Henk Bekker 
2011 saw for the first time the inclusion of separate electric and hybrid car sales figures for European new passenger vehicle registrations in many official statistics. Where fuel types in European car sales statistics traditionally compared petrol (benzine) and diesel engines, separate sales figures for hybrid and electric vehicles are increasingly available too. The Dutch … Read more
Car sales in the European Union declined by 7% during the first half of 2012. Growth in the UK and Germany was offset by weakness in other European markets. During the first half of 2012, Europe saw a decline of 6.8% in new passenger vehicle registrations compared to the first six months of 2011. In … Read more
In a weak car market, Volkswagen remains the best-selling car manufacturer and brand in Western Europe during the first six months of 2012. During the first half of 2012, the Volkswagen Group and VW brand increase their market share as the best selling car manufacturing group and marque in Western Europe. Volkswagen was followed by … Read more
German luxury brand car manufacturers Audi, BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes had a record-breaking first half-year in 2012. Growth in China remains the main driving force for most carmakers including Volkswagen. 2012 started off very well for German luxury car manufacturers including Audi, BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz. All four premium brands, as well as more mainstream … Read more
Ford continues to be the top-selling automobile marque in Britain, while the Ford Fiesta followed by the Vauxhall Corsa and Ford Focus were the most popular car models in the UK during the first half of 2012. 2012 started off surprisingly well for the British car market with an increase of 2.7% in new passenger … Read more
The Toyota Prius remained the most popular car in Japan during the first half of 2012. The Honda Fit and Toyota Aqua were also top sellers. During the first six months of 2012, the Toyota Prius continued to be the best-selling car model in Japan. The Honda Fit was again the second most popular car … Read more
The Volkswagen Golf easily remained the top-selling car model in Germany for the first half of 2012. The Passat and Polo gave VW a clean sweep of the three best-selling car models. The VW Golf (including Jetta) kept its traditional position as Germany’s favorite car model for the first half of 2012. The Golf was … Read more
Toyota remained the strongest car manufacturer in Japan during the first six months of 2012. Honda was the second best-selling brand with Volkswagen Japan’s favorite imported car. During the first half of 2012, the Japanese vehicle market continues to show strong growth and recovery from the difficult 2011 when the tsunami in Japan and flooding … Read more
Volkswagen continues to dominate the car market in Switzerland during the first half of 2012. VW-owned Audi and Skoda were also top-selling car brands. 2012 started off well for Swiss car importers with a further 12% expansion in the number of new passenger vehicle registrations during the first six months of the year. Volkswagen easily … Read more
Volkswagen, followed by BMW-Mini and Mercedes, was the most popular car brands in Germany during the first six months of 2012. The German car market expanded slightly during the first half of 2012 with Volkswagen easily remaining the best-selling car brand. BMW-Mini, Mercedes, and Audi maintained their positions while Opel pushed Ford down to six … Read more