Germany 6 months 2012 Private Sales: What people really buy
VW Tiguan (US version)
* See the Top 15 best-selling models by clicking on the title! Many thanks to JLKN *
For the first time on Best Selling Cars Blog and thanks to JLKN I am able to share with you the best-selling models to private buyers in Germany. Now brace yourself for a bit of a shock as this ranking is totally different to the one you are used to seeing… Volkswagen is truly the car of the people: it monopolises the models podium here too but while the VW Golf and Polo lead the way the Tiguan takes the third spot (vs. #11 overall) with a strong 63% Private Sales (PS) ratio.
VW Up!
The Passat is nowhere to be seen in the Top 15 which means less than 20% of its sales are private. However big surprise: the Up! is already at a brilliant 7th place with 12,196 private sales or 56% of its total. Mercedes is doing extremely well, placing 4 models in the first 13: the B-Class is #4 (59% PS), the C-Class #5 (34%), the A-Class #11 (67%) and the E-Class #13 (37%). Skoda places the Fabia at an excellent 6th position and the Octavia at #8.
Toyota Yaris
Let’s notice that both the VW Golf and Opel Astra lodge the 2 weakest private sales ratios in the Top 15: respectively 34% and 29%. Reversely the Smart Fortwo ranks #12, 16 spots above its overall ranking, while the Toyota Yaris is the best-selling foreign model after the Skodas at a very solid 15th place with 8,970 private sales, delivering the highest PS ratio in the Top 15 at 72%.
Germany overall: Germany 6 months 2012: Mercedes C-Class and Audi A6 pull market up
Previous post: Germany June 2012: BMW 1 Series and Mercedes B Class shine
Previous month: Germany May 2012: Mercedes B-Class hits highest ranking ever
One year ago: Germany June 2011: Mercedes C-Class #2 for the first time in 7 months
Full 6 months 2012 Top 15 Ranking Table below.
Germany Private sales 6 months 2012:
| Pos | Model | 2012 PS | PS ratio | 2012 | Pos |
| 1 | VW Golf/Plus/Jetta | 43,019 | 34% | 128,034 | 1 |
| 2 | VW Polo | 26,775 | 62% | 43,116 | 3 |
| 3 | VW Tiguan | 18,155 | 63% | 28,986 | 11 |
| 4 | Mercedes B-Klasse | 17,483 | 59% | 29,632 | 9 |
| 5 | Mercedes C-Klasse | 12,848 | 34% | 37,566 | 5 |
| 6 | Skoda Fabia | 12,196 | 52% | 23,589 | 20 |
| 7 | VW Up! | 11,267 | 56% | 20,265 | 21 |
| 8 | Skoda Octavia | 11,029 | 43% | 25,768 | 15 |
| 9 | Opel Astra | 10,900 | 29% | 38,112 | 4 |
| 10 | BMW 1er | 10,146 | 34% | 30,107 | 7 |
| 11 | Mercedes A-Klasse | 10,139 | 67% | 15,110 | 30 |
| 12 | Smart Fortwo | 9,666 | 61% | 15,872 | 28 |
| 13 | Mercedes E-Klasse | 9,496 | 37% | 25,600 | 16 |
| 14 | Mini | 9,023 | 46% | 19,743 | 22 |
| 15 | Toyota Yaris | 8,970 | 72% | 12,511 | 37 |
Source: KBA, many thanks to JLKN!
this sales is totally different compared to the non-private & private sales what you see regular every month
So called “private sales” are virtually only sales by retirees, jobless people and those to stupid to find another way. Companies can reduce their taxes by buying cars for their employees every three years; they don’t need any kind of work-use reason for this.
Whilst every sale is important in its own right and signifies the success [or otherwise] of a sales strategy of the car manufacturer, private sale numbers are very illuminating [thanks again for the great work Matt & JLKN] – many non-private sales are to fleets e.g. car hire or taxi firms. Private sales numbers on the hand reflect what individuals prefer, when buying with their own money, and count one at a time rather than in the hundreds or thousands as part of a bulk/incentivised contract.
There’s no sense in emphasizing private sales. Fleet and business sales (companies and self employed people like lawyers, doctors, architects) are also important and represent “peoples” decisions, too.
@LadyBoy: Here are the PS-Numbers for some Audi- and BMW-Models:
Audi A4: 3.926 (16,2 %)
Audi A6/A7: 4.246 (14,2 %)
BMW 3er: 6.601 (19,5 %)
BMW 5er: 3.716 (15,6 %).
Please notice that Mercedes-Benz has the best reputation/image among private buyers…
E-Klasse only 37 %, Ladyboy? That’s very strange… the car costs more than 50.000 €… ?!
omg, the backside of the coin..
The E-Klasse only a PS ratio of 37%.
I think the sales of the BMW 5, 3 or the Audi A4, A6 are even more pathetic.
Strangely enough, the percentages for the Skoda Octavia are about the same as UK.