Best Selling Cars – Matt's blog

Renault Sandero

* See the Top 50 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *

After yo-yoing up and down over the last few months, the Argentinean new car market stabilises in July at 72,999 registrations, down 0.05% year-on-year and bringing the year-to-date total to 520,845 units, up 2% on 2011. The Chevrolet Classic celebrates its 8th consecutive month atop the models ranking with 4,011 sales and 6.4% share and reinforces its 2012 year-to-date leadership at 27,043 units and 5.2%. The performer of the month is Renault, up to #2 in the brands ranking ahead of Chevrolet and placing 4 models within the Top 10 in July!

Renault Duster

The Renault Sandero is up 5 spots on June to #2 with 2,940 sales and 4.7% just above the VW Gol Trend at 2,934 while the Peugeot 207 Compact takes the 4th spot at 2,596 units. The Renault Clio is us 5 ranks to #5 with 2,441 sales and 3.9%, its highest ranking in the country in over 2 years, the Renault Duster is up 9 to #6 at 2,185 units and 3.5%, its second best score in Argentina behind the 5th place with 2,333 sales and 3.6% it achieved in November 2011.

Renault Clio – the 2nd generation of the model is the one on sale here.

Finally the Renault Kangoo is up 5 spots to #9 at 2,081 units and 3.3%, while the Peugeot 308 is up 4 to a best-ever #14 with 1,483 sales and 1.4%, the Ford Ranger is up 21 to #20 with 1,315 units, the Fiat 500 is up 8 to a record #36, the Honda City is up 6 to #44 and the Chevrolet Sonic is up a further 2 ranks to #45.

Previous month: Argentina June 2012: Chevrolet Classic on top – market down 19%

One year ago: Argentina July 2011: VW Gol Power #1, Fiat Uno in Top 10

Full July 2012 Top 50 Ranking Table below.

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Chevrolet Classic

* See the Top 50 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *

This is it. The Argentinean car market is going up no more. After keeping us on a hook, up 35% in March, down 8% in April and up again 12% in May, new car sales are now down a definitive 19% year-on-year in June to 62,461 registrations, marking a true halt to over 2 years of consistent year-on-year growth. At 447,846 units the year-to-date total is still up on 2011 but by just 2%.

In this context the models ranking is actually really stable this month with the Chevrolet Classic hitting its highest market share since February 2011 at 6.6% thanks to 4,102 sales, followed by the VW Gol Trend at 4.2%, the VW Gol Power at 3.5%, the Peugeot 207 Compact at 3.1% and the VW Suran at 3%, up 5 spots on May to reclaim its traditional 5th position.

Good performers this month include the Chevrolet Agile up 4 ranks to #9, the Chevrolet Aveo up 6 to #12, the Renault Duster up 2 to #15 and the Peugeot 308 at #18. Notice also the Fiat 500 up to #44 and the Chevrolet Sonic up to #46.

Previous month: Argentina May 2012: Market back up, peak may not be reached?

One year ago: Argentina June 2011: Ford Fiesta Kinetic and Chevy Celta step up

Full June 2012 Top 50 Ranking Table below.

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Chevrolet Classic

* See the Top 50 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *

The Argentinean new car market is taking us on a roller coaster in this first half of 2012. After being down 4% last February,  up 35% in March and down 8% in April when dealerships admitted there was a slowdown in the demand of new cars, sales are back up 12% year-on-year in May to 75,824 registrations, bringing the year-to-date total to 389,909 units, up 7% on 2011. The market may not have peaked out after all…

The Chevrolet Classic tops the models ranking for the 6th consecutive time with 4,465 sales and 5.9%, one full percentage point above its 2012 ytd share standing at 4.9% thanks to 18,930 units. The VW Gol Trend stays #2 with 3,397 sales and 4.5%, ahead of the old generation VW Gol Power at 2,779 units and 3.7%, now #4 year-to-date at 3.2%. The Peugeot 207 Compact is stable at #4 and 3.3%.

