Europe’s new car market continues to decline
According to the latest analysis from JATO Dynamics, the world’s leading provider of automotive intelligence.
The European new car market experienced no respite from the challenging economic climate last month, according to figures just released by JATO Dynamics.
Overall, the market was down 7.3% on the same period last year and May superseded April with the greatest drop in month-on-month sales so far this year.
The impact of economic uncertainty on new car sales can still be seen in key European markets such as Germany, Italy, France and Spain. However Great Britain, saw an increase in new car registrations up 7.9% in May, driven by a notable increase in private new vehicle sales.
Amongst the top ten brands by volume, Renault, Peugeot and Citroen suffered the largest fall in sales during May, down 15.6%, 17.3% and 19.8%, respectively. The significant decline in the sales volume of these French brands can be attributed in large part to their heavy exposure in Southern Europe, which has been hit hardest by the European economic crisis. Volkswagen remains Europe’s top brand and ahead of Ford despite a decrease in sales last month.
Audi is the only brand to record an increase in sales within the top ten brands in Europe, up 4.5% in May and 4.4% YtD, thanks to the new Q3 model and improved A6. Mercedes recorded a slight decrease in sales in May, down 0.5%, but models such as the new A-Class and new B-Class had strong local sales in Germany.
Outside the top ten brands, Land Rover continues to perform well with sales increasing by 54.7% in May helped by the continued success of the Range Rover Evoque. Kia also recorded a 22.9% sales increase during the same period boosted by strong sales of the Rio last month.
Despite a significant reduction in May sales, Volkswagen’s Golf, down 13.5%, and Ford’s Fiesta, down 12.4%, retain first and second place in the top ten models sold in Europe.
New to the top ten models list this year, Renault’s Megane is the only model to see an increase in sales last month, up 2.6%, fuelled by strong sales in France, Spain and the Netherlands. Achieving 21,817 sales in May, Megane claimed seventh place ahead of the Renault Clio, Fiat Panda and Volkswagen Passat.
Outside the top ten, Toyota Yaris, Audi A6 and Mercedes B-Class recorded significant increases in sales during May. New models such as the Volkswagen Up, Audi Q3 and Peugeot 208 also had solid sales last month.