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Europe 1996: VW Golf resists Fiat Punto assault

January 23rd, 1997 Leave a comment Go to comments

VW Golf

* NOW UPDATED with the Top 293 All-models! Click on title to see – thanks to STAC *

After snatching the European pole position from the VW Golf in November last year, the Fiat Punto confirmed its new supremacy by staying on top for a further 3 consecutive months up until February 1996, peaking at 62,592 sales in January, still to this date (2012) the Punto nameplate’s monthly volume record in Europe.

It all seemed like the Punto would stop 13 years of VW Golf domination over European sales but it was not to be. For the remainder of the year Punto sales dropped significantly and the VW Golf kept the title of best selling car in Europe in 1996 with 634,611 sales, down 4% vs. 560,700 for the Punto, down 8%.

Fiat Punto

In third position and up 2 spots and 13% thanks to its facelift, the Ford Fiesta sells 543,712 units and passes the Opel Astra, down 11% to #4 and 509,929 sales. The Opel Corsa is up one spot to #5, ahead of the Ford Escort (-4%). Excellent performance of the VW Polo: after finishing 1995 up 142% it gains a further 31% in 1996 to rank #7 with 425,740 units sold. The Renault Megane (including the Megane Scenic) breaks into the Top 10 for its first full year of sales at an excellent 357,356 units. Notice also the Fiat Bravo/Brava up to #15 with 269,296 sales.

Previous year: Europe 1995: Fiat Punto interrupts 154 months of VW Golf domination

Next year: Europe 1997: Fiat Punto crowned for the first time

Full Year 1996 Top 293 + Jan to May monthly Top 10 Ranking Tables below.

You can check out every monthly Top 10 from January to May 1996 here: Europe 1996 Monthly

Europe Full Year 1996 (Source Interautonews):

Pos Model 1996 96/95 1995 Pos
1 VW Golf 646,964 -3% 664,131 1
2 Fiat Punto 571,927 -6% 607,625 2
3 Ford Fiesta 564,460 17% 482,056 5
4 Opel Astra 499,894 -12% 569,519 3
5 Opel Corsa 492,620 8% 458,130 6
6 Ford Escort 470,978 -2% 482,277 4
7 VW Polo 443,203 36% 325,870 9
8 Renault Clio 371,560 -6% 393,602 7
9 Opel Vectra 370,108 56% 237,732  -
10 Renault Megane 345,494 new 0  -

Europe 17 countries Full Year 1996 (Source L’Argus):

