Best Selling Cars – Matt's blog

Renault Duster

* See the Top 30 best-selling models and Top 30 All-brands by clicking on the title! Thanks Irina *

Today I give you extremely rare data coming from Kazakhstan thanks to Irina from www.akab.kz. I hope you enjoy! Kazakhstan confirms it is one of the world’s Top 10 engine of growth: the new car market already took off by an out-of-this world 114% in 2012 to a record 95,313 registrations, blasting its previous best of 60,513 units established in 2007. And after 5 months in 2013, it is up a further 72% to 54,342 sales, which means that at this rate, we are looking at over 160,000 sales for the Full Year, way above the 133,000 and 40% increase worldwide experts had predicted. In May alone, sales are up 59% to 13,290 registrations.

Lada Priora

To illustrate this astonishing progression, only 2 manufacturers present in the country see their sales drop year-on-year in 2013: Mercedes and Man. All 28 others surf on the massive sales wave that is unfolding in Kazakhstan, starting with Lada which holds a very impressive 35.3% market share year-to-date thanks to 19,166 sales (+80%). It is followed by UZ-Daewoo at 8.2% (+109%), Kia at 8% (+137%) and Hyundai at 7.4% (+25%). In May the ranking is slightly different: Toyota is 2nd at 8.7% (+63%) ahead of Kia at 8.3% (+119%) and Hyundai at 7.6% (+20%). Notice Chevrolet up 122% YTD to #6 and Renault up 364% to #9.

Lada Granta

Now to the much awaited models ranking. And surprise, surprise: Lada is more dominant in Kazakhstan than it is in Russia, placing 3 models on the podium in May! The Priora hasn’t weakened a bit at 1,501 sales and 11.3% share, up a whopping 85% year-on-year and still leader. The Samara does pale: up ‘just’ 20% to 1,034 units and 7.6% while the Granta rounds up the podium with a relatively disappointing 893 sales and 6.3%, up 47%.

Hyundai Accent

The Hyundai Accent ranks 4th at 5.5% share, followed by the Lada 4×4 (aka Niva) at 4.8% (+65%!), the UZ-Daewoo Nexia at 4.7% and the Kia Rio up a huge 324%. The GAZ 3302 (aka Gazelle) is the most popular LCV at #8 and 2.8% share while the UZ-Daewoo Matiz impresses at +208% at #9 in spite of its old age.

Lexus RX

Further down, notice the Renault Duster up 587% to #11, the Chevrolet Niva up 190% to #14, Toyota Land Cruiser Prado up 88% to #16, Kia Cerato landing at #17, Lada Largus at #19, the SsangYong Actyon up 425% to #23, Renault Sandero up 635% to #24 and the Lexus LX at a very impressive 32nd place…

Previous year: Kazakhstan Full Year 2012: Lada Priora and Samara on top

Full May 2013 Top 25 models and Top 30 All-brands Ranking Tables below.

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Lada Priora

* See the Top 20 models and Top 30 brands by clicking on the title! Thanks Juan Felipe *

The Kazakh new car market is on fire in 2012: up an out-of-this-world 114% on 2011 to a record 95,313 registrations! Its previous best was 60,513 before the financial crisis in 2007, but experts see the market grow by a further 40% in 2013 with a long-term objective of 280,000 annual sales… Lada dominates the charts with 40.6% of the passenger car market vs. 35.4% in 2011 and 2013 should be even better for the Russian carmaker: its share was up to 44% over the last Quarter of 2012. The Lada Priora is king thanks to sales up 3-fold vs. 2011 to 11,994 and 12.6%.

UZ-Daewoo Nexia

It is followed closely by the Lada Samara at 11,503 units and 12.1%, up an equally impressive 211%, while the UZ-Daewoo Nexia imported from Uzbekistan rounds up the podium with 5,958 sales and 6%, up 97% on 2011. The valiant Lada 4×4 (aka Niva) grabs an excellent 4th place at 5,320 units but sees its market share drop slightly to 5.4% because of sales up ‘only’ 89%…

Lada Samara

New for 2012, the Lada Granta lands directly in 5th position with 5,283 sales and 5.5%, ahead of the Hyundai Accent #6 again and the Toyota Camry up 11 ranks to #7. A few models produced locally fare well in the ranking: the ZAZ Chance is #9, Chevrolet Cruze #11, SsangYong Kyron #19 and Skoda Octavia #20.

Previous post: Kazakhstan August 2012: Podium 100% Lada in market up 125%!

Full Year 2012 Top 20 models and Top 30 All-brands Ranking Tables below.

