Best Selling Cars – Matt's blog

The Peugeot 108 lands at #71 for its first month in the French sales charts.

* See the Top 300 best-selling models and Top 50 brands by clicking on the title! *

As is the tradition on BSCB, after exploring the Top 15 brands and Top 80 models in France in June, we now dig a little deeper to find out what’s happening lower in the ranking. But first a few adjustments on the initial Top 80 figures: we now have the detail by generation of Nissan Qashqai sales with the Qashqai II climbing to #16 and #3 foreign model below just the VW Polo and Golf VII with 1.3% share, the Mini third generation up a further 29 spots on May to an all-time high #57 with 778 sales, and the biggest new news of the lower end of the ranking: the arrival of the Peugeot 108 directly at #71 with 657 sales, mainly demo models for now. In fact all 3 twins land this month: the Citroen C1 II arrives at #93 with 451 units and the Toyota Aygo II is 117th with 305 sales.

First Top 100 ranking in France for the Mercedes GLA this month (#77).

More recent launches shine this month in France: the Mercedes GLA breaks into the monthly Top 100 for the first time, up 44 spots on May to #77 with 585 units, the Ford Ecosport is up a further 6 ranks to a best-ever #119, as is the Porsche Macan to #136 and remaining by far the brand’s best-seller above the 911 at #185. The Mercedes V-Class starts off extremely well at #129 with 240 sales, the BMW X4 is up 74 spots to #161 with 124 units for its 2nd month in the ranking, the BMW M4 up 41 to #195, Renault Twingo III up 64 to #212 and the Ford Transit Courier lands at #213 with 43 sales.

Previous post: France 6 months 2014 – Private Sales: Dacia Sandero 800 units off #1 spot!

Previous June post: France June 2014: Renault Captur above 208, up to record #2 spot

Previous month: France May 2014: Now with Top 300 models and Top 50 brands

One year ago: France June 2013: Renault Captur up to #4, Peugeot 2008 #11

Full June 2014 Top 300 models and Top 50 brands Ranking Table below.

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Could the Dacia Sandero become the most popular vehicle with private French buyers this year?

* See the original article by clicking on the title! Thanks Georges *

Always fascinating to have access to Private Sales data as these are the cars that ‘real’ end consumers love. So far in 2014 52% of overall sales are to private buyers vs. 54% over the Full Year 2013. And the big news is the never-ending progression of low-cost brand Dacia, now 4th manufacturer with private consumers, holding 10.2% share of the private market vs. 6.2% overall. Dacia is only distanced by Renault, Peugeot and Citroen and has overtaken Volkswagen, something the French-Romanian brand could also achieve shortly in the overall market. Even more impressive: the Dacia Sandero is 800 units short off being the most popular vehicle with French private consumers outright with 17,900 sales over the first half of the year vs. 18,700 for the Peugeot 208 and 17,800 for the Renault Clio.

Previous French post: France June 2014: Renault Captur above 208, up to record #2 spot

Previous Private Sales post: France Full Year 2013: Private sales under 1 million for 1st time since 2000

Full source article below.

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The Renault Captur ranks at an all-time high #2 at home this month.

* See the Top 80 best-selling models and Top 15 brands by clicking on the title! *

An updated models and brands ranking is now available here!

The French new car market is up an ok 3% year-on-year in June to 196,257 registrations, also bringing the year-to-date total up 3% on 2013 to 958,776 units. Although in positive territory, this still makes June 2014 the third lowest June score in the past 15 years in France with June 2000 (183,697) and June 2013 (190,199). Based on this month’s result, the CCFA lifted its projection for the Full Year 2014 to 1.826 million units, up 2% on 2013 but still the third lowest annual total in the past 20 years with 2013 (1,790,473) and 1997 (1,713,030). Confirming that all is not rosy in the country of love, private sales are up only 0.9% year-on-year in June to a 48.4% market share, the lowest so far this year according to Autoactu. Reversely, tactical sales are stronger, confirming a trend observed in 2013: short-term rentals are up 5% and demo vehicles up an impressive 11%…

The Citroen C4 Cactus is up to #33, its first ever Top 50 ranking in the world.

