Germany 2005: Golf & Astra on top, new gen VW Passat arrives

Opel Astra

* See the Top 100 best-selling models and each monthly Top 30 by clicking on the title! *

The German car market is stable again this year, up 0.4% to 3,342,122 registrations. Surprise, surprise, the VW Golf leads for the 25th year in a row but is down 23% and delivers the second worst year for the nameplate at 170,100 sales and 5.1% share. Only in 1975 did the Golf sell less, and it was its very first full year… The culprit: the MPV version, the Golf Plus launched this year to instant success, finishing 2005 in 13th place with 63,317 sales.

VW Passat

The Opel Astra stays #2 and is up 11% to 122,841 units and 3.7% share, peaking at 14,659 sales and 4.4% in June, ahead of the Audi A4 up 2 spots and 4% to 100,910 sales and delivering a high at #2 in August. The VW Passat new generation, #4 overall at 2.9%, takes off in October and holds the 2nd spot for the remainder of the year, reaching a very solid 4.5% share in December.

Audi A6

Below the BMW 3 Series down 2 spots to #5, the Mercedes A Class gains 5 spots to a best-ever #6 and the Ford Focus is up 3 spots to #7. Excellent year for the Audi A6, up 5 ranks and 17% to #12 and reaching a best-ever 6th place in July with 6,645 sales and 2.5% share.

BMW 5 Series

The BMW 5 Series is down 2 spots to #14 but delivers its best-ever month in Germany in February at a whopping 2nd place with 8,610 sales and 3.9%! Other models reaching their best this year are the Opel Meriva at #11 in June and the Skoda Octavia at #12 in November. The Octavia is the best-selling ‘foreign’ model this year and for the first time ever, ranking #20 ahead of the Peugeot 206 (#21) and Skoda Fabia (#22).

BMW 1 Series

There are a few interesting local newcomers this year: launched in 2004, the BMW 1 Series breaks into the Top 20 for the very first time in January and stays there the entire year, peaking at #13 and 1.9% in September and finishing the year #17 overall.

Mercedes B Class

The Mercedes B Class launches in May and breaks into the Top 20 in August at #15 with 4,482 sales and 1.8%, finishing #29 overall. The VW Fox for its part lands in the Top 20 in July (#20) and reaches a best-ever 13th place in August. Lastly the BMW X3 (#24 in January) and Mercedes M Class (#30 in October) both make a brief but remarkable appearance in the German Top 30.

Full Year Top 100 and every Monthly Top 30 Ranking Tables below.