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The Toyota Camry ranks #6 in Kazakhstan in August

* See the Top 20 best-selling models and Top 10 brands by clicking on the title! *

Nearly 18 months after the last and only Kazakhstan update on BSCB I am now able to give you much more recent data for this former Soviet Union republic. Kazakhstan has been nominated by Business Monitor International as one of the world’s Top 10 Emerging engine of growth and this is why: after gaining 50% in 2011, new vehicle sales in Kazakhstan are up a mind-boggling 125% year-on-year over the first 8 months of 2012 to 56,369 units. In August the market is up 111% year-on-year to 8,481. Passenger car sales growth is even more impressive: +142% over 8 months at 50,362 and +131% in August at 7,626.

Astana, Kazakhstan. Picture by Eric Lafforgue, all rights reserved.

While in 2010 the UZ-Daewoo Nexia imported from neighbouring Uzbekistan was the most popular model in the country, this year Lada has reclaimed its grip on the Kazak car market with over 40% share in August and sales up 214% year-on-year. Lada monopolises the August podium, with Samara topping the ranking, followed by the Priora and Granta. The UZ-Daewoo Nexia comes in at #4 and the Lada 4×4 is #5.

Lada Granta

Toyota has managed to climb into 2nd place in the brands ranking this month thanks to sales up a huge 244% on August 2011 (the strongest progression in the Top 10), and places 4 models in the Top 15: the Camry is #6, the Land Cruiser 200 #9, the Corolla #12 and the Land Cruiser Prado #13. In the models Top 10, notice also the Chevrolet Cruze at #7, Hyundai Accent at #8 and UZ-Daewoo Matiz at #10. Further down, the ZAZ Chance is #14, the Nissan Juke #17 and the Nissan Qashqai #20.

Previous post: Kazakhstan 2010: UZ-Daewoo Nexia passes Lada 2107

Previous ‘Top 10 Emerging engines of growth’:

Sri Lanka: One of the ‘Top 10 Emerging engines of growth’

Myanmar: One of the Top 10 Emerging engines of growth

Iraq: One of the Top 10 Emerging engines of growth

Full August 2012 Top 20 models and Top 10 brands Ranking Tables below.

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Uz-Daewoo Nexia

* See the Top 25 best-selling models by clicking on the title! Many thanks to Misha *

The Kazakh new car market grew a healthy 14% in 2010 at 21,560 registrations. The best selling model title changed hands, this year going to the Uz-Daewoo Nexia imported from Uzbekistan with 1,666 sales and 7.7% share. The Lada 2107, leader in 2009, drops to #2 with 1,511 units and 7% share. The Lada 4×4 (aka Niva) rounds off the podium with 6.4% of the market.

Lada 2107

Two more Ladas follow: the Priora is 4th at 5.1% and the Samara is 5th at 3.8%. The Toyota Corolla is the best selling ‘true’ import – meaning not coming from any of the former Soviet Republics – in 6th place with 757 sales and 3.5%. Excellent performance of the UAZ Hunter, up 4 spots to #8.

Kia Cerato

The best new entrant in the ranking is the Kia Cerato, assembled locally in Ust-Kamenogorsk, landing directly at #11 with 387 sales and 1.8%. Other newcomers are the Kia Sorento at #17, the Renault Logan imported from Russia at #18, and the ZAZ Chance at #24.

Full Year 2010 Top 25 Ranking Table below.

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Lada 2105

* See the Top 8 all-brands ranking by clicking on the title! Many thanks to Alex *

The last years of existence of the Soviet Union see new car sales stagnate in the region: down 6% to 710,525 registrations in 1989 and up 0.1% in 1990 to 711,454. Sales to state organisations, intelligence services and the army are more on a rollercoaster: down 15% to 141,700 in 1989 and back up a massive 59% in 1990 to 225,446.

Izh 2125 Kombi

As expected VAZ (Lada) is the most popular brand in the country with 381,594 sales and 53.7% share in 1989, then 373,579 and 52.5% in 1990. It is followed by Izh at 133,750 then 127,503 and ZAZ at 92,768 then 86,732. The Moskvich 2141 Aleko is counted as a model given it now forms the entirety of the Moskvich range and sales are up 318% to 62,675 and 8.8% in 1989 for its first full year in market, then down 18% to 51,429 in 1990.

Note that in 1989, Soviet citizens were allowed to purchase the UAZ 3151 Patriot again, it was previously only delivered to the army and police. Car imports kick started in the USSR on March 16, 1988 but no data is available until 1990 when a significant 37,400 units were sold, this figure going up 51% in 1991 to 56,300…

Previous post: USSR 1988: Lada 2106 leads, Samara on podium

Full Year 1989 and 1990 All-brands Ranking Tables below.