Even more interesting (concerning?), the entire French market’s growth in June can solely be attributed to gains by the Renault Group adding up to 11,875 units vs. 6,086 for the overall market… This is partly due to the exceptional performance of the Group’s models, but also to an allocation strategy that penalised its sales in May and therefore reported many of them into June. The Renault brand hits its highest monthly market share in 15 years at 24.8% thanks to 48,655 sales (+20%) while Dacia is up 47% to 11,381 units and 5.8% share, very close to Volkswagen (6.6%). Among the top selling brands, only Peugeot (+3%), Mercedes (+22%), BMW (+35%) and Skoda (+17%) also gain ground year-on-year…

The Renault Scénic is up to 4th place.

Model-wise, massive event this month in France: surfing on the brand’s historical health the Renault Captur is up 7 spots on May to land at a record 2nd place with 9,566 sales and 4.9% share, also monthly volume and share all-time highs for the nameplate. The Captur is only outsold by the Clio IV (7.1% share) and beats the Peugeot 208 (4.1%) for the first time ever, let alone its archenemy the Peugeot 2008 down to #10 and 2.6%. The Captur is the 6th nameplate in the past decade to manage to break the traditional Renault/Peugeot supermini domination at home (Renault Clio and Peugeot 206-207-208). The other ones are the Peugeot 307 (8 times in 2005 and 2006), Renault Scénic (8 times between 2005 and 2007), Renault Twingo (5 times in 2009 and 2010), Citroen C3 (in March 2011 and December 2013) and the Dacia Sandero in March 2010.

The entire Top 10 is reshuffled with Renault Group models registering large ranking gains compared to May: the Scénic is up two to #4, the Mégane is up 8 to #6, the Sandero up 4 to #8 and the Twingo also up 4 to #9. Reversely the Peugeot 308 is down two to #5, the Citroen C3 down 3 to #7 and the Citroen C4 Picasso II down 4 to #11. With the Peugeot 3008 at #12 and the Dacia Duster at #13, the most popular foreign model, the VW Polo, ranks at a paltry #14 just above the VW Golf VII and Nissan Qashqai.

The analysis continues below…

Previous post: France 1-18 June 2014: No foreigners in Top 10

Previous month: France May 2014: Now with Top 300 models and Top 50 brands

Previous month (initial post): France May 2014: Peugeot 308 on podium for the first time in 5 years

One year ago: France June 2013: Renault Captur up to #4, Peugeot 2008 #11

Full Analysis, June 2014 Top 80 models and Top 15 brands Ranking Tables below.

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Renault Kangoo

* See the Top 80 best-selling models and Top 10 brands by clicking on the title! *

Sales on new Light Commercial Vehicles in France are up 7% year-on-year in June to 37,030 registrations, bringing the year-to-date total to 190,828 units, up 1% on 2013. As a reminder France is by far the largest LCV market in Europe. After two months of Fiat Ducato domination, the Renault Kangoo reclaims its title of best-selling commercial vehicle in France thanks to 4,209 sales and a huge 11.4% market share. In fact this month the podium is 100% Renault with both the Master and Clio IV up 2 spots on May to #2 at 7.8% share and #3 at 6.9% respectively. The Fiat Ducato is kicked down to #4 but remains #3 year-to-date, getting ever closer to the Citroen Berlingo. Not much movement in the ranking otherwise, let’s just salute the new gen Peugeot 308 up to #19 and the Nissan NV400 up 11 spots to #36.

Previous month: France LCV May 2014: Fiat Ducato #1 for second month running!

One year ago: France LCV June 2013: Renault Master threatens Kangoo for #1

Full June 2014 Top 80 models and Top 10 brands Ranking Tables below.

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The Renault Mégane is up 46% and the Peugeot 308 up 110% year-on-year so far in June.

