Best Selling Cars – Matt's blog

The VW Golf Plus was #1 in Austria in December 2005, beating the Golf!

* See the direct links to these 14 Historical posts by clicking on the title! *

You have now access to Historical new car sales info for Austria for the last 35 years! From 1977 to 1992 the only info I have is that the VW Golf is likely to have remained the best-seller in the country for the whole period. If you have more detailed car sales data for that time or before 1977 please make sure you get in touch by commenting on this article or clicking on the ‘Contact us’ tab and filling your details!

The VW Golf is likely to have been #1 at year-end in Austria for the last 35 years

The last 35 years of car sales in Austria could be summarised in one word: Golf. Volkswagen’s best-seller has been on top of the sales charts potentially each year since 1977 but has seen its market share weaken over the period, in line with the increased fragmentation of most European car markets. It went from 10.9% in 1994 to a lowest ever 3.7% in 2006 then back up to 5.2% in 2010.

Seat Ibiza

From 2003 onwards there is a monthly ranking available and it shows that between 2003 and 2009 the Golf is not #1 in the country absolutely every month although it has not failed to finish each year in first place. The VW Polo was #1 five times over the period (September 2003, August 2005, August-October 2006, and October 2009) and the VW Passat 3 times (October-November 2005, January 2006). The VW Sharan was #1 in December 2004, the Opel Astra in July 2005, the VW Golf Plus in December 2005, the Skoda Fabia in July 2006, the Audi A4 in August 2008, the Skoda Octavia in February 2009, the Seat Ibiza in June 2009 and the VW Tiguan in October 2012.

The Skoda Fabia ranked #2 in Austria in 2004 and 2008

Note that the only model managing a monthly pole position in Austria in the last ten years that does not belong to the VAG Group is the Opel Astra for one lonely month in July 2005… From 1996 onwards, there is a Skoda within the Austrian year-end Top 10: the Felicia ranks #7 in 1996, then the Fabia is up to #3 in 2001 and 2003 and #2 in 2004 and 2008, while the Octavia up to #4 in 2009.

The direct links to these 14 Austrian Historical posts are below.

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The VW Golf was #1 in Belgium from 1989 to 2001 and has been since 2010

* See the direct links to these 11 Historical articles by clicking on the title! Thanks to STAC *

Thanks to STAC I am now able to share with you more detailed Historical Data for Belgium up to 1989. If you have any information for this country prior to 1989 please make sure you get in touch by commenting on this article or clicking on the ‘Contact us’ tab! From 1989 to 2001 we witness the uninterrupted reign of the VW Golf spanning three generations but seeing its market share slide down progressively…

The Peugeot 206 ranked #1 in Belgium from 2002 to 2005

In 2002 the Peugeot 206 breaks at least 13 years of Golf domination and stays on top for 4 consecutive years before giving up its throne to the Opel Astra in 2006. The Peugeot 207 takes the relay for two years in 2007 and 2008, then the Ford Fiesta manages to grab the pole position in Belgium for the first time in the nameplate’s 30 years career. Since 2010 the VW Golf is back to the #1 spot.

The BMW 3 Series ranked #4 in Belgium in 2007 and 2008

Witness also the success of the BMW 3 Series, making its way up the ranking all through the period to fall short of the podium for only 10 units in 2008… the Renault Megane ranking #2 in 1998 and 2011… the Peugeot 307 #2 from 2003 to 2005… the Opel Kadett #2 in 1989… the Toyota Corolla #5 in 1989 and the Ford Mondeo directly #4 in 1994 for its first full year of sales in the country.

The direct links to these 11 Belgium Historical articles are below.

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Good old me next to a Dacia Lodgy in Grasse, France August 2012

You like what you read every day on BSCB and want more car sales nerdiness on your own car/news website or magazine? You want to hear/see more of what I have to say about the car sales situation in a specific country? You need some background, more info, an external point of view or just a better understanding?

Wait no longer – click on the new ‘Services’ tab below the BSCB logo, fill in your details and I will get in touch with you.

If you run or are a journalist for a car/news magazine or website anywhere in the world and are looking for car sales-related editorial, please get in touch! Whether it be a one-off focus on a specific country or region or a regular paper, I’d be more than happy to provide some content, data and analysis and fuel the ever-growing passion of your viewers for sales data…

On the ‘Services’ page you will also find links to my contributions to US website The Truth About Cars since February 2011 and my interview on World Radio Switzerland. I will keep adding more references as they appear so you can check out the full range of my services on that page.

As always please also use this opportunity to let me know what you think is working and not working on the blog so I can keep improving it. Enjoy!

