Figures released by JATO show that some of Europe’s premium brands are faring relatively well in Europe’s depressed car market.
JATO’s figures show that the European car market declined by 8.4% in August (to 726,562 units), and 6.9% (to stand at just over 8.6m) in the first eight months.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Spain recorded the largest rise in sales out of the ‘Big Five’ markets, ahead of the Spanish VAT increase in September.
In the list of sales by brand, Audi claims second place for the month behind Volkswagen and was up 8.7% in the month of August. JATO said that the Audi gains for the month followed a good performance in Germany with increased sales of the A4, A1 and Q3 models. JATO noted that the Audi growth ‘further demonstrates the challenges facing the non-premium manufacturers’. Mercedes was the only other brand in the top ten to increase sales for the month.
Peugeot’s new 208 continues to perform well as it climbed into the top three behind Volkswagen’s Golf and Polo models
Just outside the top ten, Skoda, Kia, Dacia and Honda recorded increased sales for August. Honda has been particularly successful in Great Britain following its recent announcement to make further manufacturing investment in the market.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataThe Volkswagen Golf continues to be Europe’s best-selling car, despite sales falling by 12.9% compared to August 2011. The Volkswagen Polo is second despite a 22.3% fall in August sales, while Peugeot’s new 208 has climbed to third place in the sales charts, ahead of rivals Ford Fiesta, Opel/Vauxhall Corsa and Renault Clio. Combined sales of 207 and 208 exceed those of the second placed Volkswagen Polo in August, and would achieve fifth place for the Year-to-Date.
The recently revamped Audi A4 came in at tenth position for the month and was the only one of the remaining top ten models to record an increase in sales, of 4.3% over August 2011.
Outside the top ten it was new or recently revised models, such as the Toyota Yaris, Mercedes-Benz B-Class, Volkswagen Tiguan, Fiat Panda, Volkswagen Up and BMW 1-Series that saw improved sales compared to August 2011.
Commenting on the findings, Gareth Hession, Vice President, Research at JATO said: “August has been another tough month for the European new car market. Economic conditions, holiday periods and the expected slow month in the UK ahead of September’s registration plate change have conspired to depress sales across the region. Against this background the 208’s performance is impressive.”
Sales by Market
| Country | Aug_12 | Aug_11 | % Change Aug | Aug YtD_12 | Aug YtD_11 | % Change YtD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 24570 | 25884 | -5.1% | 239797 | 242784 | -1.2% |
| Belgium | 31256 | 37788 | -17.3% | 353073 | 399119 | -11.5% |
| Croatia | 1714 | 2807 | -38.9% | 24652 | 29656 | -16.9% |
| Cyprus | 691 | 900 | -23.2% | 7363 | 9024 | -18.4% |
| Czech Republic | 13092 | 14105 | -7.2% | 118435 | 114507 | +3.4% |
| Denmark | 13557 | 12495 | +8.5% | 114460 | 113264 | +1.1% |
| Estonia | 1518 | 1427 | +6.4% | 13643 | 11181 | +22.0% |
| Finland | 7545 | 10037 | -24.8% | 80851 | 89919 | -10.1% |
| France | 96067 | 108462 | -11.4% | 1293984 | 1493745 | -13.4% |
