Germany October 2023: Fiat 500 best-seller overall

The Fiat 500 is the most popular vehicle in Germany in October.

The German new car market advances 5.1% year-on-year in October to 218,959 sales, still significantly below the growth rate it has shown for the most part of this year. Indeed the year-to-date volume is up 13.7% to 2,357,025. Volkswagen (-15.4%) is hit hard and endures the only year-on-year drop among the Top 7 brands. At 15.9% share, it is way below the 18.1% it commands year-to-date and records its lowest share since November 2021 (14.9%). The Top 8 brands are in the same order as YTD. Mercedes (+3.8%) is pushy at #2 and 10.1% share, distancing Audi (+19.6%), BMW (+20.2%), Skoda (+20.8%) and Opel (+16.2%), all sporting splendid upticks. Ford (-25.7%) is the worst performer in the Top 35 (!) but still manages to hold onto the 7th place. Fiat (+22.6%) and Kia (+16.7%) close the Top 10 in formidable fashion. Note also Tesla up a moderate 5.3% at #19, NIO (+896.6%) up 9 spots on September to #35 and the arrival of Fisker at #43.

We have a thunderbolt atop the models charts: the Fiat 500 (+18%) snaps its first ever pole position in Germany. Its previous record was #2 achieved in November 2022. The EV variant accounts for 33% of its October volume. This is the second time in the past 13 months that a foreign model is the best-selling vehicle in the country after the Tesla Model Y finished first in September 2022. This is a major development given the 500 design is now 16 years-old! Its year-on-year evolution is not even that spectacular, showing how fragmented the German ranking is. Four Volkwagens follow: the Golf (-30.4%) returns to hell, the Passat (+37.4%) surges up, and the T-Roc (-16.2%) and Tiguan (-31.5%) sink. Reversely the Mercedes GLC (+312.8%) posts another spectacular gain to end the month at #6 vs. #16 year-to-date. The Opel Corsa (+35.7%) and VW Polo (+57.7%) also beat the market in the remainder of the Top 10.

Previous post: Germany private sales September 2023: Tesla Model Y back to #1

Previous month: Germany September 2023: Incentives end send BEV down -35%

One year ago: Germany October 2022: VW, Audi, Skoda help lift market up 16.6%, Cupra above Seat, Fiat 500 hits record

Full October 2023 Top 60 All brands and Top 340 All models below.