•2012 European new car sales were down 7.9 percent (over a million units less) compared to 2011.
• Volkswagen’s Golf is Europe’s best-selling car in 2012; fourth year in a row despite a decrease in sales during 2012.
• All the ‘Big Five’ European markets, apart from Great Britain, ended 2012 with a reduction in sales compared to 2011.
According to the latest new car sales analysis from JATO Dynamics, the world’s leading provider of automotive intelligence, the Volkswagen Golf continues to be Europe’s best-selling car, despite a sharp drop of 11.1 percent in 2012 sales compared to 2011. Even with a 12.7 percent drop, the Ford Fiesta overtakes the Volkswagen Polo for second place in 2012, while the Volkswagen Polo comes in third, with sales down 19.8 percent.
JATO’s key analysis of the market:
• Great Britain was the only ‘Big Five’ market to experience growth in 2012 with sales increasing 5.3 percent.
• Despite a 4.4 percent decrease in 2012 sales, Volkswagen remains Europe’s most popular brand.
• Audi and Mercedes were the only brands in the Top 10 to end 2012 with increased sales, up 3.4 percent and 0.6 percent respectively
December proved to be a difficult month for the German market as sales fell by over 40,000 units, down 16.4 percent compared to December 2011. This was attributed to fewer working days in December compared to 2011, meaning Germany ended the year with a decrease of 2.9 percent.
Out of the other ‘Big Five’ European markets, only Great Britain saw consistent growth over the course of 2012 courtesy of the increase in private sales. France, Italy and Spain all experienced significant fall in sales, ending the year with decreases of 13.9 percent, 19.8 percent and 13.3 percent respectively.
Greece and Portugal continue to feel the effects of ongoing economic challenges with sales down 40.2 percent and 34.3 percent.
Among the top 10 brands, only premium German brands Audi and Mercedes ended 2012 with no decrease in sales. This positive performance is primarily due to new and refreshed models such as the new Audi A3, Q3, A6 and the Mercedes B-class and M-class.
The overall German market decrease in December affected the European totals last month for other German brands, with Volkswagen and Opel/Vauxhall down 18.8 percent and 25.8 percent respectively.
Commenting on the findings, Gareth Hession, vice-president, Research at JATO, said: “Despite the challenging economic conditions across Europe and at home, there is clearly still appetite for new offerings from premium German brands. Other brands are also benefiting from new products such as Hyundai and Kia for example, where their latest vehicles show that consumers continue to look for innovation as well as value for money.”
Following the launch of the new Peugeot 208 in 2012, it finished the year with sales of over 155,000 units. Renault’s new fourth-generation Clio has also been well received, with the model claiming third place for December 2012 and increasing its share of the market.
The BMW 3-Series has also performed very well last month with sales up 20.9 percent compared to last year. It ended the year with a sales increase of 8.4 percent.
Hession commented: “The Peugeot 208 has been climbing steadily up the sales chart since its launch earlier in 2012, claiming second place for the month behind the Golf is a very strong performance, demonstrating PSA’s ability to deliver a highly competitive and desirable product.”