Italy July 2017: Fiat 500 and Punto on podium

The Fiat 500 is up 111% to 2nd place at home this month. 

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The Italian new car market is up 5.7% year-on-year in July to 146.563 registrations, leading to a year-to-date tally up 8.3% to 1.290.744 units. It is a clear slowdown of the market gains Italy has shown over the past three months, and the culprit is private sales, down 1.8% nationwide and hit hardest in South Italy (-6.8%). The overall market owes its growth to company sales up a whopping 25.7% and rental sales up 8.7%, driven by short term rentals. Over the first seven months of the year, private sales lose 5.5 percentage points to 56.1% share.

After falling to the bottom of the Top 20 in recent months, the Fiat Punto is back on the podium.

Fiat continues to dominate the brands ranking head-and-shoulders but gains just 0.5% this month to 20.1% share. Ford (+9%) gains two spots on June to #2 and is with Fiat the only carmaker to post a five-digit sales figure in July. Volkswagen (-3%) remains in third place, Peugeot impresses with a 32% year-on-year improvement in 4th position, overtaking Opel (+11%) to now rank 5th year-to-date. Renault (-8%), #2 in June, is down to #5 this month. Toyota surges 37% to #7, Dacia continues to gallop ahead at +31%, up two spots on last month to #8, Citroen is up 27%, Nissan up 19%, Kia up 10%, Jeep and Alfa Romeo up 27%, Suzuki up 39% Porsche up 50% and Maserati up 99%.

The Citroen C3 is now threatening the Renault Clio for the title of best-selling foreigner. 

Model-wise, the Fiat Panda stays comfortably on top despite a 14% drop, but the hero of the month is the Fiat 500 up a formidable 111% year-on-year to land in 2nd place. This is only the fourth time – the second time this year – in the decade-long career of the “Nuova 500” that it ranks as high as #2 after September 2008, June 2014. and last January. The ageing Fiat Punto (+5%) is showing great form this month, climbing onto the podium for the first time in a year and after falling as low as #19 last April. The Lancia Ypsilon is back up four spots on June to #4 but drops 5% and the Fiat Tipo is down three but up 13% to #5. Still the best-selling foreigner, the Renault Clio loses 14% and is now threatened by the Citroen C3 boosted up 116% by the new generation.

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio breaks into the Italian Top 50 for the first time this month. 

Last month the Dacia Sandero broke into the Italian Top 10 for the very first time, and in July it reiterates this feat thanks to deliveries up 29% lifting it to #10 once again. The Toyota Yaris (+14%) and Peugeot 208 (+15%) also shine close to the Top 10. Further down, the Nissan Qashqai (+21%), Dacia Duster (+34%) and Opel Mokka (+23%) make themselves noticed while the Peugeot 3008 is up 11-fold on the previous generation to #22, its highest ranking yet in Italy. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio breaks into its home Top 50 for the very first time at #42.

Previous post: Italy First Half 2017: Fiat Tipo lands in third place, teases Ypsilon for #2

Previous month: Italy June 2017: Dacia Sandero breaks into Top 10, market up 12.9%

One year ago: Italy July 2016: Hatchback lifts Fiat Tipo to 7th place

Full July 2017 Top 40 All-brands and Top 50 models below.