Europe Full Year 2015: Market up a snappy 9% to 14.2 million units

The new Passat helped Volkswagen mitigate the “dieselgate” impact in Europe. Picture largus.fr

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New car sales in Europe deliver a second consecutive year of growth, ending 2015 up 9.3% or 1.2 million sales to 14.201.072 units, the highest annual result since 2009. The trend is accelerating, with the last two months of the year both displaying double-digit gains – December showing the largest year-on-year increase in 3 years at +16%, Q4 sales up 10% and displaying a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of 16.52 million units, equivalent to the heyday of pre-recession 2007 levels. 27 of the 29 markets analysed posted a year-on-year gain in 2015, with Estonia (-0.5%) and Luxembourg (-7%) the only decreasing markets. The biggest volume gains came from Italy and Spain, together adding almost 400,000 units to the European year’s total. Spain was at its highest since 2008, Germany – where the Golf celebrated 40 years in pole position – at its highest since 2009, Italy and France at their highest since 2011 and the UK at an all-time high of 2.63 million units (+6%).

Mercedes sales are up 13% and the C-Class sales is up 27% in 2015.

Volkswagen remains by far the most popular brand in Europe but with sales up just 7% to 1.72 million, its market share declines slightly to 12.1%. The German manufacturer manages to mitigate the impact of “dieselgate” with strong Passat sales (see further down) as well as unrelenting support at home in Germany. Ford is up 8% to 1.04 million and 7.3% share, Renault (+11%) overtakes Opel/Vauxhall to round up the podium with 974.000 units and 6.9% while Peugeot remains 5th with 6% of the market. Audi is once again the best-selling luxury brand on the continent, but the gap with its competitors has reduced drastically due to sales up just 6% to 766.504. BMW (+11%) is now only 20.000 units below vs. 49.000 a year ago and Mercedes (+13%) is 24.600 behind vs. 64.600 in 2014. Audi desperately needs the all-new A4 to be a hit to keep its crown in 2016…

The Renegade makes Jeep the highest achiever in Europe in 2015 at +116%. 

Jeep turns out to be the best-peforming brand in Europe this year with sales up 116% to 87.338 mainly due to the first full year of sales for the Jeep Renegade (+600% to #85). Ssangyong gains 74% thanks to the Tivoli, Tesla and Smart are both up 72%, Cadillac up 59%, Mahindra up 50%, Lamborghini up 42%, Infiniti up 38%, MG up 36%, Jaguar up 37% and Mitsubishi up 31%. On the other hand, only one manufacturer in the Top 25 loses ground year-o-year: Honda (-1%), and three in the Top 30: DS (-12%), Lancia (-12%) and Alfa Romeo (-4%). Logically as the brand got discontinued across the continent, Chevrolet is the worst offender with sales down 93%, followed buy Chrysler (-90%) and Great Wall (-69%).

The Peugeot 308 is up 32% and peaked at #3 in December.

With sales up 3% to 533.584, the VW Golf is the best-selling nameplate in Europe for the 8th consecutive year and the 28th time in the past 33 years starting in 1983 with sales up 11% to 520,958 – its best score since 2009. The Golf ranked first each and every month of 2015, extending a stretch of 69 consecutive months in the European pole position – almost six years: the last time it did not rank #1 in Europe was in March 2010. The Golf has now held the #1 spot during 95 out of the past 100 months. The Top 6 best-sellers are unchanged compared to a year ago and all lose market share, with the Ford Fiesta (+2%), Renault Clio (+1), VW Polo (+8%), Opel Corsa (+7%) and Ford Focus (+6%) all gaining less ground than the market.

The Nissan Qashqai ranks 7th in 2015, the highest ever European ranking for a Japanese model.

