Netherlands February 2018: Opel leads, Kia Picanto best-seller

Opel is #1 in the Netherlands for the first time since September 2016.

* See the Top 45 All-brands and Top 285 All-models by clicking on the title *

New car sales in the Netherlands are up 9.5% year-on-year in February to 35.410 units, meaning the year-to-date volume is up 12.3% to 94.220 sales. Surprise in the brands pole position: after a month of January obliterated by Volkswagen (17.7% share), Opel takes the lead thanks to a 34% year-on-year surge to 8.8% share. It is the first time since September 2016 that Opel is the most popular carmaker in the Netherlands, a market it dominated from 1969 to 2004. In fact, the entire January Top 6 is up one spot while Volkswagen drops 5 ranks to #6: Renault (+1%) is up one spot to #2 followed by Peugeot (+7%), Kia (+20%) and Ford (+18%). Skoda (+48%) posts the largest year-on-year gain in the Top 10 while below, Jeep (+109%), Mitsubishi (+64%), Seat (+38%), Volvo (+23%) and Tesla (+22%) shine.

The Kia Picanto has been the best-seller in the Netherlands every February since 2015.

Model-wise, as it was the case in February 2015, 2016 and 2017, the Kia Picanto is the best-selling nameplate in the country in February 2018, up 15% year-on-year and distancing the Renault Clio (+7%), Ford Fiesta (+25%) and Peugeot 108 (-3%). The Opel Corsa (+198%), VW Polo (+82%) and Hyundai i10 (+45%) lodge the largest year-on-year gains in the Top 10 while beyond, the Mazda CX-5 (+206%), Seat Ibiza (+103%), Skoda Octavia (+85%) and Peugeot 3008 (+57%) are the best performers in the Top 10. The Opel Crossland X (#29) tops recent launches (<12 months) ahead of the Opel Grandland X (#39), Kia Stonic (#59), VW T-Roc (#61), Seat Arona (#67) and Hyundai Kona (#70).

Previous month: Netherlands January 2018: VW places Polo, Golf, Up and Tiguan in Top 4

Previous year: Netherlands Full Year 2017: Clio second Renault to rank #1 in 36 years

Full February 2018 Top 45 All-brands and Top 285 All-models below.