Best Selling Cars – Matt's blog

Iran Khodro Runna – with a Paykan in the background

* See the Top 19 most produced models by clicking on the title! *

Iran uses the Persian calendar in which March 2013 roughly corresponds to Bahman, the last month of the year 1391. Over that period 71,028 new vehicles were produced in the country, a 34% year-on-year drop, to be compared with -37% in February, -45% in January and -53% in December, confirming the situation could slowly be getting back to normal for the Iranian new car market. The Saipa Pride remains far above the rest of the cars produced in the country but it is dropping 41% year-on-year to 21,844 units, finishing the year 1391 at 276,992 units, down 55% on 1390. The Iran Khodro Samand is also faring worse than average this month at -31% to 10,675 units, but is down a more clement 21% over the full year 1390 to 110,479 units.

The Peugeot Pars remains at a solid third position this month thanks to 8,105 units produced, down only 7% year-on-year and above the 5th place it holds over the Full Year. The Peugeot 405 is down 60% at #4 this month and down 40% at #3 this year while the Renault Tondar 90 (aka Dacia Logan) is down an ok 22% at #5 this month vs. -14% and #4 over the Full Year. In the meantime, the Iran Khodro Runna continues to improve its production rate month after month, reaching a record 3,650 units in March, double its score of 4 months ago.

Previous month: Iran February 2013: Peugeot Pars and Lifan 620 shine

One year ago: Iran March 2012: Last good showing for Peugeot

Full March 2013 Top 19 Ranking Table below.

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Chery MVM315

* See the Top 17 most produced models by clicking on the title! Many thanks to Omid *

December 2012 corresponds roughly to the month of Azar in the year 1391 of the Persian calendar, and over the period only 60,869 vehicles were produced, a 53% year-on-year drop and bringing the year-to-date total to 579,097 units after 9 months, down 46% year-on-year. Given this is not the end of the Persian year there won’t be a Full Year summary article (yet) for Iran – we’ll have to wait until early April. Very mixed fortunes once again within the models ranking this month: the Saipa Pride is still #1 but drops below 20,000 monthly units for the third time in the last 5 months at 19,287, down 65% year-on-year.

Iran Khodro Runna

The Iran Khodro Samand is back up to #2 with 9,561 units, down just 17%, and is followed by the Peugeot 405 at 8,217 units (-50%), Peugeot Pars at 7,702 (only -1%!) and the Renault Tondar 90 (aka Dacia Logan) at 6,710, down 20%. The Iran Khodro Runna continues to gear up: it is at +46% and up one spot on November at #6 to break the 2,000 monthly units milestone for the first time at 2,628. Reversely the Saipa Tiba is down 47% year-on-year to 1,852 units at #7.

Chery MVM530

Finally, thanks to a tip from Omid, the Iranian ranking now includes all Chery models produced locally by Modiran. The all-new for 1391 Chery MVM315 aka Fulwin 2/Bonus ranks #8 with 1,627 units, while the MVM530 aka Chery A5 is #9 at 1,095 units, the MVMX33 aka Chery Tiggo is #10 with 636 units and the MVM110 aka Chery QQ is #12 at 403 units.

Previous month: Iran November 2012: Renault Tondar 90 and Lifan 620 shine

One year ago: Iran December 2011: Peugeot 206 back in 2nd place

Full Azar 1391 / December 2012 Top 17 Ranking Table below.

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Hyundai HB20

* See the full article by clicking on the title! *

Now that most November data is in, it’s time for our much anticipated World roundup. If last month the focus was on China, Japan and Austria, in November all spotlights are on Brazil. Following the same trajectory as in Russia and India where it now regularly places a locally-produced model on the podium, Hyundai launched the HB (for Hyundai Brazil) range with the HB20 hatchback aimed directly at the VW Gol and Fiat Palio, the HB20X crossover just unveiled at the Sao Paolo Motor Show and a HB20 sedan due to launch in Q1 2013. All HB models will be produced at Hyundai’s new plant in Piracicaba in the Sao Paulo state. With its new plant, Hyundai aims at going from #9 and 2.6% share in 2012 to #4 with 10% of the Brazilian market as early as by the end of 2013, passing Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Renault and Ford in the process!