* See the Top 10 best-selling models and brands by clicking on the title! *

Still no sign of strengthening for the French new car market in June: down 5% year-on-year after 18 days. Renault is in awesome shape at +18% and reclaims the brands top spot off Peugeot at 16,436 sales vs. 15,858 (-4%) while Citroen tumbles down 20% to 12,333 units. Below Volkswagen in 4th place (-9%), Dacia reclaims the #5 rank off Toyota at 4,066 sales and Opel is up 14% to #9. Model-wise, whereas Volkswagen traditionally performs well at the start of the month, this time it doesn’t manage to place either the Polo or the Golf among the 10 most popular vehicles in the country and as a result there are no foreigners in the Top 10.

Last week when the Peugeot 308 impressively took charge of the models sales charts, I declared its chances of staying on top at the end of the month meagre at best. True to form, the Renault Clio IV is now on top at 4,110 units (+9%), already overtaking the Peugeot 208 at 3,943 (-17%) with the 308 regressing back to third place with 3,880 sales, still up a gargantuan 110% year-on-year due to the arrival of the new generation in the meantime. In 5th position, the Renault Scénic (+11%) reclaims the advantage over its archenemy the Citroen C4 Picasso at #6 (-9%) as does the Renault Captur (#8) over the Peugeot 2008 (#10).

Previous post: France 1-11 June 2014: Peugeot 308 in pole position!

Previous month: France May 2014: Peugeot 308 on podium for the first time in 5 years

One year ago: France 1-17 June 2013: Peugeot 2008 confirms 7th place

Full 1-18 June 2014 Top 10 models and brands Ranking Tables below.

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Peugeot 308

* See the Top 10 best-selling models and brands by clicking on the title! *

Weak start of the month for new car sales in France in June with a market down 5% year-on-year. Even though intermediary rankings are always to be taken with a pinch of salt as some manufacturers front load their sales (Peugeot) and some other back load them (Renault), the performance of the Peugeot 308 is still impressive: up 120% year-on-year to rank #1 so far in June after 11 days with 2,252 sales. This is potentially due to the arrival of the station wagon variant in dealerships. The Peugeot 208 (-15%), Citroen C3 (+10%), Citroen C4 Picasso (-6%) and Renault Clio IV (-13%) follow. The Peugeot 2008 marks exactly one year since its first Top 10 appearance.

Can the Peugeot 308 stay on top until the end of the month? Chances are it won’t as the Renault Clio IV should climb back up the ladder to #1 as it has done almost every month since launch. However if the 308 manages to stay above the 208 to rank #2 and become the brand’s best-seller at home, it would be the first time it manages both feats, with the nameplate’s highest ever monthly ranking so far in France being #3 from June to October 2008, January 2009, June 2009 and May 2014. Brand-wise, Peugeot (+3%) leads the way above Renault (+15%) and Citroen (-25%) while Toyota is up 4 spots on May to #5, Audi up one to #7 and Mercedes back in the Top 10 at #10.

Previous post: France May 2014: Now with Top 300 models and Top 50 brands

Previous month: France May 2014: Peugeot 308 on podium for the first time in 5 years

One year ago: France 1-11 June 2013: Peugeot 2008 shoots up to #7!

Full 1-11 June 2014 Top 10 models and brands Ranking Tables below.

Read more…

The Citroen C4 Cactus is knocking on the French Top 100′s door this month.

* See the Top 300 models & Top 50 brands by clicking on the title! Thanks Mum+Dad *

As is the tradition on BSCB, after exploring the Top 15 brands and Top 80 models in France in April, we now dig a little deeper to find out what’s happening lower in the ranking. First a few adjustments on the initial figures: the market is up 0.3% (instead of 0.1%) to 148,951 units, bringing the year-to-date total to 762,519 sales, still up 3% on 2013. Detailed data by generation is now available for the Nissan Qashqai, showing the new gen down 3 spots on April to #19. Additional cabriolet sales bring the Audi A3 up to #24 and the Opel Mokka down to #25, still its best-ever monthly ranking in France by far, beating the #33 it hit in January and March.