Golden Dragon Haice

* See the Top 140 All-models ranking by clicking on the title! Many thanks to Ldman *

The Egyptian new car market is back into positive in August at +6% year-on-year to 17,458 registrations, bringing the year-to-date total to 123,035 units, up 11% on 2011. The Hyundai Verna hits its highest market share in at least 2 years and potentially ever in Egypyt at a mammoth 13.2% thanks to 2,301 sales, adding up to 14,308 units so far in 2012 for a 11.6% share. In fact the entire August Top 5 is identical to the 2012 year-to-date ranking with the Chevrolet TFR Single Cab (aka Isuzu D-Max) #2 with 1,669 sales and 9.6% and the Hyundai new Elantra #3 at 1,303 units and 7.5%.

But the event of the month in Egypt is the arrival within the Top 10 of a lesser known Chinese model: the Golden Dragon Haice, a minibus based on the previous generation Toyota Hiace, akin to the Jinbei Haise best-seller in North Korea under the name Pyeonghwa Samchunri. At #9 with 424 sales units 2.4% share, the Golden Eagle manages the impressive feat of being the best-selling Chinese model in Egypt this month way above the King Long XMQ (another minibus) at #20 and the Speranza Tiggo at #24,

Maple Primera

Back to the top of the ranking with the Chevrolet Lanos and Aveo both down one spot on July to land at #4 with 1,119 sales and 6.4% and #5 with 1,042 units and 6% respectively. Excellent showing of the Skoda Octavia up 3 ranks on July to #6 and of the Toyota Hilux up 7 to #8. Notice also the Kia new Rio up 3 spots to #15, the VW new Jetta up 39 to #28 and the Peugeot 508 up 10 to #30. Chinese manufacturer Maple now places 4 models in the Egyptian ranking: the Aspire at #75, the Romeo at #101, the Escala at #103 and the new Primera at #135…

Previous month: Egypt July 2012: Renault Logan in great shape

One year ago: Egypt August 2011: Hyundai Verna and new Elantra on top

Full August 2012 Top 140 Ranking Table below.

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Renault Twingo

* See the direct links to 48 French Historical Data articles by clicking on the title! *

Over the next few days I will uploading more detailed nineties Historical Data for main European countries. Starting with France, you now have access to a monthly Top 30 for all of 1993, and at least a monthly Top 10 for January-July 1996, January-August 1997 and March-November 1998. This means there is a French monthly models ranking on BSCB continuously from January 1982 to December 1993 and from June 2004 onwards. I have added all direct links to the 49 French Historical Data posts below the jump, going back to 1949!

Citroen Xantia

1993 was a year of change for France with the weakest sales in almost 20 years and no less than 3 all-new models breaking into the monthly podium at some stage: the Renault Twingo ranked #3 for its third month of sales, peaking at #2 and 7.4% share in September, the Peugeot 306 hit #2 with 10,007 sales in November while the Citroen Xantia hit an exceptional third place in July with a nowadays-impossible 11,136 units sold…

Peugeot 206

You can now follow the first months of sales of the Peugeot 206 in France from September 1998 onwards: it started with a bang that month with no less than 14,420 sales and 8.3% market share…

Direct links to 48 French Historical Data articles below.

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* See the entire article by clicking on the title! *

Interviewed by Reuters yesterday at the Paris Auto Show, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that in the face of the significant sales decline in Europe, the group is refocusing its production towards export markets outside the continent. The fall stands at -7% year-to-date and is projected to reach -8% over the Full Year 2012. He sees no respite to the decline in 2013 and even 3 or 4 further years of stagnation in Europe.

However in spite of this context, Ghosn sees “zero chance” for a government-led restructuring of Europe’s auto industry, similar to the restructuring of the US industry during the global financial crisis. This restructuring was triggered by the bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler. ”Each company will have to deal with their own problems” he said. Europe still accounts for half of Renault’s sales but just last month Brazil became Renault’s #1 market in the world.

See the entire article by clicking on ‘Read more’ below.

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208 Rolls Royce Ghost were sold in Europe so far in 2012. Picture by gstaranto, all rights reserved.

* See the Top 325 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *

Thanks to Lancia Lover from www.autoweek.nl I can share with you today and for the first time since last April a Top 325 (nearly all) models ranking for Europe over the first 7 months of 2012! Outside the familiar Top 10, the Fiat Panda is up 2 spots compared to the 4 months 2012 ranking to #11 thanks to its outstanding performance in Italy, but is still a good 13,000 units away from a spot in the Top 10 most popular cars in Europe. The Skoda Octavia is stable at #12 while the BMW 3 Series is up 5 ranks to #14 and the VW Tiguan up one to a best-ever #17 vs. #35 in 2011!

