Europe posts third consecutive month of growth in new car sales

December 18, 2013: According to the latest new car sales analysis from leading provider of automotive intelligence, JATO Dynamics, sales of new cars in Europe have increased for a third consecutive month, with 18 of the 30 markets included achieving growth in November 2013. A third month of consecutive growth has reduced the year-to-date deficit to 2.7%, the smallest amount seen so far this year. Great Britain posted the largest year-to-date increase in Europe, with registrations up 9.9% compared with 2012. Monthly sales in Greece rose by 31.3% to reduce their year-to-date deficit to just 0.4%. Following last month’s trend, Spain posted the largest increase for the month out of the ‘Big Five’, with new car volumes up by 12.6% in November. The increase is in part the result of customers taking advantage of government incentives, but also reflects lower sales volumes during this period in 2012 which were dampened by a VAT increase. Out of the ‘Big Five’, Great Britain was the only other country to post an increase for the month, up 7.0%, and the year-to-date, up 9.9%, the largest increase in Europe. Italy, Germany and France, however, were all down for both monthly and year-to-date new car volumes, with Italy the most significant; down 4.7% in November and 7.8% year-to-date. The Netherlands had another strong month, with November sales increasing by 34.8% on last year, helping to reduce the year-to-date deficit to 21.2%, as company car drivers continue to place orders ahead of taxation changes planned for January 2014.

Within the monthly top 10 brands, Skoda posted the largest monthly increase of 19.1%, as well as growth of 2.4% for the year-to-date. Both the Octavia and Rapid have performed well since their introduction and continue to increase sales volumes. Volkswagen continues to dominate the top 10 with a clear advantage over the next closest brand. Also up in November is third place Renault, with an increase of 3.9% for the month, and fifth place Peugeot with a 2.1% monthly increase. The other brands posting increases for the year-to-date were BMW, which finished the month in seventh with a 0.3% increase, and was closely followed by Mercedes in eighth with a 4.6% increase.

With a clear lead over the market, the Volkswagen Golf retains the title of best-selling car in Europe, with a 65.6% advantage over the next best-selling model, the Ford Fiesta. That said, the top 10 models table continues to be dominated by the high-volume-selling B-segment models, with half of the top 10 belonging to the B-segment. Out of the five, the Ford Fiesta ranked highest in second place with 25,807 units sold or registered in November, a 2.2% increase year-on-year. It was followed closely by the Volkswagen Polo in third and the Renault Clio in fourth. Outside of the top 10, both the Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008 have made impressive progress since coming to market in 2013, selling 73,196 units and 50,832 units year-to-date respectively. Gareth Hession, vice-president of research at JATO Dynamics, commented: “With only one month left in 2013, sales remain strong, with the European new car market increasing monthly volumes for the third consecutive month. Skoda has capitalised on this, posting an increase of 19.1% for the month, driven by the successful introduction of the Rapid and Octavia.”