The VW, PSA and Renault Groups remained Europe’s strongest car manufacturers during the first semester or 2013. Volkswagen, Ford and Opel were the strongest brands.
Volkswagen, PSA, and Renault remained the strongest car manufacturing groups in the European Union during the first half of 2013. The top car brands in Europe were Volkswagen, Ford, and Opel / Vauxhall. While the top brands underperformed the broader market, Dacia, Seat, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, and Kia were the only car brands with positive growth in the European Union during the first six months of 2013.
New passenger vehicle registrations in the EU and EFTA countries contracted by 6.7% to 6,436,743 cars during the first semester of 2013.
Best-Selling Car Manufacturers and Brands in Europe in 2013 (First Semester)
The top-selling car manufacturing groups and brands in Europe during the first six months of 2013 according to car sales figures released by the ACEA were:
| January to June (First Semester) | |||||
| % Market Share | Car Sales | % Change | |||
| HY2013 | HY2012 | HY2013 | HY2012 | HY13/HY12 | |
| ALL BRANDS* | 6,436,743 | 6,895,875 | -6.7 | ||
| VW Group | 24.8 | 24.1 | 1,598,768 | 1,659,780 | -3.7 |
| VOLKSWAGEN | 12.5 | 12.7 | 805,745 | 872,609 | -7.7 |
| AUDI | 5.7 | 5.5 | 363,997 | 377,781 | -3.6 |
| SEAT | 2.4 | 2.0 | 151,836 | 138,747 | +9.4 |
| SKODA | 3.9 | 3.9 | 251,899 | 269,140 | -6.4 |
| Others (1) | 0.4 | 0.0 | 25,291 | 1,503 | +1582.7 |
| PSA Group | 11.1 | 12.0 | 716,739 | 827,033 | -13.3 |
| PEUGEOT | 6.1 | 6.4 | 392,449 | 442,351 | -11.3 |
| CITROEN | 5.0 | 5.6 | 324,290 | 384,682 | -15.7 |
| RENAULT Group | 8.6 | 8.5 | 555,467 | 583,193 | -4.8 |
| RENAULT | 6.4 | 6.7 | 411,211 | 460,153 | -10.6 |
| DACIA | 2.2 | 1.8 | 144,256 | 123,040 | +17.2 |
| GM Group | 7.9 | 8.3 | 511,247 | 573,618 | -10.9 |
| OPEL/VAUXHALL | 6.8 | 6.8 | 436,493 | 468,298 | -6.8 |
| CHEVROLET | 1.2 | 1.5 | 74,523 | 105,038 | -29.1 |
| GM (US) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 231 | 282 | -18.1 |
| FORD | 7.4 | 7.7 | 478,584 | 531,087 | -9.9 |
| FIAT Group | 6.4 | 6.6 | 409,142 | 456,060 | -10.3 |
| FIAT | 4.9 | 4.8 | 318,065 | 327,580 | -2.9 |
| LANCIA/CHRYSLER | 0.6 | 0.8 | 41,132 | 56,100 | -26.7 |
| ALFA ROMEO | 0.6 | 0.8 | 36,170 | 54,059 | -33.1 |
| JEEP | 0.2 | 0.2 | 11,317 | 15,169 | -25.4 |
| BMW Group | 6.3 | 6.1 | 407,275 | 421,480 | -3.4 |
| BMW | 5.1 | 4.9 | 328,057 | 337,335 | -2.8 |
| MINI | 1.2 | 1.2 | 79,218 | 84,145 | -5.9 |
| DAIMLER | 5.5 | 5.1 | 356,560 | 349,312 | +2.1 |
| MERCEDES | 5.0 | 4.5 | 320,359 | 309,544 | +3.5 |
| SMART | 0.6 | 0.6 | 36,201 | 39,768 | -9.0 |
| TOYOTA Group | 4.2 | 4.3 | 271,387 | 294,831 | -8.0 |
| TOYOTA | 4.1 | 4.0 | 261,003 | 279,262 | -6.5 |
| LEXUS | 0.2 | 0.2 | 10,384 | 15,569 | -33.3 |
| NISSAN | 3.5 | 3.5 | 226,829 | 239,373 | -5.2 |
| HYUNDAI | 3.5 | 3.4 | 223,594 | 231,997 | -3.6 |
| KIA | 2.7 | 2.5 | 175,453 | 173,232 | +1.3 |
| VOLVO CAR CORP. | 1.7 | 1.8 | 111,850 | 125,540 | -10.9 |
| HONDA | 1.2 | 1.1 | 78,077 | 72,555 | +7.6 |
| SUZUKI | 1.2 | 1.2 | 77,224 | 86,177 | -10.4 |