VW Up! Picture by L’Argus, all rights reserved.

The Mercedes B-Class is up 6 spots to #30, the Nissan Juke up one to a record #34 and the Opel Zafira up 4 to #39 thanks to the new Zafira Tourer. We welcome two newcomers in the European year-to-date Top 50: the Peugeot 208 is up 62 ranks to #44 with 59,607 sales, making its first appearance in the Europe Top 5 in July before breaking onto the podium in August, and the VW Up! lands at #45 with 59,328 units. Further down, notice the Kia Cee’d up 14 spots to #59, the Audi Q3 up 6 to #63 and the Mercedes M-Class up 15 to #108.

Peugeot 4008

Among other new models for 2012, the Mazda CX-5 and VW Beetle new generation are both up 22 ranks to #136 and #142 respectively, the Dacia Lodgy is up 92 to #163 with 9,200 sales, the Skoda Citigo is up 67 to #168, the Seat Mii up 64 to #185, the Kia Optima up 42 to #233, the Peugeot 4008 up 30 to #251 and the Toyota GT86 up 70 to #257.

Opel Ampera

The Toyota Prius has now a little more room to breathe in the hybrid/electric cars ranking, pointing its bonnet at #138 with 13,552 sales while the Lexus CT is down from #140 over 4 months 2012 to #155 now at 10,520 units. The Opel Ampera is up 7 spots to #221 ahead of the Nissan Leaf down 4 to #231 but passing the Honda Insight, down 18 to #236 while the Toyota Prius+ makes its first appearance in the European ranking at #243 with 1,640 sales, followed by the Honda CR-Z down 14 to #250. Note overall European sales of Chevrolet Volt are unavailable at this stage.

Volvo V40

A few other models show themselves for the first time: the Volvo V40 lands directly at #246 with 1,588 sales, the Chevrolet Camaro ranks #248 with 1,586 units, the Lexus GS is #258 with 1,187 sales, the Lancia Flavia is #286, the Ford B-Max is #298, the Peugeot 301 #314, the Citroen C-Elysee #316, the Dacia Dokker #319 and the Renault Zoe #324 with 11 units sold.

Mercedes CLS in Monaco, August 2012

The second half of the ranking still features a good number of luxury cars totally unaffected by the gloomy European sales context. The Porsche Cayenne is up to #143, the Mercedes CLS at #177, the Porsche Panamera at #201, the Bentley Continental GT/GTC is #261, the Ferrari 458 Italia #262, the Mercedes SLS AMG #271, the Audi R8 #277, the Aston Martin V8/V12 Vantage #283, the Ferrari California #284, the Maserati GranTurismo #290, the Rolls Royce Ghost #299 and the Lamborghini Aventador at #304.

Previous post: Europe August 2012: Peugeot 208 on podium, Audi #2 brand!

Previous detailed YTD post: Europe April 2012: Now available with Top 322 All-models ranking!

Full 7 months 2012 Top 325 Ranking Table below.

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Renault Twizy

* See the Renault Twizy’s detailed sales figures by clicking on the title! *

Around a month ago I wrote about the Renault Twizy and its sales performance in Europe where it launched 6 months ago. Being categorised as a quadricycle it doesn’t appear in traditional models rankings but Renault publishes sales figures for the Twizy every month. Peaking at 2,113 sales in April, the Twizy had sold 1,583 units in June in the whole of Europe by the time I wrote my last article about it on BSCB.

Since then, it has been a rough summer for the electric Renault, with European sales down to 749 in July and 654 in August. However these two months are traditionally slow in the continent as they coincide with the Summer school holidays so let’s wait until September figures are released to potentially start getting alarmed. The split by country has evolved quite significantly over the period, with Germany now far above the other markets with 240 sales in August, followed by France at 106, Spain at 80 and Switzerland up to #4 biggest Twizy country with 56 units sold…

Previous Twizy post: Europe: Has Renault nailed the electric car with the Twizy?

Detailed Twizy European sales figures by country below.

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The Renault 4 was the most successful model in Rhodesia over the period

* See the Top 25 most produced models by clicking on the title! Many thanks to Frank *

Today the Africa Project is getting its first historical contribution, thanks to Frank Stevens. Frank was born and grew up in what was used to be Rhodesia up until 1980 when it became Zimbabwe, one of the most tumultuous times the country has known. During that period, up to 17 car manufacturers assembled models in a country plagued with United Nations trade sanctions, and thanks to Frank who also worked at the National Vehicle Registration Department there in the seventies, I am able to share with you the best-selling models in Rhodesia from the late fifties to the early eighties. Fascinating info if you ask me!

