European Car Market Drops Again

AUTO CENTRAL – December 17, 2008: JATO Dynamics, the world’s leading provider of automotive data and intelligence, reports today that the European new car market fell by 25.3% (313,361 units) during November 2008, when compared to the same month last year. Total sales for the month now stand at 924,936 units, down from 1,238,297 in 2007.

This further decline in the market, which has dropped consistently over the past seven months, sees an increased YtD deficit figure, in comparison to 2007. The total sales figure for the first 11 months of 2008 being 13,556,052 units – 7.1% (1,030,584 units) lower than the same period last year.

“The market is usually less buoyant at this time of year,” says David Di Girolamo, Business Manager for JATO Consult. “Though this is an unprecedented drop in sales, it’s not wholly unexpected, given the current economic climate. There has been some movement between brands in the Top 10 table, but Volkswagen maintains its increasingly secure grip on the top spot.”

Brand Performance
Volkswagen once more triumphed as Europe’s top-selling car brand during November, ahead of Ford, Renault, Opel/Vauxhall and Fiat.

Top market performers YtD are Volkswagen, Ford, Opel/Vauxhall, Renault and Peugeot.

In such a depressed market, Audi stands out for posting sales of just 1.1% less than November 2007, whilst enjoying a 0.2% (1,457 units) sales increase YtD, largely buoyed by the strong performance of its new A4 model. Few other brands have recorded increased sales during the last month, though with a 27.9% up-turn to 10,163 units, Dacia stands out from the rest, following the introduction of its new Sandero model. YtD this figure increases further, to 42.6% (from 68,149 to 97,206).

Other manufacturers worthy of note for their YtD numbers are Nissan (up 9.9%, 28,971 units), Mazda (up 2.4%, 5,356 units), smart (up 12.1%, 10,486 units), Subaru (up 10.5%, 4,439 units) and Jaguar (up 13.3%, 4,120 units).

Top Models
Once again, the Volkswagen Golf has maintained its lead as Europe’s top-selling car during November (up 5.5% YtD when compared to the same period last year).

Sitting at the top of the table, the Golf leads the new Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 207, Ford Focus, Renault Clio, Volkswagen Passat, Opel / Vauxhall Corsa, Volkswagen Polo, Audi A4 and Fiat Punto.

As the market continues to fall, Audi’s new A4 was the only vehicle in the top 10 that managed a sales increase during November, with an increase of 21.2% taking 9th place in the European car market. YtD, the model’s sales are up 16.6%, placing it at 9th place overall.

Other new models performing well in the European new car market include the Hyundai i10, Dacia Sandero, Ford Kuga, Alfa Romeo Mito, Lancia Delta, Suzuki Splash, Renault Koleos, Audi Q5 and BMW X6.

Increased sales during November have also been enjoyed by the Peugeot 308, Opel / Vauxhall Agila, Nissan Qashqai, Fiat 500, Renault Twingo, Volkswagen Tiguan, Citroën C5 and Renault Modus, largely due to the addition of new versions or increased availability.

National Trends
As expected given the current global economic conditions, the majority of markets across Europe recorded significantly lower new car sales in November 2008 than during the same month last year. Most noticeably, Iceland’s sales fell by a staggering 94.6%, from 1,365 units in November 2007 to just 74 units in November 2008.

Finland, however recorded sales of 77.5% more than a year ago, with new car sales jumping from 3,631 in November 2007 to 6,445 last month. This still represents a downturn when compared to the same month every year for the past decade, but for 2007 when the market was depressed due to imminent tax changes. This depression also explains the YtD rise of 9.5%.

Other markets recording YtD up-turns include Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland, thanks to strong sales early in the year.