Excellent month for the Renault Sandero up 5 spots on April to #5 and 3.2%, followed by the Renault Kangoo also up 5 to #6 and 3% vs. 1.9% and #18 year-to-date. The VW Voyage shines at #12, the Peugeot 308 climbs to a best-ever #16 and the Chevrolet Sonic makes its very first appearance in the Argentinean Top 50 at #49 with 403 sales and 0.5%.

Previous month: Argentina April 2012: Has the market peaked out?

One year ago: Argentina May 2011: Chevrolet Classic and VW Gol Power on top

Full May 2012 Top 50 Ranking Table below.

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Ford Ka

* See the Top 50 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *

After being on fire for 28 consecutive months of year-on-year growth from October 2009 until January 2012, the Argentinean new car market dropped by 4% last February but was up again by 35% last month. In April it is down again at -8% to 59,958 registrations and for the first time dealerships admit there is a slowdown in the demand of new cars. Shock! Horror! Has the Argentinean car market finally peaked out? The next few months will confirm or infirm the trend.

Toyota Hilux

In the meantime the Chevrolet Classic is not disturbed and stays on top of the models ranking with 2,740 sales and 4.6% ahead of the VW Gol Trend at 2,536 units and 4.2%. Boosted by its facelift, the Toyota Hilux climbs on the podium at #3 with 2,075 sales and 3.5%, a level it hadn’t reached in at least 4 years! The Peugeot 207 Compact is down to #4 just above the Ford Ka up 10 spots to #5 at 2,012 sales and 3.4%, possibly its highest ever ranking in Argentina.

Other great performers this month include the Renault Duster up to #12, the Peugeot 308 up 14 ranks to a best-ever #18 with 1,187 units and 2% share, and the Fiat Fiorino Qubo and Fiat 500 both breaking into the monthly Argentinean Top 50 for the very first time at #43 and #44 respectively.

Previous month: Argentina March 2012: Ford Ecosport up to 4th place

One year ago: Argentina April 2011: VW Gol takes off

Full April 2012 Top 50 Ranking Table below.

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The current gen Ford Ecosport is now in runout mode before the 2013 model (above) comes in.

* See the Top 185 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *

After losing ground for the first time in over 2 years last month, car sales in Argentina are frankly back in positive, growing by 35% year-on-year in March to 81,901 registrations, bringing the year-to-date total to 252,887 units, up 12% on 2011 which was already a record year. 2012 could well be the first time over 1 million vehicles are sold in Argentina in a single year!

Fiat Fiorino Qubo

No surprises on the podium, unchanged on last month: the Chevrolet Classic leads the way with 4,125 sales and 5% share, ahead of the VW Gol Trend (current generation) at 3,544 units and 4.3% and the Peugeot 207 Compact with 2,770 sales and 3.4%. The Ford Ecosport is back to levels it hadn’t seen in a year and in particular since the launch of the Renault Duster, probably starting to be in runout mode before the 2013 model (pictured above) comes in. It is up to #4 at 2,746 units while the Duster is up 9 spots on February to #14 with 1,697 sales.

Audi R8

Other great performers this month include the Chevrolet Celta up to #8, the Peugeot 308 up 17 ranks on February to a best-ever #32, the Fiat 500 also reaching its highest position ever in Argentina at #54 and the Fiat Fiorino Qubo landing directly at #60 with 275 sales for its very first month in the country. Notice also the Audi R8 selling one unit this month.

Previous month: Argentina February 2012: Chevrolet Classic leads, VW Fox up to #7

One year ago: Argentina March 2011: VW Gol leads, Peugeot 408 lands

Full March 2012 Top 185 Ranking Table below.

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VW Fox

* See the Top 181 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *

For the first time in 28 months, the Argentinean new car market is down year-on-year at -4% to 56,980 registrations. Still an amazing performance for Argentina and probably the only country in the world in that position. The Top 5 is composed of familiar faces: the Chevrolet Classic leads at 4.7% share, followed by the VW Gol Trend (4.4%), Peugeot 207 Compact (3.7%), VW Gol Power (3.3%) and VW Suran (3.2%).

