Austria Full Year 2018: VW Group monopolises Top 7 for the first time in history, T-Roc at world-best #5

The VW T-Roc ends its first full year of sales at a world-best #5 in Austria.

Consult over 40 years of Austria Historical Data here.

New car sales in Austria hit the brakes in 2018 at -3.5% to 341.068 registrations. Volkswagen (-3%) however remains ultra-dominant, even improving its share slightly to 16.7%. Skoda (+2.1%) also improves to 7.5% share in 2nd place and is with Seat (+7%) up a fantastic 4 spots to #5 the only Top 12 manufacturer to register a year-on-year gain. Ford (-4%) overtakes Opel (-9.7%) to leap onto the year-end podium, Hyundai (-6.5%) stays at #6, Renault (-6.9%) is down two spots to #7 while BMW (-1.8%) and Mercedes (-8.6%) remain above Audi (-22.3%) knocked out of the Top 10 by Fiat (-5.6%). Further down, Ssangyong (+53%), Subaru (+37.9%), Jeep (+37.2%), Ferrari (+34.5%), Lamborghini (+30.3%), Mitsubishi (+25.6%) and  Jaguar (+22.2%) are among the best performers.

42nd consecutive annual win for the VW Golf, but also its lowest share ever.

The VW Golf (-27%) celebrates 42 consecutive years atop the Austrian sales charts despite a damning fall to its lowest share ever in the country at 3.6%, whereas the VW Polo (+14.7%) is pushed to 2nd place overall by the new generation and ever snapped its first monthly win in over 9 years in December. The VW brand breaks new records in Austria this year, placing 4 nameplates in the Top 5 with the Tiguan (-15%) at #4 and the T-Roc ending its first full year of sales at a world-best #5, and a record 5 in Top 7, adding the VW Bus (-11.3%) at #7. In fact the records extend to the VW Group that has for over a decade been more successful here than at home in Germany: it monopolises the Top 7 best-selling nameplates vs. a previous best of Top 6 in 2009, 2012 and 2017 with the Skoda Octavia (-9.3%) at #3 and Fabia (-8.3%) at #6.

The Hyundai Tucson took advantage of VW’s post-WLTP debacle to become the first non-VW Group nameplate to top the Austrian monthly charts in 13 years.

The Hyundai Tucson (+26%) brilliantly becomes the best-selling now VW Group nameplate in Austria for he first time at #8, even ending 70 consecutive months of VW Golf domination in a September ranking sent upside down by post-WLTP blues. It was also the first time in over 13 years, since July 2005 and the Opel Astra, that a non-VW Group nameplate topped the monthly Austrian charts. The Renault Clio (+9.4%) also breaks into the Top 10 while further down the Seat Arona (#11) and Skoda Karoq (#13) post a splendid first full year of sales, with the Seat Leon (-8.8%) making it 10 VW Group nameplates in the Top 13, albeit not a record which is 10 in Top 12 in 2016.

Previous month: Austria November 2018: Seat Arona hits record #7, Dacia, Volvo survive in market down 20.1%

Previous year: Austria Full Year 2017: VW Golf unbeatable, Toyota up 43%

Two years ago: Austria Full Year 2016: VW Golf celebrates 40 consecutive years at #1

Full Year 2018 Top 55 All-brands and Top 365 All-models vs. Full Year 2017 figures below.

Full December 2018 Top 40 All-brands and Top 265 All-models below.