Europe 1995: Fiat Punto interrupts 154 months of Golf domination
Fiat Punto
* See the Top 30 best-selling models by clicking on the title! Many thanks to STAC *
A once-in-a-decade event occurs in November 1995: after 154 consecutive months of VW Golf domination, the Fiat Punto takes the reins of the European car market with 51,058 sales vs. 50,693 for the Golf. It took just two years for the Punto to establish itself as the first serious threat to the Golf domination in Europe, a feat that the Fiat Uno never achieved in its 10 year life. Over the full year however, the VW Golf keeps the pole position for the 13th year in a row with 663,936 sales, the Punto following with 607,790 units.
VW Golf
The Opel Astra drops one spot to #3 with 569,812 sales, the Ford Escort is up one to #4 at 482,607 and the Ford Fiesta is down 2 to #5 and 481,879 sales. Opel Corsa, Renault Clio and Ford Mondeo are stable whereas the VW Polo is up a massive 142% and 18 spots thanks to the new generation to reach #9 with 326,110 sales. Notice also the Renault Laguna up 6 spots to #14 and the Audi A4 landing at #17.
Previous post: Europe 1993-1994: VW Golf stays on top, Opel Astra #2
Next year: Europe 1996: VW Golf resists Fiat Punto assault
Full Year 1995 Top 30 and November 1995 Top 10 Ranking Tables below.
Europe November 1995:
| Pos | Model | Nov-95 | % | /94 | Nov-94 | Pos |
| 1 | VW Golf | 50,693 | 0.4% | -4% | 52,915 | 1 |
| 2 | Opel Astra | 41,862 | 0.3% | -11% | 46,878 | 2 |
| 3 | Fiat Punto | 51,058 | 0.4% | 17% | 43,602 | 3 |
| 4 | Renault Clio | 27,489 | 0.2% | -27% | 37,502 | 4 |
| 5 | Ford Fiesta | 37,683 | 0.3% | 4% | 36,095 | 5 |
| 6 | Opel Corsa | 39,516 | 0.3% | 17% | 33,919 | 6 |
| 7 | Ford Escort | 36,593 | 0.3% | 14% | 32,241 | 7 |
| 8 | Peugeot 306 | 22,795 | 0.2% | -16% | 27,137 | 8 |
| 9 | Peugeot 106 | 22,774 | 0.2% | 1% | 22,661 | - |
| 10 | VW Polo | 28,185 | 0.2% | 110% | 13,409 | - |
Europe Full Year 1995:
| Pos | Model | 1995 | 1994 |
| 1 | VW Golf | 659,000 | 1 |
| 2 | Fiat Punto | 606,000 | 4 |
| 3 | Opel Astra | 571,000 | 2 |
| 4 | Ford Fiesta | 480,000 | 3 |
| 5 | Ford Escort | 477,000 | 6 |
| 6 | Opel Corsa | 460,000 | 5 |
| 7 | Renault Clio | 393,000 | 7 |
| 8 | Ford Mondeo | 351,000 | 8 |
| 9 | VW Polo | 328,000 | - |
| 10 | Peugeot 306 | 319,000 | 9 |
Source: L’Auto Journal
Europe 17 countries Full Year 1995:
| Pos | Model | 1995 | /94 | 1994 | Pos |
| 1 | VW Golf | 663,936 | -8% | 721,004 | 1 |
| 2 | Fiat Punto | 607,790 | 30% | 467,181 | 4 |
| 3 | Opel Astra | 569,812 | -2% | 581,540 | 2 |
| 4 | Ford Escort | 482,607 | 5% | 458,511 | 5 |
| 5 | Ford Fiesta | 481,879 | 1% | 478,681 | 3 |
| 6 | Opel Corsa | 458,063 | 2% | 448,276 | 6 |
| 7 | Renault Clio | 394,045 | -7% | 425,148 | 7 |
| 8 | Ford Mondeo | 350,431 | -6% | 373,169 | 8 |
| 9 | VW Polo | 326,110 | 142% | 134,613 | 27 |
| 10 | Peugeot 306 | 319,039 | 2% | 312,861 | 9 |
| 11 | Peugeot 106 | 302,096 | -1% | 305,915 | 10 |
| 12 | BMW 3 Series | 285,089 | 8% | 264,400 | 12 |
| 13 | Opel Vectra | 237,875 | -8% | 258,769 | 13 |
| 14 | Renault Laguna | 230,198 | 30% | 176,573 | 20 |
| 15 | Renault Twingo | 229,797 | 6% | 216,279 | 15 |
| 16 | Mercedes C Class | 222,409 | -2% | 226,664 | 14 |
| 17 | Audi A4 | 221,515 | new | n/a | n/a |
| 18 | Renault 19 (e) | 209,100 | -25% | 278,819 | 11 |
| 19 | Citroen ZX | 208,467 | -3% | 215,391 | 17 |
| 20 | VW Passat | 182,433 | -15% | 215,768 | 16 |
| 21 | Citroen Xantia | 172,047 | -12% | 196,446 | 19 |
| 22 | Citroen AX | 163,287 | 0% | 163,006 | 22 |
| 23 | Fiat Cinquecento | 151,256 | 10% | 137,727 | 26 |
| 24 | Seat Ibiza | 142,153 | 9% | 130,246 | 28 |
| 25 | Nissan Micra | 134,778 | -3% | 138,338 | 25 |
| 26 | Honda Civic | 130,168 | 29% | 101,064 | 34 |
| 27 | Opel Omega | 121,102 | 8% | 112,105 | 31 |
| 28 | Peugeot 405 (e) | 111,860 | -30% | 159,805 | 23 |
| 29 | Toyota Corolla | 105,541 | -11% | 118,623 | 30 |
| 30 | Rover 200 | 103,960 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Source: L’Argus