| Germany | 226455 | 237561 | -4.7% | 2108716 | 2121047 | -0.6% |
| Great Britain | 59433 | 59346 | +0.1% | 1260997 | 1220618 | +3.3% |
| Greece-Regional | 3872 | 7286 | -46.9% | 41938 | 72382 | -42.1% |
| Hungary | 3588 | 3469 | +3.4% | 36060 | 30519 | +18.2% |
| Iceland | 473 | 299 | +58.2% | 5901 | 3799 | +55.3% |
| Ireland | 3098 | 3237 | -4.3% | 74163 | 84409 | -12.1% |
| Italy | 56868 | 71132 | -20.1% | 981910 | 1229853 | -20.2% |
| Latvia | 894 | 856 | +4.4% | 7251 | 6851 | +5.8% |
| Lithuania | 952 | 1075 | -11.4% | 8197 | 8770 | -6.5% |
| Luxembourg* | 3283 | 3018 | +8.8% | 36134 | 36143 | 0% |
| Norway | 11932 | 11558 | +3.2% | 94326 | 92352 | +2.1% |
| Poland | 18005 | 19514 | -7.7% | 187495 | 179191 | +4.6% |
| Portugal* | 7120 | 8136 | -12.5% | 69780 | 114317 | -39% |
| Romania | 5044 | 8747 | -42.3% | 44392 | 49004 | -9.4% |
| Serbia* | 1767 | 2045 | -13.6% | 15503 | 20977 | -26.1% |
| Slovakia | 5951 | 5198 | +14.5% | 46541 | 45005 | +3.4% |
| Slovenia | 3072 | 4170 | -26.3% | 35504 | 41855 | -15.2% |
| Spain | 48820 | 47134 | +3.6% | 509546 | 568659 | -10.4% |
| Sweden | 21065 | 24368 | -13.6% | 181772 | 201031 | -9.6% |
| Switzerland | 21653 | 21741 | -0.4% | 222521 | 205435 | +8.3% |
| The Netherlands | 33207 | 39062 | -15% | 395700 | 409469 | -3.4% |
| Grand Total | 726562 | 792857 | -8.4% | 8610605 | 9244885 | -6.9% |
Top 10 Brands
| Make | Aug_12 | Aug_11 | % Change Aug | Aug YtD_12 | Aug YtD_11 | % Change YtD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VOLKSWAGEN | 104253 | 108605 | -4% | 1113577 | 1135354 | -1.9% |
| AUDI | 47507 | 43724 | +8.7% | 484937 | 458437 | +5.8% |
| PEUGEOT | 46466 | 50441 | -7.9% | 552337 | 645850 | -14.5% |
| FORD | 44592 | 62471 | -28.6% | 653954 | 745056 | -12.2% |
| OPEL/VAUXHALL | 43787 | 53915 | -18.8% | 575682 | 679969 | -15.3% |
| RENAULT | 43497 | 55535 | -21.7% | 567018 | 705048 | -19.6% |
| MERCEDES | 37198 | 37171 | +0.1% | 398612 | 390940 | +2.0% |
| BMW | 35759 | 40318 | -11.3% | 415877 | 426950 | -2.6% |
| CITROEN | 35631 | 43070 | -17.3% | 474608 | 540631 | -12.2% |
| TOYOTA | 31941 | 32682 | -2.3% | 353195 | 357236 | -1.1% |
Top 10 Models – August
| Make & Model | Aug_12 | Aug_11 | % Change Aug |
|---|---|---|---|
| VOLKSWAGEN GOLF | 29056 | 33363 | -12.9% |
| VOLKSWAGEN POLO | 16996 | 21883 | -22.3% |
| PEUGEOT 208 | 14721 | 0 | – |
| OPEL/VAUXHALL CORSA | 13198 | 16800 | -21.4% |
| FORD FIESTA | 12980 | 17732 | -26.8% |
| RENAULT CLIO | 12959 | 15346 | -15.6% |
| OPEL/VAUXHALL ASTRA | 12742 | 17065 | -25.3% |
| VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT | 11727 | 15476 | -24.2% |
| RENAULT MEGANE | 11714 | 13134 | -10.8% |
| AUDI A4/S4/RS4 | 11226 | 10767 | +4.3% |
Top 10 Models YtD
| Make & Model | Aug YtD_12 | Aug YtD_11 | % Change YtD |
|---|---|---|---|
| VOLKSWAGEN GOLF | 301575 | 327740 | -8% |
| FORD FIESTA | 206614 | 239033 | -13.6% |
| VOLKSWAGEN POLO | 204207 | 242845 | -15.9% |
| OPEL/VAUXHALL CORSA | 180427 | 210739 | -14.4% |
| FORD FOCUS | 166060 | 193582 | -14.2% |
| OPEL/VAUXHALL ASTRA | 160715 | 203741 | -21.1% |
| RENAULT CLIO | 160039 | 200543 | -20.2% |
| NISSAN QASHQAI | 142145 | 142585 | -0.3% |
| RENAULT MEGANE | 138808 | 162394 | -14.5% |
| VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT | 135347 | 156235 | -13.4% |
