Hungary 1998-1999: Suzuki Swift and Opel Astra dominate

Suzuki Swift

* See the Top 35 All-brands and Top 15 best-selling models by clicking on the title *

The Hungarian car market jumps 30.3% year-on-year in 1998 to 104.055 registrations, its first six-digit figure this decade. Suzuki enjoys a second consecutive year atop the brands ranking with deliveries soaring 55% to a record 23.9% share. Opel (+33%) is also in great shape and reaches 16.5% share, vastly distancing Volkswagen at 7.8% and Ford at 7.3%. Fiat soars 76% to 5th place, with Alfa Romeo (+252%), Mercedes (+96%), Citroen (+86%), Mazda (+62%), Volvo (+59%), Peugeot (+55%), Nissan (+51%) and Toyota (+46%) the other great performers in the Top 20. The locally-built Suzuki Swift, accounting for 96% of Suzuki’s sales in 1998, is by far the best-selling car in the country with an enormous 22.9% share. The Opel Astra/Zafira is also extremely strong at 12.5% with the Ford Focus/Escort, VW Polo and Fiat Bravo/a/Marea rounding up the Top 5.

In 1999, new car sales in Hungary soar 24.8% to 129.855. Suzuki maintains the brands leadership, outpacing the market at +29% to 24.6% share. Opel is now panting at just +14% to a declining 15.1% share, with Volkswagen (+28%) ending the year at #3 for the third time in a row. Fiat (+12%) and Daewoo (+32%) both overtake Ford (+1%) to rank #4 and #5 respectively, while Skoda (+68%), Toyota (+57%), Renault (+47%) and Peugeot (+44%) lodge the largest year-on-year gains in the Top 10. Model-wise, the Suzuki Swift (+28%) continues to tighten its grip on the charts at a record 23.5% share, distancing the Opel Astra/Zafira at 11.7%, the Ford Focus/Escort at 4.2% and the VW Golf/Bora/Vento at 3.8%. The all-new Daewoo Matiz lands at #8

Full Year 1998 and 1999 Top 35 All-brands and Top 15 models below.