The Hyundai HB20 is produced in Hyundai’s new Piracicaba plant in Brazil

What seemed like wishful thinking only a few weeks back is now turning into reality. For its first full month of sales, the Hyundai HB20 breaks into the monthly Top 10 for the first time for a Hyundai in Brazil at #9 with 8,077 sales. Hyundai has received 50,000 orders for the model and believe it will sell 26,000 by end-2012, leaving a waiting list of 24,000 into the new year. The HB20 single-handedly pushed Hyundai up to #6 carmaker in Brazil in November at 4.7% share… While we are at it, the other big event in November in Brazil is the Chevrolet Onix already up to #11 with 7,409 sales. If you are a regular reader of BSCB you will already know that the Onix is up to #6 in at mid-December…

Fiat 500L

The 2nd big event on the world car sales scene in November is the Fiat 500L breaking into the Top 10 in its native Italy at #9 with 2,115 sales and 2% share only a couple of months after launch. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves (yet), but it could be a case of the ‘right car at the right time’ for the Italian car manufacturer. Fiat’s previous incursion into the mini MPV segment, the Fiat Idea, never ranked better than #11 at home in June 2005, a position the 500L has already beaten. Fiat announced the 500L will go on sale in over 100 countries worldwide, pretty much everywhere the 500 is on sale right now including the USA and Brazil which could become its biggest market in the world if produced locally…

The Honda CR-V is the best-selling Japanese model in China this month

We can’t really go too far in our World Roundup without stopping in China, where events are 3-fold this month:

1. The Japanese manufacturers see their decline ease compared to September and October, with Toyota at -25%, Honda at -29% and Mazda at -30%. Japanese models are quietly back up the ranking with 6 of them in the Top 40 vs. just one last month: the Honda CR-V (#24), Nissan Sylphy (#29), Toyota Camry (#31), Corolla EX (#35), Corolla (#37) and Nissan Teana (#39).

BYD F3 Surui

2. Chinese brands are doing better at home, grabbing 35.1% of the overall market, their highest penetration rate in 20 years! For the first time since last May, the Chery QQ is the best-selling local thanks to the new model at #14 with 16,670 sales, its highest ranking since April 2011 and its strongest monthly volume since… January 2010!  Expect the trend to continue with the new gen BYD F3 gearing up (it cracked the 10,000 monthly units mark this month), and low-cost models like the Venucia R50/D50 (up a massive 67 ranks to #46) getting more and more successful…

38,362 Ford Focus found a buyer in China in November

3. Exceptional, outstanding, out-of-this-world, hard to appreciate the performance of the Ford Focus in China at its correct measure: it is the #1 passenger car for the 4th month in a row and the 5th time in the last 6 months, smashing its volume record again at 38,362 sales, which could even be the highest monthly volume ever recorded for a Passenger Car in China.(Note the Focus also managed to take the lead in the UK for only the 4th time in the last 3 years after May 2010, Jan 2011 and Feb 2012). While we’re at it, let’s notice the VW Lavida also lodging a record month at 31,397 units.

VW Up! Picture by Borsen.dk, all rights reserved.

Third big event and it’s a brand one, Volkswagen continues to kick arse, monopolising the models ranking podium in 2 countries outside of Germany and with the Up! reaching unheard of volumes in Denmark… To see the rest of the article just click on ‘Read more’ below.

Previous World Roundups:

World October 2012 Roundup: China, Japan and Austria in focus

World September 2012 Roundup: Ford Focus shines in China

World August 2012 Roundup: Subaru XV topples almighty Golf in Switzerland

World July 2012 Roundup: Geely CK writes history in Ukraine

World June 2012 Roundup: Hyundai Santa Fe and Ford Focus shine

World May 2012 Roundup: GM and Toyota Etios make headlines

World April 2012 Roundup: Maruti Swift and Mazda CX-5 impress

World March 2012 Roundup: Toyota Prius breaks a leg

See the Full World November 2012 Roundup article below.

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Renault Tondar 90

* See the Top 15 most produced models by clicking on the title! *

November 2012 roughly corresponds to Aban 1391 in the Persian calendar, and during that period just 60,470 new cars were produced in Iran, a steep 56% year-on-year drop, but an improvement on the -66% experienced 2 months ago. Year-to-date after 8 months in the Persian year 1391, only 518,228 vehicles have been produced, a 46% fall on the same period last year. It doesn’t look like Peugeot is thinking about rebooting its Iranian production now that the Peugeot-General Motors alliance seems to be on the rocks, with the 206′s production stuck at 8 units. However the Peugeot Pars is down just 38% to climb one spot to #4 and pass the 405 (-76%) as Peugeot’s most produced model in the country.

Lifan 620

The Sapia Pride still leads the way but is down 61% to 22,707 units while Renault comes out winning again: the Tondar 90 (aka Dacia Logan) reaches a record 2nd place thanks to 8,369 units, down 10% year-on-year, and the Renault Megane is down just 5% at #9. Notice also the Saipa Tiba down 19% to 2,741 units at #6, the Iran Khodro Runna continuing its production ramp up at +136% on October to a record 1,802 units and the Lifan 620 reappearing in the ranking at a brilliant 8th place with 1,084 units, up 82% year-on-year.