The Renault Clio has an excellent month at #6 with 1,565 sales and 2.7% but the best performer in February is the VW Fox up 5 spots to #7 to break into the Argentinean Top 10 for the very first time at 1,526 units and 2.7% share. It is now #10 year-to-date in 2012 vs. #24 in 2011… The Fox has been in the Brazilian Top 5 for years but hadn’t cracked the Argentinean market until now. Other good performers this month include the Toyota Hilux up to #11, the Chevrolet Prisma up 15 spots to #28 and the Chery QQ up 12 ranks to #54. The Chevrolet Sonic makes its very first appearance in the Argentinean ranking at #115 with 24 sales.

Previous month: Argentina January 2012: VW Amarok above Toyota Hilux in record month

One year ago: Argentina February 2011: Chevrolet Classic back to #1, Ford Ecosport #2

Full February 2012 Top 181 Ranking Table below.

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VW Amarok

* See the Top 180 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *

New record for the Argentinean car market: 112,607 vehicles registered in January 2012 means this is the strongest month ever in Argentina, beating the previous record established in January 2011 by 11%. Leader in 2011, the Chevrolet Classic keeps the top spot with 4,936 sales and 4.4%, ahead of the Peugeot 207 Compact at 4%, the VW Gol Trend at 3.5% and Gol Power at 3.2%, making the Top 4 identical to 2011.

The VW SpaceFox is called Suran in Argentina

The VW Suran (aka SpaceFox) is solid at #5 and 3.2%, the Ford Ecosport is up 8 spots on December to #6 and reclaims its category lead above the Renault Duster down one rank to #11, the VW Fox is robust at #12 and the Toyota Corolla shines at #16. For only the third time ever after December 2010 and November 2011, the VW Amarok passes its archenemy the Toyota Hilux at #19 with 1,968 sales vs. #20 and 1,892 units.

Peugeot 308

Further down the ranking, the Peugeot 308, already 4 years old but only launched a couple of months ago in Argentina, is up 21 spots to break into the Top 50 for the first time at #40 with 802 sales and 0.7%, the Chery Tiggo is up to a best-ever 52nd place, there are 4 Audis in the Top 80 vs. none last month and the Audi A7 (#147) and SsangYong Actyon (#150) make their first appearance in the Top 150.

Previous post: Argentina Full Year 2011: Chevrolet Classic #1 in new record year

One year ago: Argentina January 2011: Peugeot 207 Compact #1 in record market

Full January 2012 Top 180 Ranking Table below.

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Chevrolet Classic

* See the Top 175 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *

2010 was already a record year at 662,591 sales in Argentina. Incredibly, 2011 sales increased a further 29% to reach 857,983 registrations! This in spite of a feeble month of December down 3%, the first year-on-year monthly decline in 2 years.

Peugeot 207 Compact

In 2011, the Chevrolet Classic is the best-selling car in Argentina again with 44,657 sales and 5.2% share, up 22% on 2010. In fact the podium is unchanged vs. last year: the Peugeot 207 Compact is #2 with 35,577 units and 4.1%, up 20% and leading  the monthly ranking for the first time in January, and the VW Gol Trend (Gen 5) is #3 with 32,871 sales and 3.8%, up 28%.

VW Gol Power

The big surprise is the 4th place of the VW Gol Power (Gen 4) with 29,695 sales and 3.5%, up a massive 59% on last year and #1 twice this year. Note that if the two generations of VW Gol were counted together like they are in Brazil, the Gol would be by far the #1 car with 62,566 sales and 7.3% share, and would be leading the Argentinean market for the 9th consecutive year.

