June car sales in Europe were up 4.3% to leave sales for the first half of the year up 5.8% over last year according to data released by JATO Dynamics.

JATO said that sales growth of 4.3% in June means that year-on-year sales increased for the tenth consecutive month in the region.

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Overall, 24 of the 30 countries analysed recorded year-to-date increases in volumes compared to the same period last year, including Europe’s five largest markets France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.

With growth of 18.8%, Spain was particularly strong during the first half of the year following the re-introducon of government incentives, after very low sales a year ago. Great Britain also performed well with year-to-date growth of 10.6%. Over 120,000 more new cars were sold in Great Britain in the first half of 2014 compared to the same period last year, representing the largest increase in volumes in Europe.

Fewer available selling days in June contributed to a slight dip in sales volumes in Germany during June (-1.9%). However over the first half of 2014 this market grew by 2.4%. Italy recorded year-to-date growth of 3.4%, and France 2.9%.

Seven of the top 10 brands saw increases in their sales in June and all ten saw increases for the year-to-date. The two best-selling brands in Europe so far this year – Volkswagen and Ford – have both been affected by the slowdown in the Netherlands, where the former is the market leader.

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Volkswagen’s sales fell 3.1% in June compared to the same month last year, while its year-to-date growth of 1.9% is below the market average. Ford’s H1 2014 sales have grown in line with the market (up 5.5% YtD) despite a slight fall in June (-1.2%).

JATO noted that it has been a good year so far for third placed Opel/Vauxhall (up 8.3% in the first half and 11.7% for June), with strong demand for the new Mokka small crossover and the revised, lower-CO2 Insignia model. Renault‘s year-to-date growth of 13.5% helps close the gap on the top three. Its performance is further boosted by a strong June that saw new car sales rise by 20.8%. It was also a good month for BMW, which recorded a 7.8% rise in volumes.

Outside the top 10, Skoda (+12.6%), Seat (12.7%), Volvo (+15.0%) and Mazda (+12.9%) all recorded double-digit growth during June. Dacia is one of the fastest growing low-cost volume brands of 2014 with sales up 35.3% for the year-to-date and 32.4% for June.

Volkswagen’s Golf remains Europe’s top selling model thanks to impressive year-to-date growth of 14.2%. In contrast to the lower overall sales growth for the Volkswagen brand, the strong performance of the Golf in 2014 has resulted in it gaining market share.

Renault’s Clio is the second best-selling model in June following a 12.3% rise in sales compared to 2013; however the Ford Fiesta is the second best-selling model of 2014, recording growth of 9.3% for the first half of the year. The Opel/Vauxhall Corsa (up 3.5% for June and 1.5% YtD) and the Volkswagen Polo (down 14.5% for June and 1.5% YtD) complete the top five.

In June the Renault Captur (+116.0%) becomes the first small crossover to enter JATO’s top 10 models by sales volume. This breakthrough, JATO noted, demonstrates how small crossovers have joined medium crossovers such as Nissan’s Qashqai, also in the top 10, as a mainstream choice for consumers.

Fiat’s 500 just misses out on the top 10, but nonetheless has performed well in 2014 so far. Sales were up 22.7% in June and 15.6% for the year-to-date. The other models recording strong double-digit growth for the first half of the year are the Skoda Octavia (+42.1%), Dacia Sandero (+35.7%) and the Audi A3/S3/RS3 (+30.4%).

Gareth Hession, Vice President of Research at JATO Dynamics, commented: “Overall it has been a very positive first half of the year for the European new car market. Year-to-date growth of 5.8% and ten consecutive months of sales increases are fantastic achievements in the current economic climate. These trends suggest that the industry has every chance of extending this level of performance for the remainder of 2014.”