Kia Soul

The first generation Ford C-Max is up a surprising 45 ranks on last month to re-enter the Top 100 at #59, whereas the Renault Zoé also enjoys a second wind, up 10 spots to #79, its best ranking at home in almost one year (since last June). The new generation Mini breaks into the Top 100 for the first time and for its 4th appearance in the ranking at #86, up 15 ranks on last month. The Kia Soul is back in the game thanks to its facelift: up a further 11 spots to #106 vs. #140 year-to-date and #228 in 2013.

First appearance in the French ranking of the BMW X4 this month…

One month prior to its consumer launch in June, the Citroen C4 Cactus delivers one of the most spectacular improvements in the French sales charts this month: up 62 ranks to knock on the Top 100′s door at #111 with 253 sales, demo models at this stage. No doubt the C4 Cactus will crack the Top 100 in June and go much higher in the coming months. The Mercedes GLA is up 2 to #121, the Ford Ecosport up 58 to #125, the Porsche Macan up a further 16 to a very impressive #142, once again and by far the brand’s best-seller ahead of the Cayenne (#195) and 911 (#197).

…and of the Renault Twingo III

There are no less than 5 new nameplate in the French Top 300 this month, albeit all at extremely discreet levels. The BMW X4 and M4 both land at #235 with 19 sales, the Subaru WRX lands at #275 with 7 units, the new generation Renault Twingo points its bonnet at #276 with 6 demo sales and the Infiniti QX50 arrives at #294 with 3 units. The X4 and Twingo at least should be found much higher in June…

Previous post: France May 2014: Peugeot 308 on podium for the first time in 5 years

Previous month: France April 2013: Now with Top 300 models ranking!

One year ago: France May 2013: Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008 intrigue

Full May 2014 Top 300 models and Top 50 brands Ranking Tables below.

Read more…

The 2nd generation Peugeot 308 already ranks as high as the 1st gen ever did!

* See the Top 80 best-selling models and Top 15 brands by clicking on the title! *

New car sales in France are up by the tiniest of margins in May at +0.1% year-on-year to 148,573 registrations. This brings the year-to-date total to 762,141 units, up 3% on 2013. The Renault Clio IV (5.6% share) and Peugeot 208 (4.6%) remain the two most popular vehicles in the country this month but the event is below: after hitting a best-ever 6th spot in April, the 2nd generation Peugeot 308 jumps a further 3 ranks to land on the podium for the first time at #3 with 5,676 sales and 3.8%. The last time the 308 nameplate managed to rank that high was in June 2009. In fact, the first generation 308 never ranked higher with a best of #3 reached 7 times (June to October 2008, January and June 2009).

The Peugeot 2008 is frankly above the Renault Captur this month.

Peugeot has a tremendous month: it passes Renault to become the #1 manufacturer at home and places 3 models inside the Top 5 with the 2008 delivering a third month in a row among the 5 most popular models in the country at #5 with 5,220 sales and 3.5%, taking an impressive advantage over its archenemy the Renault Captur down to #9 and 2.4% share. The 2008 is now only 209 units below the Captur year-to-date at #5 and 23,955 sales vs. #4 and 24,164. Both the Renault Scénic and Citroen C4 Picasso progress at #6 and #7 respectively, and the Scénic overtakes the C4 Picasso year-to-date at #7 and #8 while the VW Golf VII is up 5 spots on April to rank #8 and passes the VW Polo to become the best-selling foreign model year-to-date.

Record ranking for the Opel Mokka in France this month.

Helped by its facelift, the Peugeot 3008 is back inside the Top 10 for the first time since last August at #10, and although the Dacia Duster (#11) and Sandero (#12) disappear from the Top 10 in May, they are now both inside it year-to-date (#10 and #9 respectively), making it two Dacias inside the year-to-date Top 10 for the first time ever in France. Further down, the Opel Mokka smashes its ranking record (#33 in January and March), up 10 spots on last month to #24 with 1,446 sales, the Mercedes C-Class is up to #44 vs. #73 year-to-date and the VW Coccinelle (French for Beetle) is up 9 to #56 vs. #81 year-to-date.