Previous month: Iran October 2012: Iran Khodro Runna and Great Wall Voleex C30 up

One year ago: Iran November 2011: Peugeot 405 now #2 year-to-date

Full November 2012 Top 15 Ranking Table below.

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Iran Khodro Runna

* See the Top 15 most produced models by clicking on the title! *

Iranian production figures for the month of Shahrivar 1391, roughly equivalent to September 2012 in the Persian calendar, show a drop of 66% compared to a year ago with a total of just 45,550 units produced. Year-to-date after 6 months in the Persian year 1391, only 396,422 vehicles have been produced, a 42% drop year-on-year. This month Peugeot’s production stop in Iran is really apparent – the 206 is down 98% year-on-year – as well as an intensification of local manufacturers Saipa and Iran Khodro’s slowdowns as a reaction to the government’s setting of prices for domestic cars…

Renault Megane

For the 2nd month in a row the Saipa Pride is below 20,000 units produced at only 18,169, down 69% year-on-year. The Peugeot 405 is #2 again but its production is down 60% to 6,681 units. Renault is the big winner in this shaky context: the Tondar 90 (aka Dacia Logan) is down ‘only’ 37% to 5,558 units and climbs onto the Iranian podium for the very first time, passing the Iran Khodro Samand down 60% to #4 and 5,017 units.

Great Wall Voleex C30

Below, the Saipa Tiba is up 2 spots on August to a best-ever 5th place in spite of production down 52% to 1,413 units. Below the Peugeot Pars down 83%, the Renault Megane is the only model to see its production rise year-on-year, up 12% to 1,005 units. The Iran Khodro Runna cranks up its production once again and reaches 479 units this month, nearly double its August score and up one spot to #8. 910 Runnas have now been produced this Persian year. Notice also the Great Wall Voleex C30 up 3 ranks on last month to #12 with 91 units.

Previous month: Iran August 2012: Saipa Pride below 20,000 units, Iran Khodro Runna #9

One year ago: Iran September 2011: Saipa Pride excels, Peugeot 207i gears up

Full September 2012 Top 15 Ranking Table below.

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Iran Khodro Runna

* See the Top 15 most produced models by clicking on the title! *

As usual we explore local production figures for the Iranian market as sales data is not available, however this should represent a relatively accurate picture of car sales in the country as high import duties and the weakness of the local currency limits sales of other vehicles. 2012 is shaping up to be a pretty eventful year for car sales in Iran. First Peugeot announced it would be progressively withdrawing from the market, now Saipa halves its production as a reaction to the government’s setting of prices for domestic cars, judged too low in the wake of the sharp devaluation of the Iranian rial vs. the US dollar…

As a result, only 69,797 cars were produced during the month of Tir 1391, roughly equivalent to July 2012 in the Iranian calendar, a 43% year-on-year fall. Year-to-date after 4 months of the year 1391, the Iranian industry is down 39% to 278,578 units. The Saipa Pride is still the favourite model in Iran but with only 24,001 units produced this month it is down a massive 57% year-on-year and 48% year-to-date at 107,448. In fact the entire Top 6 most produced models is unchanged vs. June but the y-o-y variations are strikingly different.

The Peugeot 405 stays #2 but has now started to fall at -10% to 12,762 units, ahead of the Iran Khodro Samand down 20%, the Renault Tondar 90 (aka Dacia Logan) down 7%, the Peugeot Pars down 16% and the Peugeot 206 down 51% to 4,482. Only the Renault Megane bucks the trend, up 91% to 1,854 unit this month. The other Saipa model, the Tiba, falls even harder than the Pride at -68% to #9.

Iran Khodro Runna

There is a newcomer in the Top 10 this month: 3 long years after its original presentation, the Iran Khodro Runna, based on a Peugeot 206 sedan, has started to gear up its production albeit very very slowly: from 57 units produced at #15 in June, it is now up to 103 at #10… Still a long way to go. For its part the Great Wall Voleex C30 is down 4 spots to #15 with 60 units.

Previous month: Iran June 2012: Great Wall Voleex C30 makes its first appearance

One year ago: Iran July 2011: Tondar 90 and Iran Khodro Samand shine

Full July 2012 Top 15 Ranking Table below.

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Great Wall Voleex C30

* See the Top 15 most produced models by clicking on the title! *

As always the Iranian monthly models ranking reflects production (not sales) but is a pretty accurate representation of the most popular cars in the country as high import duties limit sales of other vehicles. In the Persian calendar June 2012 corresponds roughly to the third month of the Persian year 1391, Khordad, and during that period new car production continues to fall alarmingly to just 68,510 units, down 47% on Khordad 1390. Year-to-date after 3 months in 1391 the market is down 37% to 208,781.

