New Caledonia (France) August 2020: FAW Bestune X40 inside Top 20 in market up 4.6%

The FAW Bestune X40 breaks into the New Caledonian Top 20.

New car sales in New Caledonia, a French Overseas archipelago located north-east of Australia, mark a fourth consecutive month of year-on-year gains in August at +4.6% to 728 units, leading to a year-to-date tally up 4.2% to 5.114. Toyota soars 12% to 15.4% share, keeping Dacia (-14.1%) at bay with Peugeot (-10%) and Hyundai (-12.1%) also performing poorly just below. Renault (+28.2%) is down one spot on July to #5 but surges year-on-year, yet it’s Nissan (+81%) and Mitsubishi (+41.7%) that score the largest gains in the Top 12, with Kia (+23.3%) and Suzuki (+13.6%) also strong. Below, Chevrolet (+162.5%), Ram (+46.2%) and Isuzu (+15.4%) also shine. Two Chinese carmakers slide into the Top 20 this month: MG at #17 with 2.1% share and FAW at a record #19 with 1.8% share – a brand that is not sold in metropolitan France.

Over in the models ranking, the Dacia Duster (-5.2%) easily keeps the lead at 7.6% share vs. 4.8% for the Toyota Hilux (+25%) up two spots on last month to #2. The Peugeot 208 (-3.4%) rallies back up 14 ranks on July to return to the #3 spot it holds year-to-date, distancing the Renault Clio (+115.4%), Toyota RAV4 (+108.3%) and a little further down the Nissan Navara (+171.4%) all posting spectacular gains. The Ram 1500 (+46.2%) is up to #8, breaking a ranking record set in July 2018 (#9) with the Toyota C-HR (+63.6%) also impressive at #9. Launched in June when it sold one unit, the FAW Bestune X40 brilliantly breaks into the August Top 20 at #16 with 13 sales. The MG ZS (#20) and Nissan Juke (#21) also impress.

Previous month: New Caledonia (France) July 2020: Dacia Duster and Toyota RAV4 top market up 43.8%

One year ago: New Caledonia (France) August-September 2019: Toyota (+25.2%) holds 23.8% share, places Hilux #1, C-HR #4 and Rush #15

Full August 2020 Top 32 All-brands and Top 30 models below.