2011 (First Half) Top Export Markets for German Automobiles

German car exports during the first six months of 2011 increased by 10%. The UK and USA were the most important markets with China being increasingly important.

© VW Media Services

The United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US), and France were the top market for German passenger vehicle exports during the first half of 2011. China was the fifth largest market in volume but the highest earner per car. Germany exported 2.3 million cars between January and June 2011, an increase of 10% over the number of automobiles exported during the same period in 2010. German car exports were worth €51.7 billion. Germany imported 1.1 million cars worth €15 billion.

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2011 (First Half) Best-Selling Electric Cars in Germany

Opel Ampera

Germany’s favorite electric cars are the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Peugeot iOn, and Citroen C-Zero. No other electric car model managed to sell more than hundred vehicles during the first six months of 2011 in Germany.

Mitsubishi i MiEV 01

German car sales statistics for the first half of 2011 confirm that electric cars still have some way to go before being accepted as an alternative to regular or even hybrid cars. In total, less than a thousand purely electric powered cars were sold in Germany between January and June 2011. Currently the electric passenger vehicle market in Germany is dominated by the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and its technical derivatives Peugeot iOn and Citroen C-Zero.

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2011 (First Half) German Car Sales in China and India

German premium and luxury car manufacturers Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Volkswagen had a very successful first six months (and full year 2011) in the Asia Pacific region.

Audis are selling well in China
© Audi Media Services

During the first half of 2011, German car manufacturers enjoyed a world-wide boom in sales with the Asia Pacific market performing particularly well. China is an increasingly important market for luxury cars and has become the single most important market for Audi. Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz also saw strong increases in new car registrations in China. Although the Chinese market has cooled down during 2011 – Volkswagen previously expected double the actual growth – the Chinese market still shows significant growth for all German luxury car manufacturers.

See the figures for the full year 2011 for German luxury car sales in China and Asia.

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2011 (First Half) Best-Selling Car Manufacturers and Brands in Europe

VW factory in Osnabruck

Volkswagen remains the best-selling car manufacturer and brand in Europe for the first six months of 2011. German premium brands Audi, BMW, and Mercedes saw strong new passenger vehicle registrations in Europe in 2011.

VW factory in Osnabruck
© Volkswagen Media Services

Volkswagen easily kept its position as the best-selling passenger motor vehicle manufacturer and car brand in Europe during the first half of 2011. Despite weakness, the French PSA and Renault groups remained the second and third strongest car manufacturers in Europe followed by GM and Ford. The strongest selling car brands in Europe from January to June 2011 were Volkswagen, Ford, and Renault.

See also 2011 (First Half) Best-Selling Car Markets by European Countries

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2011 (First Half) Best-Selling Car Markets by European Countries

VW Golf Cabrio

The European car market was relatively flat during the first half of 2011. Cars sales in Germany was strong but weak in Italy and Britain.

VW Golf Cabrio
© Volkswagen Media Services

During the first six months of 2011, a total of 7,120,499 new passenger vehicle registrations were recorded in the European Union (EU*). This is a decline of 2.1% from the number of new cars sold in Europe during the first half of 2010. Germany and France remained the largest markets while Italy and the UK just managed to breach the million cars sold level. EFTA countries generally performed well.

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2009 Full Year Best-Selling Car Manufacturers in Germany

Volkswagen, Opel, Ford, Mercedes, and BMW were the top best-selling motorcar manufacturers and brands in Germany in 2009. The VW Golf remained Germany’s favorite car. Volkswagen maintained its traditional position as the top-selling car manufacturer and brand in Germany.  Opel and Ford replaced last year’s second and third place marques Mercedes-Benz and BMW Mini. Fiat … Read more

2009 Full Year Top Ten Best-Selling Cars in Britain

The Ford Fiesta dethroned the Focus to top the list of the ten top-selling car models in Great Britain (UK) in 2009 followed by the Vauxhall Corsa, Astra, and Volkswagen Golf.

In 2009, the Ford Fiesta became Britain’s favorite car by replacing the Ford Focus as the best-selling car model in Great Britain. The Vauxhall Corsa, Vauxhall Astra, and Volkswagen Golf followed on the list of the most registered new passenger vehicle in the UK in 2009. The Ford Fiesta was the only top seller to have increased the number of cars sold in Britain in 2009. The British auto market declined by 6.4% to 1,994,999 new vehicle registrations in 2009.

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2009 Full Year Best-Selling Car Manufacturers in Britain

Ford, Vauxhall, and Volkswagen were the best-selling cars by manufacturers or marque in Great Britain in 2009. The Fiesta replaced the Focus as Britain’s favorite car.

Ford, Vauxhall, and Volkswagen were the best-selling cars by manufacturers or marque in Great Britain in 2009. The Fiesta replaced the Focus as Britain's favorite car.© 2009 Ford Motor Company & Wieck Media Services

List of the Top 30 New Passenger Vehicle Registrations in the UK

The best-selling car manufacturers in Britain in 2009 were, as in 2008, Ford, Vauxhall, and Volkswagen (VW). The UK car market declined by 6.4% to 1,994,999 new passenger vehicle registrations, the first sub-two million car mark since 1995. In 2009, the Ford Fiesta replace the Ford Focus as Britain’s favorite car.

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2009 Full Year Best-Selling Car Makers & Brands in Europe

Volkswagen, Peugeot, and Ford were the top-selling motor manufacturing groups and car brands in Europe in 2009. The VW Golf was Europe’s favorite car model.

Volkswagen, Peugeot, and Ford were the top-selling motor manufacturing groups and car brands in Europe in 2009. The VW Golf was Europe's favorite car model.© Volkswagen Media Services

The Volkswagen Group increased its market share to remain Europe’s top automobile manufacturer in 2009. VW was followed by Peugeot, Ford, and Renault.  Volkswagen also easily maintained its position as the best-selling car brand or marque in Europe and was followed by Ford, Renault, Opel / Vauxhall, and Fiat. The European new car market weakened by 1.6% to 14,481,545 new passenger car registrations in 2009.

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2009 Full Year Best-Selling Car Models in Germany

© Volkswagen Media Services

In 2009, the Volkswagen Golf was again Germany’s favorite car while the VW Polo was the second most popular new car. The Opel Corsa and Astra were also top sellers.

© Volkswagen Media Services

The Volkswagen Golf easily remained Germany’s best-selling car in 2009. More new Golfs were registered in Germany in 2009 than the combined number of VW Polo, Opel Corsa, and Opel Astra cars that followed the Golf on the top-sellers list. The Volkswagen Golf has been Germany’s most popular car since 1981 and has been the best-selling car model in Europe for the past two years.

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