Soon to be discontinued in France, Lancia sales are nevertheless up 137% so far in 2014.

In the brands ranking, for the third time in the last 12 months after May and July 2013, Peugeot is above Renault at 26,736 sales and 18% vs. 26,034 and 17.5%, leaving Citroen way behind in third place at 20,256 units and 13.6%. Below Volkswagen stable at 8% market share, Ford is up 7% to pass Dacia, up ‘only’ 11% to 5.1% share but still #5 year-to-date with 6.2% share thanks to sales up 27%. Notice also Opel up 9%, Skoda up 20%, Jeep up 133% and Lancia up 137%. Reversely Toyota is down 12%, Nissan down 14%, Fiat down 15%, BMW down 18%, Mini down 27%, Alfa Romeo down 35%, Hyundai down 50% and Chevrolet down 87%.

Previous post: France 1-22 May 2014: Peugeot 308 up 88% to climb on podium

Previous month: France April 2014: Citroen C3 past Captur, Peugeot 308 up to #6

Previous month (full data): France April 2013: Now with Top 300 models ranking!

One year ago: France May 2013: Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008 intrigue

Full May 2014 Top 80 models and Top 15 brands Ranking Tables below.

Read more…

Fiat Ducato

* See the Top 80 best-selling models and Top 12 brands by clicking on the title! *

New Light Commercial Vehicle sales are in good shape in France: up 3% year-on-year in May to 29,249 registrations, which brings the year-to-date total into positive at 153,714 units, up 0.2% on 2013. For the 4th time ever after March and May 2013 and last month and as the new generation is popping up in dealerships as I write these lines, the Fiat Ducato is the most popular LCV in France thanks to 2,193 sales and 7.5% share, getting it ever so closer to the #2 spot year-to-date. In fact the traditional leader, the Renault Kangoo, is down to #3 this month, passed by the Citroen Berlingo at 2,042 units and 7% vs. 1,815 and 6.2%. Other great performers include the Renault Clio previous generation surprisingly up 16 spots on April to #8 and the new gen Peugeot 308 up 5 to #22.

Previous month: France LCV April 2014: Fiat Ducato strikes again

One year ago: France LCV May 2013: Fiat Ducato renews exploit

Full May 2014 Top 80 models and Top 12 brands Ranking Tables below.

Read more…

Peugeot 308

* See the Top 10 best-selling models and brands by clicking on the title! *

New car sales in France are up 2% year-on-year so far in May after 22 days, and as usual Peugeot starts on top with 17,181 sales (+6%) ahead of Renault at 16,230 (+26%) and Citroen at 13,990 (+2%) but Renault will most likely reclaim the leadership by the time the month comes to an end as the manufacturer traditionally has back-loaded months. Notice also Dacia up 11% in 5th place and Opel up a brilliant 24% at #9. The Renault Clio is impressively already #1 with sales up 25% to 5,125 units vs. 4,266 for the Peugeot 208, down a harsh 27%.

Renault Scénic sales are up 52% year-on-year so far in May.

The Peugeot 308 shines thanks to the arrival of the station wagon, up 88% on the previous generation one year ago in third position with 4,015 sales, for now above the Citroen C3 (+76%) and Renault Scénic (+52%) both performing extremely well also. The Peugeot 2008 ranks 6th and could deliver a third consecutive Top 5 ranking by the end of the month. The Citroen C4 Picasso is up 68% and the VW Golf is the best-selling foreign model so far in May…

Previous post: France April 2013: Now with Top 300 models ranking!

Previous month: France April 2014: Citroen C3 past Captur, Peugeot 308 up to #6

One year ago: France 1-18 May 2013: Peugeot 3008 and Citroen C4 impress

Full 1-22 May 2014 Top 10 models and brands Ranking Tables below.

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