Europe 1998: VW Golf, Renault Megane and Fiat Punto lead
VW Golf IV
* See the Top 25 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *
1998 is a turbulent year as far as the best selling models ranking is concerned, with no less than 4 models vying for the first place.
The VW Golf is back on top at a brilliant 672,662 sales, up 34% year-on-year. Its year had started very poorly though, with the 4th generation really struggling at the start of its career: it is #8 in January and #7 in February! It ranked #1 in May for the first time in over a year and never looked back, peaking at 69,715 sales in July and holding the pole position 8 times out of 12 this year.
Renault Megane Scenic
The Renault Megane is the success story of the year. Already up 35% at #5 in 1997 (#4 based on an alternative source), it is up a further 3 spots and 21% to rank 2nd best selling car in Europe this year. Never a French model had been that successful outside of its native country. The Megane even ranked #1 in Europe in March (63,620 sales) and April (60,600)! This success is mostly due to the Scenic MPV version which accounts for half of Megane’s European sales.
Down 2 spots to 3rd place, the Fiat Punto is still solid at 560,986 sales (-5%). It was the best selling car in Europe in January and February, and in the YTD ranking up to July, but couldn’t resist the ramping up of the Golf. At #4 with 558,717 sales and up 12%, the Opel Astra sees the effect of its 3rd generation launched mid-year: from July onwards it ranked consistently on the podium, stepping up to #2 from September on, and only 3,000 sales below the Golf in November.
Citroen Xsara
Further down the ranking, the Renault Clio is boosted by its facelift, up 3 spots and 21% in 7th, the Citroen Xsara makes a brief appearance in the Top 10 in July with 28,750 sales and the Peugeot 206 starts what would end up being Peugeot’s most successful run in Europe with a 7th place in November at 28,000 sales.
Previous year: Europe 1997: Fiat Punto crowned for the first time
Next year: Europe 1999: Opel Astra a serious threat to the VW Golf
Full Year 1998 Top 25 and every Monthly Top 10 Ranking Tables below.
You can check out every Monthy 1998 Top 10 here: Europe 1998 Monthly
Europe Full Year 1998:
| Pos | Model | 1998 | 98/97 | 1997 |
| 1 | VW Golf | 672,662 | 34% | 2 |
| 2 | Renault Megane | 582,112 | 21% | 5 |
| 3 | Fiat Punto | 560,986 | -5% | 1 |
| 4 | Opel Astra | 558,717 | 12% | 4 |
| 5 | Opel Corsa | 498,059 | 0% | 3 |
| 6 | VW Polo | 426,256 | -1% | 6 |
| 7 | Renault Clio | 418,748 | 21% | 10 |
| 8 | Ford Fiesta | 395,000 | -6% | 8 |
| 9 | Ford Escort | 380,000 | -10% | 7 |
| 10 | Opel Vectra | 372,000 | -4% | 9 |
Europe 1st Half 1998:
| Pos | Model | H1 1998 | 1997 |
| 1 | Fiat Punto | 322,631 | 1 |
| 2 | Renault Megane | 313,938 | 5 |
| 3 | VW Golf | 302,612 | 2 |
| 4 | Opel Corsa | 275,461 | 3 |
| 5 | Opel Astra | 230,468 | 4 |
| 6 | Ford Fiesta | 228,717 | 8 |
| 7 | Ford Escort | 228,073 | 7 |
| 8 | VW Polo | 223,932 | 6 |
| 9 | Opel Vectra | 212,015 | 9 |
| 10 | Renault Clio | 187,083 | 10 |
Source: JATO
From a different source, so sales figures differ slightly:
Europe Full Year 1998:
| Pos | Model | 1998 |
| 1 | VW Golf/Bora | 675,300 |
| 2 | Renault Mégane/Scénic | 578,200 |
| 3 | Opel Astra/Zafira | 561,400 |
| 4 | Fiat Punto | 542,600 |
| 5 | Opel Corsa | 491,200 |
| 6 | Renault Clio | 414,400 |
| 7 | VW Polo | 413,100 |
| 8 | Ford Escort/Focus | 406,600 |
| 9 | Ford Fiesta | 384,900 |
| 10 | Opel Vectra | 367,800 |
| 11 | VW Passat | 349,500 |
| 12 | Peugeot 306 | 315,600 |
| 13 | Ford Mondeo | 311,000 |
| 14 | Fiat Bravo/a/Marea | 276,600 |
| 15 | Citroen Xsara | 256,300 |
| 16 | BMW 3 Series | 248,500 |
| 17 | Seat Ibiza/Cordoba | 246,800 |
| 18 | Citroen Saxo | 242,900 |
| 19 | Mercedes C/CLK Class | 239,500 |
| 20 | Audi A4 | 219,700 |
| 21 | Peugeot 406 | 204,500 |
| 22 | Renault Twingo | 198,100 |
| 23 | Ford Ka | 198,100 |
| 24 | Renault Laguna | 193,100 |
| 25 | Mercedes E Class | 165,700 |
And another version:
Europe Full Year 1998:
| Pos | Model | 1998 | /97 | 1997 | Pos |
| 1 | VW Golf | 627,502 | 17% | 536,014 | 2 |
| 2 | Renault Megane | 581,153 | 19% | 488,683 | 4 |
| 3 | Fiat Punto | 529,718 | -7% | 571,943 | 1 |
| 4 | Opel Astra | 515,459 | 5% | 491,103 | 3 |
| 5 | Opel Corsa | 478,767 | -1% | 482,475 | 5 |
| 6 | Ford Escort/Focus | 420,305 | -2% | 428,816 | 7 |
| 7 | Renault Clio | 413,858 | 26% | 329,319 | 10 |
| 8 | VW Polo | 401,047 | -10% | 445,406 | 6 |
| 9 | Ford Fiesta | 389,150 | -8% | 421,862 | 8 |
| 10 | Opel Vectra | 365,320 | -6% | 387,636 | 9 |
Source: AID, Interautonews. Many thanks to Florian for the tip!
L’Auto Journal, France June 1998
