According to the latest analysis from JATO Dynamics, the leading provider of automotive intelligence, demand for new cars continues to grow in Europe, with year-on-year sales increasing for an eighth consecutive month.
21 May 2014 | 4027 Views | By Autocar Pro News Desk
According to the latest analysis from JATO Dynamics, the leading provider of automotive intelligence, demand for new cars continues to grow in Europe, with year-on-year sales increasing for an eighth consecutive month. At the end of April 2014, volumes were up 4.2 percent on 2013, and year-to-date volumes were 6.6 ...
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According to the latest analysis from JATO Dynamics, the leading provider of automotive intelligence, demand for new cars continues to grow in Europe, with year-on-year sales increasing for an eighth consecutive month. At the end of April 2014, volumes were up 4.2 percent on 2013, and year-to-date volumes were 6.6 percent higher than the same period last year.
Overall, nine of the top 10 brands recorded year-on-year (YoY) sales increases for April, Renault has mounted a strong recovery in 2014 with year-to-date sales 10.6 percent higher than last year, and there is strong demand for the two best-selling cars in Europe this year – the Volkswagen Golf and the Ford Fiesta – resulting in double-digit year-to-date growth for both models
Of the 30 European countries analysed, 21 recorded a YoY increase in new car sales for April. In over half these countries (11 in total) growth was in excess of 10 percent. Among the ‘Big 5’ markets, performance was particularly strong in Spain (+29.4%) and Great Britain (+8.2%). At first glance the 3.6 percent decrease seen in Germany seems surprising; however a contributing factor could be the fewer sales days available during April (due to a number of bank holidays) rather than any underlying fall in demand. Germany was the only ‘Big 5’ market that failed to record sales growth for April as volumes grew in both France (+5.8%) and Italy (+2.1%).
Year-to-date performance across Europe was even more impressive, with 25 out of 30 markets growing over the first four months of 2014 compared to the same period last year. Of these countries, 14 have seen double-digit growth in sales so far this year. With close to flat growth recorded in Austria and Belgium, only three countries have seen a significant reduction in year-to-date sales compared to 2013. One of those countries, the Netherlands, has been affected by a tax change at the start of the year that shifted sales to late 2013. With this taken into account, Serbia and Switzerland are the only markets where underlying demand has fallen so far this year.
European monthly sales volumes YoY comparison
Volkswagen retains its position as the top European brand despite a 0.6 percent fall in YoY sales for April. Meanwhile, the other brands in the top 10 increased their YoY sales for the month. Second-placed Ford and third-placed Renault both posted impressive sales increases of 7.6 percent and 9.0 percent respectively, with Opel/Vauxhall (+6.8%) dropping to fourth place as a result. Strong sales of the Renault Captur have helped Renault’s sales recover in 2014, with year-to-date sales growth of 10.6 percent across its range. Volumes for all the top 10 brands have seen year-to-date growth for the first four months of 2014.
Outside of the top 10 brands, Dacia (+32.2%) and Skoda (+22.0%) continued their strong performance with impressive year-on-year growth. Nissan and Mazda also saw strong growth with year-on-year increases of 21.1 percent and 20.4 percent respectively.
Top 10 Brands
The Volkswagen Golf maintained its sizeable lead as the best-selling car in Europe thanks to YoY growth of 15.3 percent for April. The Ford Fiesta posted an even bigger increase of 21.2 percent, helping it hold on to second place, while the Renault Clio, Volkswagen Polo and Opel/Vauxhall Corsa complete the top five. The Skoda Octavia recorded a large YoY increase of 45.1 percent to claim 10th spot in the top 10, replacing the Fiat 500.
Overall, six of the top 10 models have recorded positive growth for April and year-to-date. Year-to-date performance has been particularly strong for the Skoda Octavia (+39.7%) and the Audi A3/S3/RS3 series (+37.8%).
Peugeot’s new 2008 was one of the top performers outside the top 10. Having only recently been introduced, consumers appear to be choosing it over the 208, which would explain the 18.8 percent fall in sales for this model compared to April 2013. The Citroen C3, Seat Leon and Fiat 500L were among the other models that recorded strong growth for the month.
Top 10 Models
Gareth Hession, vice-president of research at JATO Dynamics, commented: “April was another strong month for the European car market, building on the great start made in the first quarter. Four months into the year and almost half of the 30 countries we analyse are showing double-digit growth for the year. With the German market expected to bounce back after its Easter lull, we think this positive performance will continue for the rest of the second quarter.”
Source: JATO Dynamics