Iran Khodro Runna

Again the main culprit for this worrying development is very weak production figures of the Saipa Pride at only 25,440 units this month, down 57% year-on-year and bringing its year-to-date total to 83,447, down 45% on 1390. Peugeot’s stopping of part imports from France is again also having an impact, with the Peugeot Pars down 16% at #5 and the 206 down 74% at #6. Reversely the Peugeot 405 still holds well, up 9% year-on-year at #2 with 12,695 units ahead of the Iran Khodro Samand at 10,111 and the Renault Tondar 90 (aka Dacia Logan) at 6,271.

But the main event this month is the very rare arrival of a new model in the ranking: after Lifan, Great Wall is the second Chinese manufacturer to start assembling new cars in Iran: the Great Wall Voleex C30 lands directly in 11th position this month with 146 units produced. For its part the Iran Khodro Runna seems to have actually started its career in its native country no less than 3 years after its original presentation with a best-ever 57 units produced this month (#15).

Previous month: Iran May 2012: Peugeot 405 back to #2, Iran Khodro Runna starts

Full June 2012 Top 15 Ranking Table below.

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Peugeot 405. Picture by kamshots.

* See the Top 15 most produced models by clicking on the title! *

As usual for Iran only models rankings by production (not sales) are available but they are a good reflection of car sales in the country as high import duties limit sales of other vehicles. The second month of the Persian year 1391, Ordibehesht, corresponds roughly to May 2012 and during that period only 86,356 cars were produced in Iran, a worrying fall of 34% on the 129,859 produced in Ordibehesht 1390. Year-to-date after 2 months in 1391 the market is down 31% to 140,096.

Iran Khodro Runna

The main reason for this fall is the disappointing figures of the Saipa Pride: it is down 38% this month to 36,551 units and 37% year-to-date to 58,007. Peugeot’s halt on part imports from France is having an impact also: the Peugeot Pars is down 19% at #5, the 206 is down 56% at #6 and the 207i is down 89% at #9. However the Peugeot 405 manages to increase its sales year-on-year at +6% and reclaims the 2nd place with 13,986 sales, way ahead of the Iran Khodro Samand at 10,453.

Renault models continue to take advantage of Saipa and Peugeot’s difficulties: the Tondar 90 (aka Dacia Logan) is up 34% year-on-year and stays at a best-ever 4th position with 8,657 units while the Megane is up 42% to 1,540 units at #8.

Originally presented in April 2009, the Iran Khodro Runna, based on the Peugeot 206, had only ever been produced at 10 units in Ordibehesht 1390. 24 additional units have been recorded in the official spreadsheets of www.ivma.ir this month. Coincidence, production blip or real kick-start? Hard to say and only the next couple of months will confirm whether over 3 years on, large scale production is finally starting for the Runna.

While we’re talking about delayed production starts, let’s mention the Iran Khodro Dena, unveiled in April 2011. Plans were to kick-start production in April 2012 to deliver 35,000 units by the end of the year but the Dena is yet to appear in the production spreadsheets of www.ivma.ir.

Previous month: Iran April 2012: Peugeot withdraws, Renault wins

One year ago: Iran May 2011: Saipa Pride rules, Tiba lands, Peugeot 405 still #2!

Full May 2012 Top 15 Ranking Table below.

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Suzuki Swift

This is our second monthly World round up after March 2012, and if last month the focus was on the Toyota Prius family and its huge success in the US and Japan, April takes us to India where we witness a historical change… Don’t get me wrong, the Prius is still one of the month’s superstars, with the Prius family reaching a record 5th position in the US and the Toyota Aqua (aka Prius c) now threatening the Prius for the #1 spot overall in Japan. But I’ve talked a lot about the Prius in the last month so let’s mix it up a bit!

Toyota Prius c

Back to India. In April the Maruti/Suzuki Swift takes the lead of the models ranking with 19,484 sales and a record 8.9% market share, breaking 93 months of uninterrupted reign by the Maruti Alto. Add the sales of the sedan version, called DZire in India, and the Swift family delivers almost 35,000 sales this month for a mammoth 16% share! But this is not the big news. The Indian market is generally so stable that before now only 3 models had managed to rank #1 there since 1950: the Hindustan Ambassador, Maruti 800 and Maruti Alto. Make this 4.

