New car sales figures have revealed a
divergence between ‘core’ and emerging European economies on the
one hand, and nations currently suffering crippling debt and
economic uncertainty, suggest first-half statistics released by
data specialist Jato Dynamics.
Just two of the ‘Big Five’ markets recorded
increased H1 sales compared to 2010: France (up 1%) and Germany (up
10.5%, selling 153,788 more units), while three recorded fewer
sales: UK (down 7.1%), Italy (down 13.2%) and Spain (down 26.9%,
selling 162,928 fewer units). Eurozone basket case Greece saw its
sales plummet by 43.6%.
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Continent-wide new car sales in the first half
of 2011 were down 1.4% compared to the first half of 2010,. A total
of 7,316,671 units were sold – 104,900 fewer than H1 2010.
Volkswagen retained and consolidated its
position as Europe’s leading brand, selling 880,308 units in the
first half of the year, a 5.9% increase on H1 2010. German brands
as a whole continued to perform well in 2011, with Audi’s sales up
8.7%, BMW’s up 8.4%, and Mercedes’ up 0.6%.
Jato’s vice president of research Gareth
Hession said: “Consumer perception of quality, high-standard
equipment levels and strong residual values are critical factors in
the success of the German brands. Their success is supported
not only by their traditional customer base, who being typically
more affluent are more confident purchasers during these tough
economic times, but also from consumers who are looking for
security from their hard earned investment.”
Sales in Central and Eastern Europe were
consistently good during the first half of 2011, as the automotive
market continues to expand in the region. Poland performed
particularly well, with sales up by 22.9% in June and by 22.8%
during the first half of the year.
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By GlobalDataOutside the top ten brands, the Asian
manufacturers, Nissan and Hyundai improved sales on Q1 2010 by
16.8% and 10.5% respectively. Toyota, however, sold 9.9% fewer
units over the same period.
Volkswagen’s Golf maintains its leading
position in Europe, selling 253,288 units in H1. The success of the
relaunched Ford Focus and Volkswagen Passat meant these were the
only two models in the Top 10 to experience growth during H1, and
during June.
Looking at the monthly trends, though there
was uplift in sales during May, sales in June fell by 7.8%. Only
Ford and Audi increased their monthly sales in June, both helped by
the new model launches.
June saw monthly sales increases in just two
of the top ten brands, Ford and Audi, up 0.7% and 9.2%
respectively, largely due to the significant sales of the Focus and
the new A1.
Hession concluded: “Despite some positive
signs earlier this year, ongoing economic instability in many
markets has kept many people away from dealerships. The success of
new models such as the new Ford Focus and Audi’s A1 demonstrates
the importance of having products that are fresh, as well as
competitively positioned, in a difficult market.”
