Volkswagen remained the strongest car manufacturer and brand in Europe during the first nine months of 2013. VW Golf is still Europe’s favorite car model.
Europe’s strongest car manufacturing groups during the first nine months of 2013 remained Volkswagen, PSA, Renault and the GM Groups. The strongest car brands in Europe remained Volkswagen, Ford, Opel / Vauxhall, Renault and Peugeot. The overall car market in Europe contracted by 4% year to date in 2013 – significantly less than feared earlier in the year. The Volkswagen Golf remained the top-selling car model in Europe between January and September 2013.
Best-Selling Car Manufacturers in Europe in 2013 (Q3)
The top-selling car manufacturing groups in the European Union (EU) and EFTA countries during the first three quarters of 2013 according to car sales statistics released by the ACEA were as follows:
| % Market Share | Cars Sold Q1-Q3 | Change | |||
| 2013 | 2012 | 2013 | 2012 | % | |
| ALL BRANDS | 9,338,897 | 9,723,371 | -4.0 | ||
| VW Group | 24.9 | 24.8 | 2,321,328 | 2,409,119 | -3.6 |
| VOLKSWAGEN | 12.4 | 12.8 | 1,159,174 | 1,243,969 | -6.8 |
| AUDI | 5.7 | 5.6 | 533,867 | 549,085 | -2.8 |
| SEAT | 2.4 | 2.1 | 219,561 | 199,887 | +9.8 |
| SKODA | 4.0 | 3.9 | 372,812 | 378,451 | -1.5 |
| Others (1) | 0.4 | 0.4 | 35,914 | 37,727 | -4.8 |
| PSA Group | 10.9 | 11.8 | 1,017,649 | 1,147,449 | -11.3 |
| PEUGEOT | 6.0 | 6.4 | 560,059 | 619,599 | -9.6 |
| CITROEN | 4.9 | 5.4 | 457,590 | 527,850 | -13.3 |
| RENAULT Group | 8.7 | 8.3 | 807,982 | 807,098 | +0.1 |
| RENAULT | 6.3 | 6.5 | 592,416 | 627,770 | -5.6 |
| DACIA | 2.3 | 1.8 | 215,566 | 179,328 | +20.2 |
| GM Group | 8.0 | 8.2 | 748,026 | 800,862 | -6.6 |
| OPEL/VAUXHALL | 6.8 | 6.8 | 634,040 | 659,508 | -3.9 |
| CHEVROLET | 1.2 | 1.4 | 113,667 | 140,968 | -19.4 |
| GM (US) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 319 | 386 | -17.4 |
| FORD | 7.4 | 7.6 | 693,936 | 735,680 | -5.7 |
| BMW Group | 6.5 | 6.2 | 603,544 | 602,019 | +0.3 |
| BMW | 5.2 | 5.0 | 486,736 | 482,073 | +1.0 |
| MINI | 1.3 | 1.2 | 116,808 | 119,946 | -2.6 |
| FIAT Group | 6.1 | 6.4 | 572,676 | 624,149 | -8.2 |
| FIAT | 4.8 | 4.7 | 444,079 | 452,219 | -1.8 |
| LANCIA/CHRYSLER | 0.6 | 0.8 | 57,253 | 74,474 | -23.1 |
| ALFA ROMEO | 0.5 | 0.7 | 50,766 | 72,184 | -29.7 |
| JEEP | 0.2 | 0.2 | 17,193 | 21,243 | -19.1 |
| Others (2) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3,385 | 4,029 | -16.0 |
| DAIMLER | 5.6 | 5.1 | 523,165 | 499,293 | +4.8 |
| MERCEDES | 5.1 | 4.6 | 473,879 | 444,721 | +6.6 |
| SMART | 0.5 | 0.6 | 49,286 | 54,572 | -9.7 |
| TOYOTA Group | 4.4 | 4.4 | 407,072 | 423,289 | -3.8 |
| TOYOTA | 4.2 | 4.1 | 389,897 | 401,498 | -2.9 |
| LEXUS | 0.2 | 0.2 | 17,175 | 21,791 | -21.2 |
| HYUNDAI | 3.5 | 3.4 | 327,907 | 333,103 | -1.6 |
| NISSAN | 3.5 | 3.5 | 327,315 | 340,232 | -3.8 |
| KIA | 2.8 | 2.7 | 258,545 | 257,760 | +0.3 |
| VOLVO CAR CORP. | 1.7 | 1.8 | 162,750 | 171,451 | -5.1 |
| MAZDA | 1.2 | 1.0 | 114,004 | 100,419 | +13.5 |
| SUZUKI | 1.2 | 1.3 | 113,194 | 123,056 | -8.0 |
| HONDA | 1.2 | 1.1 | 110,975 | 111,349 | -0.3 |
| JAGUAR LAND ROVER Group | 1.1 | 1.0 | 105,427 | 95,763 | +10.1 |
| LAND ROVER | 0.9 | 0.8 | 83,468 | 77,240 | +8.1 |
| JAGUAR | 0.2 | 0.2 | 21,959 | 18,523 | +18.5 |
| MITSUBISHI | 0.6 | 0.6 | 56,528 | 60,887 | -7.2 |
| OTHER | 0.7 | 0.8 | 66,874 | 80,393 | -16.8 |
Source: ACEA – Figures for Malta not available
(1) VW Group: VW ‘other’ include Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and since Aug ’12 Porsche
(2) FIAT Group: FIAT ‘other’ include Dodge, Ferrari, Maserati
Top Car Manufacturers in Europe in 2013 (Q3)
The Volkswagen Group easily remained Europe’s largest carmaker during the first three quarters of 2013. Despite a weak performance by the Volkswagen marque, the group narrowly outperformed the broader market and increased market share to just 0.1% shy of a quarter of the total European new car market.