Pos Model 1996 /95 1995 Pos
1 VW Golf 634,611 -4% 663,936 1
2 Fiat Punto 560,700 -8% 607,790 2
3 Ford Fiesta 543,712 13% 481,879 5
4 Opel Astra 509,929 -11% 569,812 3
5 Opel Corsa 481,199 5% 458,063 6
6 Ford Escort 461,725 -4% 482,607 4
7 VW Polo 425,740 31% 326,110 9
8 Renault Clio 369,176 -6% 394,045 7
9 Opel Vectra 364,910 53% 237,875 13
10 Renault Megane 357,356 2027% 16,801 n/a
11 Ford Mondeo 319,676 -9% 350,431 8
12 Peugeot 106 314,467 4% 302,096 11
13 Peugeot 306 300,005 -6% 319,039 10
14 Audi A4 274,821 24% 221,515 17
15 Fiat Bravo, Brava 269,296 598% 38,594 n/a
16 BMW 3 Series 245,014 -14% 285,089 12
17 Renault Laguna 223,853 -3% 230,198 14
18 Renault Twingo 216,755 -6% 229,797 15
19 Mercedes C Class 204,850 -8% 222,409 16
20 Citroen ZX 183,783 -12% 208,467 19
21 VW Passat 182,940 0% 182,433 20
22 Mercedes E Class 181,814 274% 48,586 n/a
23 Peugeot 406 171,280 661% 22,521 n/a
24 Citroen Xantia 161,850 -6% 172,047 21
25 Fiat Cinquecento 147,732 -2% 151,256 23
26 Honda Civic 142,346 9% 130,168 26
27 Seat Ibiza 140,768 -1% 142,153 24
28 BMW 5 Series 139,369 76% 79,312 n/a
29 Citroen Saxo 133,354 new 0  -
30 Nissan Micra 132,987 -1% 134,778 25
31 Rover 400 114,792 66% 69,251 n/a
32 Citroen AX 108,203 -34% 163,287 22
33 Toyota Corolla 106,954 1% 105,541 28
34 Toyota Carina 102,273 -1% 103,138 30
35 Nissan Almera 96,443 413% 18,812 n/a
36 Rover 200 95,400 -8% 103,960 29
37 Nissan Primera 91,262 1% 89,968 n/a
38 Opel Omega 89,297 -26% 121,102 27
39 Volvo 850 87,174 -4% 91,036 n/a
40 Audi A6 84,658 -7% 90,973 n/a
41 Mazda 323 83,495 -7% 90,246 n/a
42 Skoda Felicia 81,057 56% 51,866 n/a
43 Lancia Y 79,802 new 415 n/a
44 Alfa Romeo 145,146 75,221 -7% 81,123 n/a
45 Hyundai Accent 68,018 22% 55,895 n/a
46 Fiat Panda 65,722 -4% 68,773 n/a
47 Seat Cordoba 63,934 -4% 66,524 n/a
48 Daewoo Nexia 60,400 78% 33,935 n/a
49 Ford Galaxy 54,031 684% 6,894 n/a
50 Peugeot 205 53,727 -24% 71,130 n/a
51 VW Sharan 53,393
52 Volvo S40/V40 52,821
53 Rover 100 52,407
54 VW Vento 50,524
55 Seat Toledo 49,301
56 Opel Tigra 47,713
57 VW Transporter 47,482
58 Mazda 626 44,312
59 Toyota Starlet 43,747
60 Chrysler Voyager 42,333
61 Rover 600 41,625
62 Hyundai Lantra 40,883
63 Honda Accord 40,189
64 Renault Espace 35,277
65 Volvo 440/460 33,711
66 Audi A3 33,058
67 Suzuki Baleno 32,279
68 Mitsubishi Carisma 31,912
69 Peugeot 405 31,416
70 Volvo 940/960 31,373
71 Suzuki Swift 30,083
72 Daewoo Espero 29,915
73 Renault Safrane 28,229
74 Mitsubishi Colt 27,850
75 Toyota RAV4 27,116
76 Renault 19 26,039
77 Ford Ka 25,790
78 Fiat Marea 25,079
79 Mitsubishi Pajero 24,989
80 Land Rover Discovery 24,764
81 Ford Scorpio 24,757
82 BMW 7 Series 24,701
83 Seat Marbella 23,259
84 Suzuki Vitara 23,033
85 Opel Frontera 22,876
86 Lancia Kappa 22,052
87 Saab 9000 21,985
88 Mitsubishi Lancer 21,795
89 Lancia Dedra 21,290
90 Peugeot 806 20,978
91 Lancia Delta 20,937
92 Saab 900 20,760
93 Alfa Romeo 155 20,634
94 VW Polo Flight 20,109
95 Mazda 121 19,739
96 Fiat Tempra 19,710
97 Renault Supercinq 17,095
98 Suzuki Alto 16,905
99 Mercedes S Class 16,200
100 Jeep Cherokee 15,612
101 Proton 400 15,463
102 Jaguar/Daimler 15,008
103 Fiat Ulysse 14,869
104 Nissan Terrano 14,850
105 Citroen Evasion 14,520
106 Range Rover 14,109
107 Kia Sephia 13,787
108 Mercedes Sprinter 13,525
109 Ford Transit 13,522
110 Rover 800 13,152
111 Citroen XM 12,947
112 Subaru Legacy 12,784
113 Fiat Barchetta 12,206
114 Mitsubishi Space Wagon 11,949
115 Toyota Paseo 11,916
116 Lancia Y10 11,884
117 Nissan Serena 11,564
118 Subaru Impreza 11,505
119 Fiat Coupe 11,187
120 Lada Samara 10,918
121 Opel Calibra 10,828
122 Peugeot 605 10,670
123 Jeep Grand Cherokee 10,401
124 Chrysler Stratus 10,339
125 Porsche (all models) 10,294
126 Ford Maverick 10,034
127 Renault Express 9,782
128 Mitsubishi Galant 9,752
129 Rover Mini 9,728
130 Alfa Romeo GTV 9,429
131 Mazda MX5 9,412
132 Toyota Celica 9,170
133 Rover MGF 9,026
134 Mitsubishi Space Runner 8,971
135 Nissan Maxima 8,945
136 Audi A8 8,889
137 Chrysler Neon 8,354
138 Fiat Croma 8,298
139 Toyota Land Cruiser 8,284
