Seat sales are up 5.4% in Europe in June, the largest gain in the Top 20. 07/08/2019 update: Now with the Top 55 brands and Top 350 models. 27/07/2019 update: Now with the Top 100 models. 26/07/2019 update: Now with actuals for the Top 25 brands and models. According to…
The new Arkana lifts Renault sales up 11.9% in Russia in July. The Russian new light vehicle market is stuck in a negative rut, July marking the 5th year-on-year decline in the past 6 months. Both this month's deliveries (139.968) and the year-to-date volume (968.718) are down -2.4%. Homegrown brand…
The Hyundai Kona is the best-selling new car in Saudi Arabia over the period. As we described at length in our latest Saudi Arabia update, the arrival of women on the Saudi new car market has kicked sales into gear after years of deep decline. H1 2019 volumes are up…
Honda posts the largest year-on-year gain in the Top 13. A last minute sales rush in June to clear out non-compliant vehicles ahead of the implementation of Stage 6 emissions standards means the Chinese retail market is actually up 4.6% over H1 2019 to 10.630.614 units. It has been a…
Roewe retail sales more than double year-on-year in June. There is now a May 2019 Retail sales article here. Up 41.7% year-on-year, retail sales in China this month offer us the starkest possible contrast with wholesales figures, down -9.6%. Before Stage 6 emissions standards come into place in two-thirds of…
The Chery eQ1 hits a new volume record just under 9.000 sales. There is now a New Energy May 2019 article here. After hitting the brakes in May (-1.7%), the New Energy market in China is back with a vengeance, up 184.8% in June to an all-time record 211.378 units,…
Honda manages to swim upstream in China, and the facelifted XR-V will continue the trend in H2. It's a Semester to forget for new light vehicle wholesales in China, down a ghastly -12.4% year-on-year over the First Half of 2019 to 12.323.000 units. This cancels four years of growth, represents…
The new Aion S EV helps GAC sales up 28% in a market down -9.6%. The loop is looped: with a -9.6% year-on-year decline in June, the Chinese wholesales market has now been down for a full year or 12 consecutive months, something that hadn't happened in at least 30…
Geely Binyue in Kunming, Yunnan. One year ago I tested the Geely Boyue and was thoroughly impressed by its almost rally car-like handling thanks to particularly brazen sales people. I did not expect that from the "soccer mum SUV" the Boyue is. Since, Geely has released the smaller Binyue to…
Swan song for Ford in Russia as the Kuga scores its first (and last?) Top 25 finish. New light vehicle sales in Russia endure a 4th year-on-year drop in the past 5 months in June at -3.3% to 151.180 units, leading to a First Half tally down -2.4% to 828.750.…
My rental Peugeot Pars near Mount Damavand, Tehran Province. Iran regularly makes headlines for all the wrong reasons - religious extremism, nuclear threats and thunderous ayatollahs - yet almost every visitor returns enchanted. The contrast is such that I felt I had to see it for myself to make up…
The lift of the ban on driver's licences for Saudi women has boosted new car sales spectacularly this year. Picture Saudi Information Ministry via AP. The time has finally come! After imploding 53.2% between 2015 and 2018, including a painful 23.4% last year, new light vehicle sales in Saudi Arabia have bottomed…
The new A-Class helps Mercedes retail sales up 14.3% in China in May. Just as wholesales continue to freefall (-16.4%), retail sales contain their decline to -4.4% in May to 1.710.251 units and -2.1% so far in 2019 to 8.420.323 (-2.1%). Keep in mind wholesales are factory shipments to dealerships and…
Proton hits its highest volume and share in almost 4 years at home. The Malaysia new vehicle market surges 41.4% year-on-year in May to 60.780 units, the result of sales held a year ago in the wake of a June 1 GST scrapping, with the year-to-date volume now up 12.7%…
The Lada 2101-2103 was the dominant force in the USSR in the seventies. The direct links to 32 USSR/Russia Historical posts are below. 24/06/2019 update: Monthly All-brands rankings are now available without interruption from January 2008 onwards. The start of a big scale overhaul of BSCB's Historical Data, sales figures…