The PSA Group continues to struggle while the Renault Group saw flat sales mostly helped by the budget brand Dacia. The GM Group and Ford continue to loose market share in Europe although at a much slower pace than in recent years.
BMW Group sales were positive allowing the German luxury carmaker to move ahead of Fiat, which continue to struggle, especially with its smaller brands. Daimler also saw strong growth despite losses at Smart, which is due for a new model imminently.
Nissan slipped behind Hyundai while Mazda and Jaguar Land Rover had strong increases.
Best-Selling Car Brands in Europe in 2013 (Q3)
The top 20 best-selling car marques in Europe during the first three quarters of 2013 according to ACEA passenger vehicle registrations data were:
| Market Share % | Car Sales Q1, Q2, Q3 | Change | ||||
| 2013 | 2012 | 2013 | 2012 | % | ||
| ALL BRANDS | 9,338,897 | 9,723,371 | -4.0 | |||
| 1 | VOLKSWAGEN | 12.4 | 12.8 | 1,159,174 | 1,243,969 | -6.8 |
| 2 | FORD | 7.4 | 7.6 | 693,936 | 735,680 | -5.7 |
| 3 | OPEL/VAUXHALL | 6.8 | 6.8 | 634,040 | 659,508 | -3.9 |
| 4 | RENAULT | 6.3 | 6.5 | 592,416 | 627,770 | -5.6 |
| 5 | PEUGEOT | 6.0 | 6.4 | 560,059 | 619,599 | -9.6 |
| 6 | AUDI | 5.7 | 5.6 | 533,867 | 549,085 | -2.8 |
| 7 | BMW | 5.2 | 5.0 | 486,736 | 482,073 | +1.0 |
| 8 | MERCEDES | 5.1 | 4.6 | 473,879 | 444,721 | +6.6 |
| 9 | CITROEN | 4.9 | 5.4 | 457,590 | 527,850 | -13.3 |
| 10 | FIAT | 4.8 | 4.7 | 444,079 | 452,219 | -1.8 |
| 11 | TOYOTA | 4.2 | 4.1 | 389,897 | 401,498 | -2.9 |
| 12 | SKODA | 4.0 | 3.9 | 372,812 | 378,451 | -1.5 |
| 13 | HYUNDAI | 3.5 | 3.4 | 327,907 | 333,103 | -1.6 |
| 14 | NISSAN | 3.5 | 3.5 | 327,315 | 340,232 | -3.8 |
| 15 | KIA | 2.8 | 2.7 | 258,545 | 257,760 | +0.3 |
| 16 | SEAT | 2.4 | 2.1 | 219,561 | 199,887 | +9.8 |
| 17 | DACIA | 2.3 | 1.8 | 215,566 | 179,328 | +20.2 |
| 18 | VOLVO CAR CORP. | 1.7 | 1.8 | 162,750 | 171,451 | -5.1 |
| 19 | MINI | 1.3 | 1.2 | 116,808 | 119,946 | -2.6 |
| 20 | MAZDA | 1.2 | 1.0 | 114,004 | 100,419 | +13.5 |
Source: ACEA – Figures for Malta not available.
Top Car Marques in Europe in 2013 (Q3)
There were no changes in the relative order of the top six best-selling car marques in Europe during the first nine months of 2013 compared to the same period in 2012. However, of the top five brands, only Opel managed to outperform the general market and only narrowly too.
Volkswagen brand sales were sharply down while Peugeot and Citroen weakened faster. Ford, Opel / Vauxhall, and Renault maintained their positions – although sales were down more than the broader market, all three brands saw the decline in sales much less dramatic than a year ago.
German premium brands Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz all increased market share in Europe during the first nine months of 2013. Mercedes enjoyed strong sales.
Citroen slipped from seventh a year ago and Fiat from ninth while Nissan slipped behind Hyundai. Dacia, the budget brand of Renault, was the most-improved marque in 2013. Mini and Mazda entered the top-20 list of best-selling car makes in Europe at the expense of Chevrolet and Suzuki.
Top-Selling Car Models in Europe in 2013 (Q3)
Europe’s favorite car models during the first nine months of 2013 were as follows according to JATO:
| Car | Sales | % Change | |
| 1 | VW Golf | 347,405 | 2.1 |
| 2 | Ford Fiesta | 222,184 | -6.8 |
| 3 | Renault Clio | 216,761 | 20.2 |
| 4 | Volkswagen Polo | 201,929 | -10.3 |
| 5 | Peugeot 208 | 189,654 | new |
| 6 | Opel Corsa | 188,705 | -10.7 |
| 7 | Ford Focus | 176,507 | -7.3 |
| 8 | Nissan Qashqai | 161,054 | -0.4 |
| 9 | BMW 3 Series | 155,335 | 20.1 |
| 10 | Opel Astra | 153,281 | -14.7 |
The Volkswagen Golf easily remains the most popular car model in Europe during the first nine months to 2013. Ford and Opel / Vauxhall models are generally weaker with the Renault Clio and BMW 3-Series performing strongly.