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Lada Samara

* See the Top 15 all-models ranking by clicking on the title! Many thanks to Alex *

In 1988, the private new car market is down 8% year-on-year to 754,600 registrations, with the sales to state organisations, intelligence services and the army down 14% to 165,950 units. The VAZ 2106 keeps the pole position with sales up 1% to 216,890 and 28.7% share, while its archenemy the Moskvich 2140, at the end of its life, loses 28% on 1987 but stays #2 at 150,804 units. The Lada Samara climbs onto the podium at #3 with 95,028 sales (+7%).

Lada Niva 4×4

The IZH 2125 Kombi incredibly gains 3% to 47,500 units at #5 and the Lada Niva 4×4 is up a fantastic 32% at #6 with 40,243 sales, followed by the Lada 2107 and 2105.

GAZ 21-40 “Volga”

Moskvich 2141 “Aleko”

ZAZ 1102 “Tavria”

The GAZ 21-40 “Volga” is up one spot to #9 at 21,164 units. There are two new entrants in the 1987 models ranking: the Moskvich 2141 “Aleko” lands directly at #10 with 15,000 sales and the ZAZ 1102 “Tavria” ranks #13 with 2.100 units. Note imports started being allowed into the USSR on March 16, 1988.

Previous post: USSR 1987: Lada 2106 and Moskvich 2140 fight it off

Next post: USSR/Russia 1989-1995: Lada 2104-7 and Samara should dominate

Full Year 1988 Top 15 all-models Ranking Table below.

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VAZ 2106 (aka Lada 1600)

* See the Top 14 All-models ranking by clicking on the title! Many thanks to Alex *

Thanks to Alex we are going back in time 25 years today because I can finally share with you for the first time on BSCB official models data for the USSR in the eighties! This is extremely rare data, detailing the private sales of all models in the country for 1987 and 1988 which you can check out in another post. I hope you enjoy it! In 1987, 819,960 new vehicles were sold to private buyers, to which you have to add 197,250 to state organizations, intelligence services and the army. However detailed models data for the latter is unknown.

Moskvich 2140

And the first surprise in the 1987 models ranking is to see that the VAZ 2106 (aka Lada 1600) is actually threatened by the Moskvich 2140 with 215,800 sales and 26.3% vs. 208,200 and 25.4%. Given this was the Moskvich’s last full year of sales it is reasonable to assume that it has led the USSR models ranking for at least a few years during the eighties and possibly seventies…

ZAZ 968M

Another forgotten model manages to hold itself within the USSR podium in 1987: the ZAZ 968M, also called Zaporozhets, with an impressive 116,500 units sold for a 14.2% market share. The Lada Samara is the fourth and last model to hold at least 10% of the Soviet market at #4 with 88,800 sales and 10.8%.

IZH 2125 Kombi

In 5th place, notice the IZH 2125 Kombi, and please raise your hand if you don’t live in Russia right now and knew about this model… I didn’t. Originally launched in 1973, the 2125 enjoyed a slight facelift in 1982 and would continue its career in Russia all the way through to 1997…

LUAZ 969M

Further down, notice all the iterations of the Lada “Zhigouli” ranking from #7 (2107) to #12 (2104) and the memerising LUAZ 969M 4×4 in 11th place with 11,200 sales.

Previous post: USSR 1980-1986: Lada 2104-7 likely leader

Next post: USSR 1988: Lada 2106 leads, Samara on podium

Full Year 1987 Top 14 all-models Ranking Table below.

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Lada 2106

Lada launches the 2105 in 1979, basically a restyled 2101. The traditional Deluxe version, named 2107, is added in 1982 and the Station Wagon, 2104, appears in 1984. More info on the Lada 2105 series here. However the 2106, launched in 1975, should still be the brand’s best-seller in the country over the period…

Moskvich 2140

…potentially overtaken in the overall ranking by the Moskvich 2140, facelifted in 1981, during some years. If you have access to official models data for the period please make sure you get in touch by commenting on here or filling up the ‘Contact’ form.

Previous post: USSR 1970-1979: Lada 2101-3 conquers the Soviet roads

Next post: USSR 1987: Lada 2106 and Moskvich 2140 fight it off

Lada 2101

The brand VAZ (Volzhsky Avtomobilny Zavod), better known worldwide as Lada, was established in the late 1960′s in collaboration with Fiat and started producing the 2101, a localised version of the Fiat 124, in 1979.

Even though there are no official figures available, the Lada 2101 in all likeliness dominated car sales in the USSR throughout the seventies. In 1972 the 2102, a Station Wagon, and the 2103, a Deluxe version, are added, reinforcing the domination of the model on the Soviet roads.  More info on the Lada 2101 series here.

Please get in touch if you have any data relating to this period!

Next post: USSR 1980-1985: Lada 2104-7 likely leader

Lada 2102

Lada 2103

Pictures: www.autonavigator.ru