Italy November 2017: Fiat hits lowest share this decade at 16.5%

The Tipo (-22%) is pulling Fiat down 13% to its lowest share at home this decade.

* See the Top 43 brands and Top 50 models by clicking on the title *

Italian new car sales are up 5.7% year-on-year in November to 158.203 units, meaning the year-to-date tally is now up 8.4% to 1.863.941, and marking an impressive 46 months of gains out of the past 48 (four years). The only declining months over the period were May 2014 and April 2017. The November score was made possible by strong company sales up 12.4% to 36.190 or 22.9% share vs. 21.5% a year ago, and even more so by rental sales shooting up 29.7% to 30.709 or 19.4% share vs. 15.8% in November 2016. Short term rentals are up 41.6% while long-term are up 26.4%, so strong all around. In contrast, private sales are actually down this month at -2.6% to 91.304 units or 57.7% share vs. 62.7% a year ago. Year-to-date, the evolutions are similar, with company sales up a stunning 29.3% to 401.893 or 21.6% share vs. 18.1% over the same period in 2016, rental sales are up 18.6% to 413.748 or 22.2% vs. 20.3% (short term up 20.5% and long term up 17.5%) and once again private sales are down by 1.1% to 1.048.300, seeing their share thaw from 61.6% to 56.2%.

The VW Golf is at its highest in Italy in… 24 years! 

In the brands ranking, market leader Fiat posts a particularly weak score this month: down 13% to just 16.5% share vs. 20.4% year-to-date, the brand’s lowest share at home in over five years. In fact, Fiat has seen its market share decline continuously in the past six month: from 22.4% in May to 21.5% in June, 20.1% in July, 19.9% in August (the first time below 20% in two years, since August 2015), 19.5% in September and 17.8% in October… Reversely, Renault shoots up 21% to 2nd place with 7.6% share but remains at #4 year-to-date. It distances Volkswagen (+6%), Ford (+9%) and Peugeot (+11%) while Toyota (+24%) and Citroen (+45%) post the largest gains in the Top 10. Volvo (+20%), Alfa Romeo (+21%), Mini (+23%), Smart (+30%), Skoda (+36%), Suzuki (+36%), Dacia (+43%) and Jeep (+49%) also impress further down.

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio smashes its ranking record to #36.

The Fiat Panda remains in control of the Italian models ranking in spite of a 19% drop to 6.7% share but the event is in 2nd place: thanks to deliveries up 18%, the VW Golf is up a further two spots on October to hit its highest ranking ever in Italy. According to BSCB records, the last time the Golf ranked #2 in Italy was in February 1993. However these were different times and 13.340 sales were necessary to hit that level back then, for a 6.9% market share. Extreme market fragmentation and the proliferation of nameplates since means only 3.918 sales and 2.5% are enough for the Golf to be #2 this month… Below the Lancia Ypsilon down 11%, the Toyota Yaris is the other nameplate hitting a high at #4, its second consecutive month inside the Top 5 after a five year-drought and its best ranking in Italy since December 2012 (#3).

The Toyota Yaris is at its highest in five years.

The Citroen C3 is down two ranks on last month but up 61% year-on-year to a very robust 5th place, distancing the Renault Clio (-14%), Fiat 500X (+3%) and Jeep Renegade (+7%). The Fiat 500 is back up 22% but down to #10, the Renault Captur is up 29% to #11, but the Fiat Tipo continues to worry the carmaker with sales down 22% year-on-year and its station wagon variant freefalling down 36% to #4 in the segment vs. #1 YTD. The VW Tiguan is up 17%, the Dacia Sandero up 49%, the Dacia Duster up 25%, VW Up up 122%, Renault Kadjar up 48% to #23 (highest since June 2016), Peugeot 3008 also up 48%, Ford Kuga up 168%, Renault Scenic up 236% and the Mini Countryman up 81%. The Jeep Compass leads recent launches at #26 ahead of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio up 16 spots to a record-breaking 36th place. The Opel Crossland X is the third new nameplate in the Top 50 at #47 (-12).

Previous month: Italy October 2017: Citroen C3 hits highest ever ranking at #3

One year ago: Italy November 2016: Fiat Tipo back up to 4th place

Full November 2017 Top 43 brands and Top 50 models below.