and 4.8% ahead of the Suzuki Swift at 1,169 units and 3.7% and the Toyota Hilux with 898 sales and 2.9%. Extremely impressive showing of the Mazda CX-5 which turns out to be even more successful in New Zealand than it is in Australia, selling 179 units in April for a formidable 6th place overall for its very first month. This is the highest ranking the CX-5 has reached so far anywhere in the world for the CX-5!

Further down, notice the Holden Commodore up from a hellish 12th place last month to #7, the Honda Civic back in shape at #10, the Hyundai Santa Fe up 5 spots on March to #11, the Ford Territory up 9 to #15, the Toyota RAV4 up 7 to #20 and the Hyundai i20 re-entering the Top 25 at #21.

Previous month: New Zealand March 2012: Holden Cruze leads passenger cars

One year ago: New Zealand April 2011: Suzuki Swift reclaims pole position

Full April 2012 Top 25 Ranking Table below.

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