1958 Pontiac Strato Chief

In the fifties Rhodesia, being part of the Commonwealth, truly benefitted from the American and European export drives. The most popular models in the country at that time included the Chevrolet Impala, Dodge Polara, Pontiac Strato Chief, Ford Galaxie 500, Plymouth Fury and Mercedes 220 fintail, sharing the roads with the Austin 1100, Wolseley 6/110, Skoda Octavia, Borgward Isabella, Taunus 17M, Ford Zodiac and Anglia, Jaguar S type, Opel Rekord, Vauxhall Victor, Volvo Amazon, Holdens and even the odd Datsun…

1963 Isuzu Bellett

In 1958 BMC opened an assembly plant in Umtali (now Mutare), and Ford did the same in 1960 at Willowvale in Salisbury (now Harare) with the two brands likely dominating sales in Rhodesia in the early sixties. However the Unilateral Declaration of Independence from Britain in 1965 triggered UN trade sanctions against Rhodesia from 1966 until the creation of Zimbabwe in 1980. As a result BMC and Ford stopped supplying CKD kits and by 1967 there were very few new cars available, except save for the occasional Isuzu Bellett and Daihatsu Compagno.

Peugeot 404

From 1968 onwards, the composition of the Rhodesian new car market changed drastically as sanctions busters found new sources of CKD kits and new brands made their appearance on the streets. Thanks to Frank’s meticulous observation and note-taking when working at the Vehicle Registration Department at the time, I am able to share with you the most produced (and therefore best-selling) models in Rhodesia from 1966 to 1980.

Datsun 120Y

Interestingly, the Frenchies dominate the ranking with 4 models in the Top 5… The Renault 4 is likely to be the best-seller over the period ahead of the Peugeot 404 in all its formats (sedan, station-wagon, pick-up) with the Datsun 1200/120Y/140Y rounding up the podium. The Renault 12 and 10 follow while the Datsun 1500 pick-up ranks #6.

The BMW Cheetah/2000 SA was a rebadged Glas 1700 assembled in Rhodesia

The Alfa Romeo Giulia ranks #7, the Mazda B1600 pick-up is #8, the BMW Cheetah #9 and the Peugeot 304 #10. Other interesting entries include the Citroen DS at #11, the Alfasud at #14, the Toyota Corolla Mk2 at #18, the Peugeot 504 at #22 and the VW 1300/1600 bush buggy at #24.

Previous Zimbabwe post: Toyota Corolla sovereign, info needed

Info on Rhodesia assembled BMWs, the Rhodesian Bush-War and Full 1966-1980 Top 25 Ranking Table below.

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Nissan Juke. Picture by eneade, all rights reserved.

* See the Top 80 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *

Over the first 8 months of 2012, the Latvian new passenger car market is up 6% year-on-year to 7,251 registrations, including 894 in August (+4%). The battle for the title of best-selling model in Latvia has intensified over the last couple of months: the Nissan Juke had managed to grab the pole position over the first 3 months of the year and reclaimed the 2012 year-to-date crown over 7 months but is now only one unit below the VW Golf over 8 months at 271 sales and 3.7% share, up 99% year-on-year and in spite of an excellent 48 units and 5.4% in August.

Peugeot 3008. Picture by L’Argus, all rights reserved.

The VW Golf is back to pole position in the 2012 year-to-date ranking (like it was in 2010 and 2011) with 272 sales and 3.7% (down 51% year-on-year), thanks to an exceptional month of August at 53 units and 5.9% share. The Peugeot 5008 stays at a world-vest third spot with 239 sales and 3.3% while the Peugeot 3008 is up one spot compared to the H1 2012 ranking to #4 at 222 units and 3.1%. Good showing of the Toyota Avensis at #5, up 32% on 2011. Other great performers over the period in Latvia include the VW Jetta up 238% to #10, the Renault Laguna up 2833% (!) to #20, the Ford S-Max up 630% to #28, the Lexus RX up 20% to #33, the Kia Cee’d up 82% to #36 and the Citroen DS5 landing at #80.

Previous post: Latvia 6 months 2012: Peugeot places 5008 and 3008 in Top 5

One year ago (almost): Latvia July 2011: VW Golf leads, Nissan Juke #8

Previous year: Latvia Full Year 2011: VW monopolises podium, Nissan Juke #4

Full August 2012 Top 20 and 8 months 2012 Top 80 Ranking Tables below.

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