Best Selling Cars – Matt's blog

Matt, the list of brands seems to be missing quite a few. Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, and Lamborghini are no where to be seen?

@frank stevens

Consider yourself lucky – we only just got the new model Astra in Australia last year – about 3 years late.

@Rick

In Australia, the Qashqai (or Dualis as it’s called here) is only in 25th place in sales. The model dates back to 2007… you Brits must like stale bread.

@alex
The Dacia sales in Sweden is No Success story!
They sell more Lexus´es, LandRovers & Porsches than
the Romanian Renault !
But the new Clio and the Mégane are bestsellers!

Surely Renault have got to have a better year in 2013 with the smart looking new Clio. For a car launched in 2007 the Merc C class seems to go from strength to strength.

Yeah, Renault has certainly lost it’s mojo in recent years. They’ve still got a couple of cracking “best in class” acts, eg. Megane Cup 265. But the Laguna, Wind, Modus, among others have all been duds.
Six years ago sister company Nissan was in dire straits. I guess management gave too much attention to turning that problem around (very successfully it has to be said) and meanwhile dropped the French ball! Bad decade at the office, it has to be said.

Dire que Renault était le premier importateur du Royaume-Uni dans les années 90

@frank stevens

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Juke is really ugly but Nissan brand helps sales thks to the qashqai fantastic success all over europe

Vauxhalls surge of 51% may suggest a large fleet purchase maybe. Fords drop maybe because there has been a lot of talk from people boycotting the brand since the closure of UK factories.

Ford’s market share could be down because they have stopped manufacturing vehicles in the UK (their biggest European market), Opel/Vauxhall and Nissan are doing well because they make good products and manufacture in the UK, maybe we should not take one month’s sales figures in isolation, it will be interesting to see what happens when the new registration comes out in March. I really like the Qashqai, I agree that the Juke is not pretty, but is doing well and not just in the UK.

Ford at # 1, Vauxhall at # 2, VW at # 3 … so no change from January 2012 then!
But what is astonishing is that market-share is down -2% for Ford, no change for VW and up a remarkable +51% for Vauxhall. Can the January launches of Mokka and Adam have possibly made such a positive impact? Therefore, what can we expect Cascada to do for the General when it finally shows its face in June?

What never ceases to amaze me about GM, is that the UK is its third largest global market, (after USA and China) and that Vauxhall is their third biggest selling (and fastest growing) brand in a single market (after Chevy in the USA and Buick in China), yet, the UK is always absolutely the last market in Europe to receive any new model roll-outs or updates! And don’t mention it’s because the UK drives on the left. Ellesmere Port (in Wales) is GM’s lead European Astra plant, but the present generation Astra launched in the UK five months after mainland Europe. As it happens, I spotted my first Adam in Croatia in early November!

Congrats also to Nissan, Chrysler (aka Lancia), Suzuki, Land-Rover and Aston Martin, which have also had a very strong start to the year.

As for the Juke … well it may have a face only a mother could possibly love, but it was designed and is built in Great Britain, and maybe the UK punters finally see it (along with the Qashqai) as being truly Geordie and therefore British, as opposed to a Nippon import!

Apologies for my ranting diatribe, they’re only observations. And if you perceive me as being UK / Vauxhall & GM centric, then think again! I have been totally loyal to Citroen (8 now and counting), since 1986!

Come on MG! Dacia or “Datcha” is how it’s pronounced is now selling cars in Norway and Sweden with Denmark too. They’ve established themselves in Finland and have done quite well over there.

Looks like bye bye Proton – 2 sales!!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Only in the UK could a car as hideously ugly as the Juke appear in the top 10!

Matt, Unless I am going mad the 4 comments from yesterday have all gone!

It’s a real turnout to see the c-class outselling the 3-series – as long as I can remember it was always the other way round. Good going Mercedes!

Personally I’m dumbstruck by the juke’s ranking – try as i might, I can’t get over its ugly-as-sin looks and don’t understand how it can find so many buyers. There’s a distinction between a radical and an ugly design, and IMHO the juke falls unreservedly into the latter category. It makes the original bangle-penned 7 series look like a Renoir masterpiece.
I even wonder if the juke drivers are deliberately playing to some inner masochistic impulse, being fully aware of how they’ll look like driving one of these on the road!

Oh well, all to his (her) own I guess.

The 208 now seems to have taken off, will the Clio 4 do the same for Renault? Dacia have made quite a good start, 294 sales for a virtually unknown brand is not bad. Land Rover is doing amazingly well, they are not cheap and the British economy still has problems, there must be money somewhere.

Qashqai = Cashcow
Qashqai outsells the complete Renault range – but not for long.
Renault is on the rebound.

Juke / UK = j UK e
Juke clearly is a favorite because it’s built i/t UK

Nice to see the 208 in the top ten