VW Amarok

Below, the Renault Sandero, Ford Ecosport and VW Suran all drop one place, the VW Bora is up 70% and 9 spots to #9 and the Chevrolet Aveo is up 40% to #10. The Toyota Hilux keeps the lead of commercial vehicles at #8 and 20,704 sales (+13%), well ahead of its new rival the VW Amarok at #18 and 14,932 units (+98%). Built locally, it seemed like Argentina would give the Amarok its best shot at threatening the Hilux but it only managed to pass it a couple of times this year.

Peugeot 408

A few new models make their appearance in the ranking: the new gen Fiat Uno is #19, the Chevrolet Celta #22, the Ford Fiesta Kinetic #23, the Renault Fluence #29, Peugeot 408 #37, Renault Duster #48 and Citroen C3 Aircross #51. December highlights include Volkswagen placing 3 models in the Top 4: the Gol Power, Gol Trend and Suran, the Renault Duster taking a step back to #10 and the Peugeot 408 taking off at #13, its best-ever ranking in the country.

Previous month: Argentina November 2011: Renault Duster in Top 5!

Previous year: Argentina December 2011: VW Amarok passes Toyota Hilux for the first time

Full Year 2011 Top 175 and December 2011 Top 75 Ranking Tables below.

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Renault Duster

* See the Top 130 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *

Another impressive month for Argentinean car sales, up 20% to 65,292 registrations in November, bringing the year-to-date total to 818,442, up 36%. The VW Gol Power (previous generation) holds the top spot for the 2nd time this year after July with 2,974 sales and 4.6% share and climbs up to #4 year-to-date at 27,065 units and 3.3%. The Chevrolet Classic ranks 2nd this month with 2,921 sales and 4.5% but stays best-seller by far year-to-date at 42,366 units and 5.2%.

The big event this month is the 5th place of the Renault Duster. Last month when it ranked #20 I said the Duster could aim at a position in the Top 5 in the long term because its main rival, the Ford Ecosport, was regular at that level. Well the Duster achieved that feat as early as for its first full month of sales in the country! With 2,333 sales and 3.6% share it’s not far off the podium and sells double the amount of the Ecosport, falling by 52% on October to #15 and 1,176 units…

To give perspective to this performance let’s notice that Argentina is the first main country outside of its native Romania where the Duster manages to rank within the monthly Top 5. Its previous record was #6 in France last April while in Romania it reached #2 twice: in August ’10 & July ’11.

Other great performers this month include the Ford Ka up 7 ranks to #7, the VW Fox up 11 spots to #13, the Peugeot 408 up to #30 and the Fiat 500, just launched in Argentina, landing directly at #61 with 189 sales and 0.3% share.

Previous month: Argentina October 2011 Renault Duster #20 for first month!

Full November 2011 Top 130 Ranking Table below.

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Renault Duster

* See the Top 130 best-selling models by clicking on ‘Read more’ or the title of the article! *

It’s official: Argentina is the new China! New car sales in the country are up a massive 34% year-on-year in October to reach 72,068 registrations. Year-to-date, the market is up 38% at 753,150 sales which is already a new annual sales record, beating the 2010 figure of 662,591 with another 2 months to go…

The Chevrolet Classic leads the way for the third consecutive month with 4.067 sales and 4.8% share, reinforcing its 2011 pole position with 39,445 units and 5.2%. The Peugeot 207 Compact is back to #2 like in the YTD ranking with 3,199 sales and 3.8%. The VW Gol in its two versions follows (Power=previous gen, Trend=current gen) with the older, cheaper Power outselling the Trend for the 6th month in a row. The Ford Ecosport is solid at #5 with 2,447 units and 2.9%.

The success of the Ecosport is a good indicator of what may be in store for the Renault Duster, a similarly roomy, solid and inexpensive SUV. And for its first month of sales in Argentina the Duster doesn’t disappoint: it lands directly in 20th place with a very impressive 1,180 sales and 1.4% share! A Top 5 position in the near future could now be on the cards for the Duster…

Previous month: Argentina September 2011 Renault Sandero up to #2

Full October 2011 Top 130 Ranking Table below.

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