| MAZDA | 1.2 | 1.0 | 74,419 | 70,581 | +5.4 |
| JAGUAR_LAND_ROVER_Group | 1.2 | 1.0 | 74,130 | 66,829 | +10.9 |
| LAND ROVER | 0.9 | 0.8 | 59,306 | 54,239 | +9.3 |
| JAGUAR | 0.2 | 0.2 | 14,824 | 12,590 | +17.7 |
| MITSUBISHI | 0.6 | 0.6 | 39,078 | 44,010 | -11.2 |
- *EU figures exclude Malta
- (1) Include Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Bentley
Best-Selling Car Manufacturing Groups in Europe in 2013 (First Half)
The Volkswagen Group easily maintained its position as Europe’s leading car manufacturing conglomerate. VW increase its market share to nearly a quarter of the total new passenger vehicle market in Europe. The phenomenal growth of “Others” is due to Porsche figures being included only since August 2012 – Bugatti, Bentley and Lamborghini add more glamour than sales numbers.
The French Peugeot-Citroen and Renault Groups continue to struggle. The Renault Group outperformed the market but only due to the performance of Dacia, which showed the strongest growth of the top-20 best-selling car brands in Europe.
GM, Ford and Fiat were all down around ten percent. However, Ford has showed positive growth in June after flat sales in May giving hope that its restructuring efforts are beginning to pay off.
Daimler, Kia, Honda, Mazda, and Jaguar-Land Rover were the only manufacturing groups to have increased sales during the first half of 2013. Hyundai outperformed the broader market but sales were down indicating that the fast growth of the two South Korean car brands in Europe is slowing down.
Best-Selling Car Brands in Europe in 2013 (First Semester)
The top twenty best-selling car brands in Europe during the first half of 2013 were:
| Brand | Sales | % Change | |
| 1 | VOLKSWAGEN | 805,745 | -7.7 |
| 2 | FORD | 478,584 | -9.9 |
| 3 | OPEL/VAUXHALL | 436,493 | -6.8 |
| 4 | RENAULT | 411,211 | -10.6 |
| 5 | PEUGEOT | 392,449 | -11.3 |
| 6 | AUDI | 363,997 | -3.6 |
| 7 | BMW | 328,057 | -2.8 |
| 8 | CITROEN | 324,290 | -15.7 |
| 9 | MERCEDES | 320,359 | +3.5 |
| 10 | FIAT | 318,065 | -2.9 |
| 11 | TOYOTA | 261,003 | -6.5 |
| 12 | SKODA | 251,899 | -6.4 |
| 13 | NISSAN | 226,829 | -5.2 |
| 14 | HYUNDAI | 223,594 | -3.6 |
| 15 | KIA | 175,453 | +1.3 |
| 16 | SEAT | 151,836 | +9.4 |
| 17 | DACIA | 144,256 | +17.2 |
| 18 | VOLVO | 111,850 | -10.9 |
| 19 | MINI | 79,218 | -5.9 |
| 20 | HONDA | 78,077 | +7.6 |
The top five best-selling car brands in Europe during the first semester of 2013 all underperformed the broader market.
The best performers amongst the top ten best-selling car brands were the German luxury or premium brands. Mercedes-Benz was the only top-ten brand with positive growth. Competitors Audi and BMW both outperformed the market. Europeans may be buying fewer cars but increasingly seem to prefer better cars.
In contrast French car brands Renault, Peugeot and Citroen continue to struggle, while Fiat managed to outperform the wider market. Seat for once provided positive growth to the Volkswagen Group while Dacia, Renault’s cheaper brand, were the most improved of the top twenty car marques. (E130716)