The Nissan Qashqai takes full advantage of its new generation to lift sales up 14% and land at a best-ever 7th place, the highest annual ranking ever reached by a Japanese model in Europe and cementing its place as the #1 SUV on the continent. The VW Passat is the hero of the 2015 Top 10 with sales up a gigantic 49% thanks to the new model to shoot up to #9, surging to #4 in August, an all-time record European ranking for the 42 year-old nameplate, beating its previous best of #5 reached in December 2005, April 2011 and July 2015. The Skoda Octavia is knocked down one spot but delivers its 2nd consecutive (and ever) European Top 10 ranking, equalling its best-ever monthly ranking at #5 in August – also reached in October and November 2013.

The Opel Mokka is up 28% to break into the European Top 20. 

The Peugeot 308, boosted by an exceptional December result (#3), stops 3.000 units short off a historical Top 10 ranking with sales up 32% to 214.907. Notice also the Renault Captur up 18% to #14 and posting two monthly Top 10 rankings (June and December) like in 2014, the Mercedes C-Class up 27% to #17, the Opel Mokka up 28% to #19 and the Skoda Fabia up 39% to #20, pointing its bonnet inside the Top 10 in August for the 2nd time ever, making it two Skodas in the Top 10 (with the Octavia) for the first time in history. Finally, the Toyota Yaris (#15) broke its monthly European ranking record in September, lifting it to #9.

The BMW 2 Series Active/Gran Tourer stops just 122 sales short off a Top 50 ranking in 2015.

Further down, let’s notice the Mini hach up 44% and 16 spots to #26 and the VW Golf Sportsvan up 61% to end its first full year inside the Top 40 with a six-digit sales figure at #39 and 103.637. The Renault Twingo (+18%), Audi A6 (+14%), Hyundai i30 (+10%) and Toyota Aygo (+25%) also cross the symbolic #50 mark whereas the BMW 2 Series Active/Gran Tourer, without a doubt one of the biggest success story of the year, stops just 122 units short off a Top 50 ranking at #51 and 86.087 units, up 7-fold on its initial result in 2014. Notice also the Nissan X-Trail up 147% to #113, the Ford Ecosport up 208% to #114, Smart Forfour up 913% to #116, BMW X4 up 114% to #145, Renault Espace up 204% to #153 and the Volvo XC90 up 198% to #155, most above result due either to a first full year of sales or a new generation.

The Fiat 500X is the most successful all-new model in Europe in 2015… 

The most popular newcomer in Europe in 2015 is the Fiat 500X – it did sell a minuscule 135 production units in December 2014, landing at #63 with 74.700 units and boosting even further the success (and profitability) of the 500 family for FCA. The 500X will rank inside the 2016 Top 50 as it peaked at #36 in November 2015. The only other all-new nameplate to make it inside the 2015 European Top 50 is also an SUV: the Renault Kadjar at #94 and 49.153 units, displaying even greater potential with a peak of #30 in December. In fact, all best-selling newcomers this year are SUVs…

…followed by the Renault Kadjar.

The all-new Suzuki Vitara, a huge hit in Eastern Europe notably, lifts the Vitara/Grand Vitara total up 642% to #103 (no split available yet), the Hyundai Tucson returns to the ranking at #119 (but #37 in November and the Land Rover Discovery Sport is a success at #125 – all the while the Evoque is at #89 and unaffected with is great news for JLR. Further down, we fine the Opel Karl/Vauxhall Viva at #132, the Mazda CX-3 at #140, Mercedes GLC at #157, Jaguar XE at #163 and Honda HR-V at #206.

Previous post: Europe December 2015: Peugeot 308 up to #3 thanks to Dutch score

Previous year (Top 10): Europe Full Year 2014: Sales up for the first time in 7 years

Previous year (complete): Europe Full Year 2014: Discover the Top 360 All-models and All-brands

Two years ago (Top 10): Europe Full Year 2013: Renault Clio on podium for first time in 7 years

Two years ago (complete): Europe Full Year 2013: Discover the Top 353 models and all brands

Full Year 2015 Top 63 brands and Top 355 models vs. Full 2014 figures below.