See also: UK: Car sales in Western Europe up 3.9% in June

Sales by Market
Country Jun_14 Jun_13 % change Jun Jun YtD_14 Jun YtD_13 % change YtD
Austria 29100 31279 -7.00% 166607 171204 -2.70%
Belgium 43018 43158 -0.30% 287824 289873 -0.70%
Croatia 4170 3215 29.70% 20854 15384 35.60%
Cyprus 696 475 46.50% 4024 3151 27.70%
Czech Republic 18171 14482 25.50% 94058 80815 16.40%
Denmark 17546 17544 0.00% 98727 91920 7.40%
Estonia 1894 1702 11.30% 10669 10348 3.10%
Finland 9211 8820 4.40% 59090 56460 4.70%
France 196233 191355 2.50% 958752 931476 2.90%
Germany 277614 282913 -1.90% 1538268 1502630 2.40%
Great Britain 228291 214957 6.20% 1287265 1163623 10.60%
Greece 7958 5641 41.10% 37239 30335 22.80%
Hungary 6278 5020 25.10% 33251 27353 21.60%
Iceland* 824 1468 -43.90% 3893 4803 -18.90%
Ireland 1690 1669 1.30% 65721 53225 23.50%
Italy 128297 123486 3.90% 761371 736486 3.40%
Latvia 1122 1027 9.30% 6160 5137 19.90%
Lithuania 1223 1121 9.10% 7335 6014 22.00%
Luxembourg 4416 4320 2.20% 27145 26409 2.80%
Norway 11698 11240 4.10% 73490 71725 2.50%
Poland 25535 25293 1.00% 152998 147583 3.70%
Portugal 15734 12742 23.50% 75802 55064 37.70%
Romania 6947 3967 75.10% 31225 24549 27.20%
Serbia* 1925 2054 -6.30% 9695 10592 -8.50%
Slovakia 6897 5807 18.80% 34789 31683 9.80%
Slovenia 4826 5845 -17.40% 28238 28161 0.30%
Spain 91534 73620 24.30% 462206 389122 18.80%
Sweden 28749 22869 25.70% 151747 128900 17.70%
Switzerland 27309 28769 -5.10% 148543 155993 -4.80%
The Netherlands 33457 35435 -5.60% 201989 212737 -5.10%
Grand Total 1232363 1181293 4.30% 6838975 6462755 5.80%
NOTE: *denotes estimated data included for June ‘14
Top 10 Brands
Make Jun_14 Jun_13 % change Jun Jun YtD_14 Jun YtD_13 % change YtD
VOLKSWAGEN 141278 145758 -3.10% 825041 809677 1.90%
RENAULT 105394 87268 20.80% 468248 412384 13.50%
OPEL/VAUXHALL 93235 83494 11.70% 472312 436037 8.30%
FORD 91474 92608 -1.20% 514943 488208 5.50%
PEUGEOT 75057 72649 3.30% 422155 394074 7.10%
BMW 64396 59744 7.80% 345515 328048 5.30%
AUDI 64392 63580 1.30% 383675 364601 5.20%
MERCEDES 60032 59455 1.00% 334112 323148 3.40%
CITROEN 59963 62496 -4.10% 333666 325355 2.60%
FIAT 57495 54807 4.90% 324002 319124 1.50%
Top 10 Models
Make & Model Jun_14 Jun_13 % change Jun Jun YtD_14 Jun YtD_13 % change YtD
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 43960 40883 7.50% 270462 236902 14.20%
RENAULT CLIO 34606 30806 12.30% 162558 154359 5.30%
FORD FIESTA 27523 25909 6.20% 167941 153715 9.30%
OPEL/VAUXHALL CORSA 26935 26035 3.50% 133729 131785 1.50%
VOLKSWAGEN POLO 22531 26361 -14.50% 140539 142701 -1.50%
FORD FOCUS 21712 22382 -3.00% 121570 122661 -0.90%
RENAULT CAPTUR 20893 9673 116.00% 87410 19178 355.80%
PEUGEOT 208 19373 22774 -14.90% 119686 136774 -12.50%
NISSAN QASHQAI 19271 18364 4.90% 110474 113726 -2.90%
OPEL/VAUXHALL ASTRA 19063 19663 -3.10% 97336 104248 -6.60%

All data sourced from JATO Dynamics