140 Innocenti Mille 7,979
141 Subaru Justy 7,976
142 Ford Probe 7,820
143 Mercedes Roadster 7,615
144 Kia Pride 7,414
145 Audi Cabriolet 7,374
146 Toyota Previa 7,284
147 Daihatsu Charade 7,114
148 Kia Sportage 6,589
149 Hyundai Coupe 6,563
150 Hyundai Sonata 6,424
151 Alfa Romeo 164 6,288
152 Seat Alhambra 6,182
153 Alfa Romeo Spider 6,113
154 Pontiac Trans Sport 5,984
155 Mercedes Vito 5,888
156 Lada Niva 5,556
157 Suzuki SJ 5,308
158 Mazda Xedos 6 5,201
159 Mercedes 200/300 5,010
160 Nissan Sunny 4,907
161 Mazda MX3 4,701
162 Fiat Ducato 4,687
163 Toyota Camry 4,218
164 Renault Trafic 4,120
165 Lada 2107 4,083
166 Ford Courier 4,061
167 Mitsubishi L300 3,903
168 Nissan Patrol 3,863
169 Mercedes SLK 3,747
170 SsangYong Musso 3,603
171 Lancia Zeta 3,439
172 Daihatsu Feroza 3,308
173 Honda Shuttle 3,224
174 VW Caddy 3,165
175 Innocenti Elba 3,142
176 Ford Explorer 3,048
177 Citroen Berlingo 3,029
178 Toyota Hiace 2,851
179 Isuzu Trooper 2,776
180 Mitsubishi Eclipse 2,758
181 Subaru Vivo 2,742
182 Mitsubishi Space Gear 2,580
183 Opel Combo 2,525
184 Opel Monterey 2,454
185 Ford Windstar 2,452
186 Jeep Wrangler 2,444
187 Fiat Scudo 2,433
188 Suzuki X90 2,431
189 Mercedes G 2,322
190 Mercedes CL 2,300
191 Honda Prelude 2,215
192 Land Rover Defender 2,055
193 Peugeot Boxer 1,905
194 Mazda MPV 1,897
195 Ferrari 1,864
196 Daihatsu Rocky 1,851
197 Nissan 200 SX 1,803
198 Lexus LS 1,729
199 Mercedes V 1,708
200 Peugeot Expert 1,689
201 Kia Clarus 1,589
202 Lexus GS 1,529
203 Subaru Vanille 1,495
204 Fiat Tipo 1,478
205 Seat Inca 1,476
206 Chrysler Vision 1,404
207 GM Chevrolet 1,391
208 Toyota Picnic 1,354
209 Mazda Xedos 9 1,340
210 Toyota 4 Runner 1,306
211 Citroen Jumpy 1,190
212 Fiat Uno 1,174
213 Lada Sagona 1,161
214 Asia Rocsta 1,077
215 Fiat Fiorino 1,076
216 Citroen Jumper 1,058
217 Audi 80 1,004
218 Mitsubishi L200 996
219 Toyota MR 981
220 Toyota Hilux 974
221 FSO 972
222 Daihatsu Applause 970
223 Audi Coupe 970
224 Mazda MX6 877
225 Honda Concerto 844
226 Nissan 100 NX 834
227 Honda Legend 710
228 BMW 840, 850 708
229 Pontiac Coupe 681
230 Lotus 642
231 Citroen C15 642
232 VW Corrado 605
233 Nissan Pick-up 577
234 Ford Mustang 564
235 Volkswagen LT 541
236 Iveco 539
237 Suzuki Carry 529
238 GMC 503
239 Audi S6 500
240 Buick 474
241 Aston Martin 454
242 Maserati 417
243 Mitsubishi Sigma 415
244 Hyundai H100 387
245 Peugeot Partner 384
246 Cadillac Seville 370
247 Chevrolet Astro 368
248 Mercedes MB 359
249 SsangYong Korando 355
250 Nissan Urvan 306
251 Trabant 295
252 Pontiac 275
253 Nissan Vanette 273
254 Chrysler New Yorker 272
255 Skoda Favorit 254
256 Mitsubishi 3000 GT 254
257 Cadillac Eldorado 250
258 Mercury 204
259 Volvo 480 195
260 Subaru SVX 188
261 Ford Thunderbird 185
262 Renault Spider 161
263 Chevrolet Lumina 161
264 Toyota Supra 160
265 Morgan 130
266 VW Beetle 123
267 Lamborghini 123
268 Chevrolet Corvette 122
269 Mazda Bongo 118
270 Opel Sintra 109
271 Chevrolet Camaro 102
272 Chrysler Le Baron 100
273 Caterham 100
274 Honda NSX 84
275 Bentley 70
276 Daihatsu Hi jet 67
277 Nissan 300 ZX 63
278 Rolls-Royce 60
279 Ford Lincoln 57
280 Ford Aerostar 53
281 Lancia Thema 49
282 BMW Z1 47
283 Chrysler Viper 45
284 Alfa Romeo RZ 38
285 Alfa Romeo SZ 33
286 Mercedes T1 27
287 Toyota Lite-Ace 27
288 Mazda RX7 21
289 Buick Roadmaster 18
290 Mahindra 12
291 Fiat Palio 10
292 Suzuki Capuccino 8
293 Hummer 1

Source: L’Argus, many thanks to STAC for sharing the data

Categories: Europe
  1. STAC
    May 24th, 2012 at 08:25 | #1
    Reply | Quote

    Salut Matt,

    j’ai les chiffres officiels de l’argus pour l’Europe des années 90′s (dont ceux de 1996 sont complets, certaine année a le top 100 ou 200….)!!!!

    En attendant ta réponse par mail, je te ferai scanner les chiffres des années 80/90′s pour la France et des années 90′s pour l’Europe… J’ai également le top 50 par modèle pour les pays européens des années 90′s! ça va trop long à les faire scanner :/

    à bientôt et très bon courage!!!

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