Mazda CX-5

The other model starting to make some noise worldwide is the Mazda CX-5, particularly Down Under: the new small SUV reaches its highest ranking worldwide so far in New Zealand for its first month of sales there at a fantastic 6th place (in a very small market, granted) and is already knocking at the Australian Top 10′s door at #11 there with 1.8% of the market.

Hyundai i30

The third star of the month is Korean. Hyundai has not waited for sales of the i30 to slow down to replace it, and the new generation of the model, built in Nosovice in Czech Republic, already looks like it is establishing itself as the next best thing to a Skoda in Eastern Europe. No mean feat given Skoda’s domination in the region. This month it ranks #3 in Slovakia and Czech Republic and is leader in Croatia.

Chevrolet Cruze

After a fantastic First Quarter that saw it become General Motors’ best-seller worldwide for the very first time, the Chevrolet Cruze continues to progress in April, and one of its big achievements is breaking into the Russian Top 10 for the first time. The new generation BMW 3 Series is a success: it is up to a shiny 9th place overall in Europe with 17,171 sales, its first time in the Top 10 since December 2008, due in big part to a fantastic 2nd place in Germany.

BMW 3 Series

The fall in Southern Europe intensifies, with Greece down 57%, Spain down 22% and at its worst level in 25 years, and Italy down 18%. In Italy, the most affected provinces are Florence (-66%) and Rome (-61%) and UNRAE now predicts 2012 at 1,434,000 registrations, the worst figure in 35 years. For the first time since the car started mass production in 1946, with more cars being disposed of than ones being bought, 2012 may be remembered as the year the process of “demotorisation” started in Italy!

Fiat 500 Abarth (US version) 

In this sombre context, the Fiat Panda continues its brilliant run, enjoying its 4th consecutive month atop the models ranking in its native country, and reappearing in the European Top 10 at #8, its highest European ranking since February 2010. But the best news for Fiat come from abroad: this month the Fiat 500 ranks within the UK Top 10 for the first time in over 2 years.

Venucia D50

In China, two new low-cost brands make their appearance in the ranking after Linian (Honda) and Baojun (GM) last year, Honda launches the Ciimo Si Ming (#118) and Nissan launches the Venucia D50 (#122) this month. In Iran, we are starting to see the effects of Peugeot’s withdrawal and the big winner is Renault: the Tondar 90 -aka Dacia Logan- is up 35% to a best-ever 4th place this month while the Megane is up 48%…

Dacia Lodgy

In France the Peugeot 208 breaks into the Top 10 for the very first time at #9 and the Dacia Lodgy…lodges its first true month of sales at #67. I predict a Top 10 ranking there in the next year or so for the Lodgy: it has been the case for all recent Dacias in France: the Logan peaked at #7 in December 2007, the Sandero at #2 in March 2010 and the Duster at #5 in November 2011.

Toyota 86

Other worldwide highlights in April 2012 include the very promising start of the Toyota 86 in Japan at #17 for its first full month of sales, the Honda N-BOX taking the lead of the Japanese Kei cars ranking, the VW Tiguan at best-ever #2 in Norway and #3 in Switzerland, the Volvo V50 surprise leader in Finland and the Audi A1 and Q3 reaching their best rankings so far in Austria at #14 and #25 respectively.

Toyota Avanza and good old me in Bali, Indonesia May 2012

Finally, thanks to my trip to Bali at the end of last month I was able to share with you much more data and pictures about the Indonesian car market where the Toyota Avanza still rules by far.

Peugeot Pars

* See the Top 10 most produced models by clicking on the title! *

In the Iranian calendar the month of April 2012 roughly corresponds to Farvardin, the first month of the new year 1391. As Peugeot slowly winds down after stopping the importation of CKD kits under pressure from General Motors, total production of new cars in Iran this month is down 27% year-on-year to 53,740 units. Surprisingly it’s actually the Saipa Pride production figures that have the most impact of the overall fall: going from 32,576 units at the same time last year to 21,456 now, down 34%.

Renault Tondar 90

The Iran Khodro Samand resists and only loses 5% to 7,470 units, gaining one spot on last month to #2 while the Peugeot 405 is down 12% to 7,112 units. The big beneficiary of Peugeot’s withdrawal is Renault, with the Tondar 90 (aka Dacia Logan) up a massive 35% year-on-year to 5,149 units and reaching its highest ranking ever at #4. The Peugeot 206 follows, down 53%, ahead of the Peugeot Pars down 6%. The Peugeot 207i still delivers solid numbers at 1,202 units ahead of the Renault Megane up 48% to 911 units. Sad month for the Saipa Tiba down 54% year-on-year.

Previous month: Iran March 2012: Last good showing for Peugeot…

Full April 2012 Top 10 Ranking Table below.

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