Europe December 2012: Peugeot 208 up to #2

Peugeot 208

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The European new car market finishes 2012 on a very dark note: down 15% year-on-year in December to 847,366 registrations, which brings the Full Year 2012 total to 12,573,842 units, down 8% on 2011. Germany, down 16% in December, pulled Europe with it this month while France , Italy and Spain all delivered heavy drops over the Full Year at -14%, -20% and -13% respectively. The VW Golf suffers from the transition between the 6th and 7th generations of the model and sees its sales fall by 32% year-on-year in December to 22,698 units, still #1 however. Boosted by a strong performance in France, the Peugeot 208 is up 6 spots on last month to hit a best-ever 2nd place with 19,407 sales.

BMW 3 Series

The Renault Clio, helped by the arrival of the 4th generation, stays on the European podium for the 2nd month in a row and only the third time since February 2011 at 18,758 sales, down just 7% year-on-year. The VW Polo (-29%) and Ford Fiesta (-33%) are kicked down to #4 and #5 respectively. The BMW 3 Series manages to climb into the Top 10 for the third time this year after April and June but only the 4th time in the last 4 years after December 2008, up 21% year-on-year to #8 at 15,171 units, its highest ranking since September 2007…

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One year ago: Europe Full Year 2011: VW Polo up to #2 for the first time

Full December 2012 Top 10 models and brands Ranking Tables below.