Italy June 2020: Electrified vehicles (+77.9%), private sales (-7.7%) reduce market decline to -23.3%

Volvo is the only Top 30 carmaker managing a double-digit gain in June.

Italy has now been out of lockdown for two full months and its new car market accordingly improves month after month: from absolute hell in both March (-85.4%) and April (-97.5%) to -49.4% in May and -23.3% in June thanks to 133.108 registrations. However if France has already (and efficiently) implemented stimulus measures and both Spain and Germany announced plans to boost demand in the coming months, Italy is in the same situation as the UK: total silence from national government on potential incentives, which means the rest of the year may be quite painful to see. Halfway through 2020, Italian new car sales are down a ghastly -45.9% to 588.183 units and we are now predicting a 2020 volume down -30% to 1.33 million units which, if confirmed, would be the the lowest annual tally in 42 years: since 1978 (1.19m)…

A very encouraging sign this month in Italy is the fact that private sales pull the market up, declining by just -7.7% to 86.457 units and a mammoth 65% share vs. 54% in June 2019, bringing their H1 2020 volume down -42.3% to 352.290 and 59.9% share vs. 56.1% over the same period in 2019. Rental sales are off -39.4% to 27.581 and 20.7% share vs. 26.3% in June and down -50.4% to 149.225 and 25.4% vs. 27.7% YTD. If long-term leases resist relatively well at -21.7% to 21.177 and -40.1% to 96.593 YTD, short-term rental sales crater at -72.4% to 4.030 in the almost complete absence of tourism in the country, with H1 volumes down -64.3% to 42.520. Finally company sales sink -44.3% to 19.070 units and 14.3% share vs. 19.7% in June and -50.8% to 86.688 and 14.7% vs. 16.2% YTD as businesses continue to reel from the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis.

Toyota breaks into the Italian Top 5 for only the third time this decade.

In terms of sales by alimentation, petrol sales drop -28.6% to 52.997 and 39.8% share vs. 42.8% a year ago in June and -46.3% to 252.561 and 42.9% vs. 43.3% YTD, while diesel registrations fall even faster at -34.8% to 47.415 and 35.6% share vs. 41.9% for the month and -55.6% to 206.272 and 35.1% vs. 42.7% so far in 2020. GPL is off -19.5% to 9.632 in June and -48.7% to 37.268 in 2020 while methane is down -11.2% to 3.152 this month and -19.2% to 13.634 YTD. Again quite encouragingly, all these market share losses are to the benefit for green vehicles: HEV is up 74.5% to 16.039 and 12% share vs. 5.3% in June and up 12.6% to 62.703 and 10.7% share vs. 5.1% YTD, PHEV is up a whopping 315.4% to 1.645 in June and +132% to 5.796 so far in 2020 while EV is up 53.2% to 2.228 for the month, up 17.7% to 9.949 YTD.

Brand-wise, Fiat (-20.1%) outpaces its home market just enough to remain at a passable 14% share vs. 15.4% so far in 2020, Volkswagen (-29.2%) is anchored in 2nd place despite a portly drop while Renault (-26.9%) is up two spots on May to #3 even though it falls faster than the market. Toyota (-1.7%) and Ford (-9.7%) manage the only single-digit drops in the Top 10 (and Top 17), ranking #5 and #4 respectively. It is only the third time in the past decade that Toyota manages to break into the Italian Top 5 after September 2018 (#5) and October 2019 (#5). Audi (-11.9%), Peugeot (-16.5%) and Citroen (-22.4%) also manage to keep their decline below the market rate in the remainder of the Top 10 just as Dacia (-24.9%) is slightly above but Jeep (-36.2%) tumbles down. Below, Great Wall (+2150%), Ferrari (+57.4%), Mahindra (+22.2%), Volvo (+12.8%), Porsche (+9.1%), Mazda (+1.2%) and Seat (+0.2%) stand out with the only gains in market.

Fiat 500 sales are boosted up 35.2% by the new mild hybrid variant.

The Fiat Panda (-19.5%) has no trouble keeping the lead of the models ranking, propped ever slightly more up by its new hybrid variant already ranking 4th in its segment with 1.117 sales for the month and accounting for 12% of the nameplate June volume. The Renault Clio (-21.1%) rallies back up 7 spots on May to land in 2nd place which, combined with a distant pole position in France and Spain as well as a particularly weak German market (-40%) should bode well for another European pole position in June. The Lancia Ypsilon (-19.3%) remains at #3 above the Dacia Sandero (-11.2%) and Renault Captur (-15.7%) both in solid shape given the context. The only two Top 10 gainers are the Fiat 500 (+35.2%) boosted by its new hybrid variant representing 29% of its June volume and 35% YTD the Toyota Yaris (+3.9%), while the Fiat 500X (-4.7%) also slims down its fall at #6.

Below, the Opel Corsa (+63.3%), BMW X1 (+27.3%), Audi A3 (+18.9%), Suzuki Ignis (+15.8%), Toyota Aygo (+12.7%), Audi Q3 (+12.6%), Opel Grandland X (#39), Volvo XC40 (#40) and Mini Countryman (#43) also shine. In the hybrid model charts, The Toyota Yaris (+10.5%) reclaims the top spot off the Ford Puma (1.452) but the latter solidly keeps the YTD lead at 6.492 units vs. 5.854. The Toyota C-HR (-3.1%) follows ahead of the Fiat Panda (new), Suzuki Ignis (+137.5%), Swift (+119.3%), Toyota RAV4 (-2%), Fiat 500 (new), Toyota Corolla (-36,8%) and Suzuki Vitara (new). The Tesla Model 3 (-15.2%) is the most popular EV in June despite a significant year-on-year drop, ahead of the Renault Zoe (-10.5%), Smart Fortwo (+39.8%), VW Up (new), Peugeot 2008 (new), 208 (new), Opel Corsa (new), Nissan Leaf (-12.4%), Hyundai Kona (-27.7%) and Smart Forfour (-50%).

Previous month: Italy May 2020: Registrations bounce back to -49.4%, VW T-Roc up to record 2nd place

One year ago: Italy June 2019: Fiat falls to lowest ever share (13.5%), Dacia surges, Jeep Renegade up to record #2

Full June 2020 Top 45 All-brands and Top 50 models below.