Finland 1992-1993: Corolla and Astra lead weakest market in 25 years

The Toyota Corolla celebrates 10 pole position finishes in Finland in 1993.

* See the Top 45 All-brands and Top 50 models by clicking on the title! Many thanks to STAC *

The Finnish new car market continues to freefall into oblivion, down another 25.9% in 1992 after losing 33.6% in 1991, leading to a volume so small (68.547) we have to go back 24 years to 1968 to find a weaker total (48.148)… Toyota (-21%) remains the most popular carmaker for the 8th consecutive year and manages to improve its share to 14.8%. It distances Opel (-16%) back above Nissan (-39%) to claim 2nd place but the real winner is Volkswagen: at +4% it is the only brand in the Top 20 to score a positive result in 1992. As a result it jumps 6 spots on last year to #4, the brand’s highest ranking in Finland in 20 years, since 1973. Renault (-2%) and Volvo (-3%) also resist very well in the Top 10 while Hyundai (-40%) breaks into the Top 20 brands for the first time at #18.

The Opel Astra instantly scores much higher market shares than the Kadett ever did.

Model-wise, like Toyota the Corolla (-22%) celebrates 8 years in a row in pole position and a new generation helps it gain market share at 8.3%. The Opel Astra brilliantly ends its first full year of sales in 2nd place with 6.9% share, that’s instantly higher than any of the Opel Kadett market shares (personal best: 5.9% in 1989). The Astra knocks the Nissan Sunny (-28%) down to #3 while the Toyota Carina (-12%) manages to hold onto the #4 spot and the Volvo 440/460 (+38%) shoots up 9 spots to #5 ahead f the Opel Vectra (-35%), Mazda 626 (+12%) and Nissan Primera (-49%). The VW Vento lands directly at #19 and the Peugeot 106 at #22 but the VW Golf (#11) is still outside the Top 10.

The Vento is Volkswagen’s best-seller in Finland in 1993.

The bloodbath continues in 1993 with sales down a further 18.7% to 55.749, still the lowest since 1968. Toyota (-22%) celebrates 10 years as the best-selling brand in Finland: 9 consecutive years since 1985 and 1973, but drops slightly faster than the market, resulting in a lower share at 14.2%. Opel (-8%), Nissan (-7%), Ford (-1%) and Volvo (-13%) on the other hand all gain significant share. It is the first time Volvo breaks into the annual Finnish Top 5. Volkswagen (-30%) drops two spots to #6, with Mazda (-33%), Lada (-24%) and Renault (-24%) also under-performing. Citroen (+83%), Skoda (+64%), Fiat (+33%) and Mercedes (+10%) go against the grain and post significant gains.

The Ford Mondeo lands directly at #7 in Finland in 1993.

Over in the models aisle, the Toyota Corolla (-14%) can now also boast 10 years on top of the Finnish sales charts: 9 consecutive years since 1985 plus 1973. It even improves its share to 8.8%, with the Opel Astra (-10%) getting a little closer at 7.7%. The Nissan Sunny (-5%) also beats the market at #3 ahead of the Toyota Carina (-28%) and Opel Vectra (-16%), both affected by the arrival of the Ford Mondeo directly at #7. The Lada 1200-2107 (-16%) is back inside the Top 10 at #9, but the Lada Samara (-30%) is out at #12. The Peugeot 306 lands at #21, the Citroen Xantia at #29 and the Mercedes C-Class at #37 while the Hyundai Pony (#48) remains in the Top 50. Finally, notice an oddity: the Pontiac TransSport breaking into the Top 50 for the first time at #46.

Previous post: Finland 1991: Toyota and Nissan top weakest market since 1979

Full Year 1992 and 1993 Top 45 All-brands and Top 50 models below.