Germany January 2014: Volkswagen monopolises Top 4 for first time in history

VW Polo sales are up 26% year-on-year in January.

* See the Top 270 best-selling models and Top 51 brands by clicking on the title! *

The German new car market starts the year with a bang: +7% on January 2013 to 205,996 registrations. First let’s thank KBA for a welcome change in methodology, now separating the Audi A6 and A7, VW Golf and Jetta and Seat Altea, Leon and Toledo among other nice new year presents. The big event this month is the record performance of Volkswagen: up 9% overall to 23% share vs. 21.8% over the Full Year 2013, the German powerhouse manufacturer manages to place 4 models in the Top 4 for the first time in the history of automobile in Germany! No less! The Golf is up 22% year-on-year at #1, followed by the Polo (+26%), Passat (-3%) and Tiguan (+11%)!

Second ever Top 10 ranking in Germany for the VW Up.

But wait there’s more: the Audi A3 is up two spots on December to land in 5th place and deliver its 7th Top 5 month in the last 10, making the Top 5 100% VAG Group. With the VW Touran at #8, the Skoda Octavia at #9 and the VW Up lodging its 2nd month in a row (and ever) in the Top 10 at #10, VAG places 8 models in the Top 10 in January… The BMW 3 Series (#6) and Mercedes C-Class (#7) are the lonely two non-VAG models in the January Top 10.

The Mokka is Opel’s best-seller for the first time this month.

Another very interesting event illustrating a longer-term trend at play: for the first time ever, the Mokka is Opel’s best-seller in Germany, breaking into the monthly Top 20 for the first time to reach an all-time high #20 with 2,542 sales (previous best: #29 last April). The Corsa follows at #21 (-11%) while the Astra is down to a lowest-ever #25 (-40%). Far are the days when the Astra was fighting with the Golf for supremacy at the start of the nameplate’s career in the early nineties…

The Mazda3 is one of two Mazdas inside the Top 40 this month.

If we discard the Skoda Octavia (#9), Fabia (#23), Seat Ibiza (#31) and Leon (#32), the best-selling foreign model is the Fiat 500 at #33 with 1,683 sales, however this figure includes the 500L, so the real winners are in fact the Mazda CX-5 at #36, Dacia Sandero at #37, Renault Clio at #38 and Mazda3 at #39. Notice also the Dacia Duster up 34 spots on December to #43, the Peugeot 2008 up 16 to #56, only 15 units below the 208 and well above the Renault Captur (#67), the Chevrolet Trax up 59 to #86 and the BMW i3 up 43 to #147.

Previous post: Germany Full Year 2013: VW Golf marks 38 years in pole position

Previous month: Germany December 2013: VW Up inside Top 10 for the first time

One year ago: Germany January 2013: VW Tiguan breaks into Top 5 for the first time

Full January 2014 Top 270 models and Top 51 brands Ranking Tables below.