JATO Announces Western Europe Car Market Grows in 2004

Full Year Figures

TROY, Mich., Jan. 25 -- With a total of 14,775,541 units registered for the full 12 months -- 1.64% higher than in 2003 -- the Western European passenger car market performed well in 2004, announces JATO Dynamics, the world's leading supplier of automotive industry and marketplace information. December was no exception with a total volume of 1,015,294 for the month, up 1.58% from December 2003.

The big story of 2004 was the emergence of the mini/midi-MPV segment as a serious mainstream contender in the market. Although the lower-medium segment showed some brand-led recovery in the final months of the year with an annual increase in registrations of 22.84%, there was no doubt that mini/midi-MPVs became a popular alternative in 2004.

A distinct shift in the higher priced segments also emerged in 2004, with customers choosing SUVs and premium lower-medium cars over the conventional upper-medium and executive categories.

Brand Performance

Renault remained the top brand in Western Europe, ahead of VW, Opel/Vauxhall, Ford, and Peugeot. Despite many of its products lying in declining segments, BMW performed strongly with registrations up 18.75% in December and 12.40% for the full year. In December the 3, 5, and 7-Series models all led their segments, the 1-Series came within a few units of leading its category, and the X3 was second in the SUV table.

Kia also played exceptionally well, up 156.40% for the month and 44.18% for the year, thanks to their outstanding sales of the Picanto.

  Make       Dec_04   Dec_03  Dec YtD_04  Dec YtD_03  Dec vs Dec  YtD vs YtD
  RENAULT    104,192  113,856   1,509,148   1,527,700    -8.49%      -1.21%
  VOLKSWAGEN 101,106  108,046   1,449,108   1,435,747    -6.42%       0.93%
  OPEL/
   VAUXHALL   87,378   92,651   1,327,923   1,341,520    -5.69%      -1.01%
  FORD        78,193   78,897   1,261,471   1,239,705    -0.89%       1.76%
  PEUGEOT     75,509   74,918   1,156,871   1,210,602     0.79%      -4.44%
  CITROEN     56,636   54,185     894,599     919,430     4.52%      -2.70%
  BMW         51,919   43,721     579,355     515,450    18.75%      12.40%
  TOYOTA      46,616   41,789     730,433     682,523    11.55%       7.02%
  FIAT        46,427   52,098     789,027     801,261   -10.89%      -1.53%
  MERCEDES    42,317   41,709     684,724     721,527     1.46%      -5.10%

Outside the top ten performing brands of 2004 include Smart (up 19.07%), Hyundai (up 18.75%) and Mazda (up 18.37%).

Top Models

The VW Golf led the market for the full year, finishing with strong sales (550,117 units up 10.70% on 2003) that countered initial early concerns about a lack of demand for the new model. The other top five sellers over the 12 months were the Peugeot 206, Peugeot 307, Renault Megane, and Ford Focus.

  Model      Dec_04   Dec_03  Dec YtD_04  Dec YtD_03  Dec vs Dec  YtD vs YtD
  GOLF        38,443   32,911    550,117    497,070       16.8%       10.7%
  FOCUS       30,793   26,942    402,080    442,634       14.3%       -9.2%
  206/206 SW  30,611   33,378    502,579    552,123       -8.3%       -9.0%
  ASTRA       27,466   19,530    360,906    345,907       40.6%        4.3%
  307/307 SW  27,438   29,861    449,833    452,467       -8.1%       -0.6%
  MEGANE      25,091   28,135    406,842    345,880      -10.8%       17.6%
  CLIO        23,817   29,721    377,400    463,548      -19.9%      -18.6%
  POLO        22,013   28,922    282,924    350,908      -23.9%      -19.4%
  CORSA       19,536   24,520    329,410    368,876      -20.3%      -10.7%
  SCENIC/GRAND
   SCENIC     19,455   24,804    307,762    256,744      -21.6%       19.9%

  Segment Highlight

Sales in the mini-segment were up 1.02% for the year and 3.97% for December as compared the same month in 2003. The Fiat Panda (up 68.90% for the full year) led the segment in the annual totals from the Twingo and smart fortwo. Superminis fell 1.32% for the whole year and 1.66% for the month. Overall for 2004, the Peugeot 206 led from the Renault Clio, Opel/Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Fiesta, Fiat Punto, and VW Polo.

The lower-medium category has been gaining strength in recent months due to new product launches of the Golf, Focus, and Astra. Total registrations for the December 2004 were 11.68% higher than December 2003, but sales for the full year were up by only 1.62%. Year-to-date, the VW Golf retained its lead of the segment against the Peugeot 307 and Renault Megane.

In comparison, the premium lower-medium segment showed dramatic growth, increasing by 50.06% for the month and 9.50% for the full year. The Audi A3 (up 18.2% YTD) carried its lead of the sector with the Alfa Romeo 147, followed by the BMW 1-Series.

The upper-medium category declined in December following two months of growth, down 5.4% compared to December 2003. The segment total for 2004 was 5.10% lower than for the previous year. The VW Passat continued to be segment leader YTD ahead of the Ford Mondeo, Opel/Vauxhall Vectra, Toyota Avensis (up 25.9% YTD), and Renault Laguna.

The premium upper-medium segment also fell, by 14.15% for the month and 9.29% for the full year. The BMW 3-Series led from the Audi A4 and Mercedes- Benz C-Class.

Executive car volumes remained fairly static overall with sales down 0.25% for the 12 months and down 0.95% for December. The top three places for the full year went to the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5-Series, and Audi A6. The high-luxury segment, however, suffered in 2004 with sales declining 11.35% over the full year and 11.29% for the month of December.

The success story of the mini/midi-MPVs, which seemed unstoppable in 2004, finally slowed in the closing months of the year, declining 2.21% in December compared to the same month in 2003. However, sales were up by an impressive 22.84% over the course of the full year. Year-to-date, the Renault Scenic/Grand Scenic led against the Opel/Vauxhall Zafira and Citroen Xsara Picasso.

The full-size MPV segment continued its slide with registrations down 26.4% in December and down 10.17% for the year.

SUVs were up 13.31% for the full year, with growth of 7.15% in the month of December. Overall in 2004, the Toyota RAV4 led the segment from the Nissan X-Trail and Suzuki Vitara/Grand Vitara/XL7.

The sports segment continued to grow, with sales up 23.47% for the full year and up 18.28% in December. The sector was led in 2004 by the Mercedes- Benz CLK and SLK.

  NOTE:  All percentages are vs. December 2003 unless otherwise stated.

  About JATO Dynamics

Founded in 1984, JATO provides the world's most comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date information on vehicle specifications, pricing, sales and registrations, news, and incentives. The company has representation in over 40 world markets, providing unique local market expertise. JATO's client base includes all of the world's major vehicle manufacturers, giving them the ability to react to short-term market movements, plan for long-term developments, and ultimately meet the needs of the consumer. The data gathered and analyzed by JATO has also been adapted for consumer use in motoring web portals such as Vehix.com, where customers can compare advantages and disadvantages of a specific vehicle models against others.