Volkswagen, PSA and Renault were the strongest car manufacturers in Europe during the first quarter of 2014 with VW, Ford and Opel / Vauxhall the top-selling brands. The Golf remained Europeβs favorite car model.
2014 started of well for most European car manufacturers with car sales in the European Union and EFTA countries up 8.1% during the first three months of the year. The Volkswagen Group easily remained the strongest car-manufacturing conglomerate in Europe followed by the resurging French PSA and Renault Groups. Despite underperforming the broader European market, Volkswagen remained the top-selling marque in the EU followed by Ford and Opel / Vauxhall. The Golf and Ford Fiesta remained Europeβs favorite car models.
The European car market (EU and EFTA) expanded by 8.1% to 3,353,180 new passenger vehicle registrations during the first three months of 2014.
Best-Selling Car Manufacturers in Europe in 2014 (Q1)
The top-selling car manufacturers and marques during the first quarter of 2014 according to car sales statistics released by theΒ ACEAΒ were:
Q1/2014 | Q1/2013 | % Change | % Share Q1/2014 | Share Q1/2013 | |
ALL BRANDS | 3β353β180 | 3β101β196 | +8.1 | ||
VW Group | 813β252 | 752β141 | +8.1 | 24.3 | 24.3 |
VOLKSWAGEN | 394β582 | 378β378 | +4.3 | 11.8 | 12.2 |
AUDI | 184β962 | 170β034 | +8.8 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
SEAT | 77β537 | 69β948 | +10.8 | 2.3 | 2.3 |
SKODA | 144β027 | 122β227 | +17.8 | 4.3 | 3.9 |
PSA Group | 371β163 | 345β205 | +7.5 | 11.1 | 11.1 |
PEUGEOT | 207β658 | 189β061 | +9.8 | 6.2 | 6.1 |
CITROEN | 163β505 | 156β144 | +4.7 | 4.9 | 5.0 |
RENAULT Group | 307β608 | 258β508 | +19.0 | 9.2 | 8.3 |
RENAULT | 215β811 | 193β637 | +11.5 | 6.4 | 6.2 |
DACIA | 91β797 | 64β871 | +41.5 | 2.7 | 2.1 |
GM Group | 253β350 | 242β222 | +4.6 | 7.6 | 7.8 |
OPEL/VAUXHALL | 226β888 | 209β127 | +8.5 | 6.8 | 6.7 |
CHEVROLET | 26β344 | 32β992 | -20.2 | 0.8 | 1.1 |
GM (US) | 118 | 103 | +14.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
FORD | 251β505 | 224β390 | +12.1 | 7.5 | 7.2 |
FIAT Group | 203β824 | 198β297 | +2.8 | 6.1 | 6.4 |
FIAT | 157β883 | 154β179 | +2.4 | 4.7 | 5.0 |
LANCIA/CHRYSLER | 20β295 | 19β375 | +4.7 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
ALFA ROMEO | 16β108 | 17β581 | -8.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 |
JEEP | 7β372 | 6β134 | +20.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
BMW Group | 203β594 | 195β410 | +4.2 | 6.1 | 6.3 |
BMW | 170β614 | 158β903 | +7.4 | 5.1 | 5.1 |
MINI | 32β980 | 36β507 | -9.7 | 1.0 | 1.2 |
DAIMLER | 173β770 | 168β331 | +3.2 | 5.2 | 5.4 |
MERCEDES | 157β768 | 150β739 | +4.7 | 4.7 | 4.9 |
SMART | 16β002 | 17β592 | -9.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 |
TOYOTA Group | 149β112 | 135β939 | +9.7 | 4.4 | 4.4 |
TOYOTA | 141β896 | 130β474 | +8.8 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
LEXUS | 7β216 | 5β465 | +32.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
NISSAN | 129β943 | 121β533 | +6.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 |
HYUNDAI | 109β320 | 110β070 | -0.7 | 3.3 | 3.5 |
KIA | 89β258 | 83β113 | +7.4 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
VOLVO CAR CORP. | 59β407 | 54β605 | +8.8 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
MAZDA | 50β221 | 39β763 | +26.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 |
SUZUKI | 47β211 | 38β864 | +21.5 | 1.4 | 1.3 |
JAGUAR LAND ROVER Group | 42β583 | 43β441 | -2.0 | 1.3 | 1.4 |
LAND ROVER | 33β712 | 34β842 | -3.2 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
JAGUAR | 8β871 | 8β599 | +3.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
HONDA | 40β067 | 43β776 | -8.5 | 1.2 | 1.4 |
MITSUBISHI | 20β349 | 18β957 | +7.3 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
Source: ACEA. Data excludes Malta.
Top-Selling Car Manufacturers in Europe in 2014 (Q1)
There were only minor changes in the order of the best-selling car manufacturers in Europe during the first quarter of 2014 compared to the first three months of 2013. The order of the top-ten marques remains unaltered from a year ago.
The Volkswagen Group performed in line with the market while top-selling brand Volkswagen underperformed but easily remained the most popular car marque in the European Union. Seat and Skoda both achieved double-digit growth.
The PSA Group narrowly underperformed the broader market but Peugeot did well and a restructuring of the company may see financial, if not necessarily sales, figures improve.
The Renault Group, which had been struggling in recent months, seems to have turned the corner with both Renault and budget-brand Dacia showing strong growth. The Renault Group gained nearly a percentage market share.
GM saw only modest sales growth mostly due to the weak performance of Chevrolet, which is withdrawing from the European market. Opel, in contrast, achieved above market average growth helped especially by the popularity of Vauxhall in the United Kingdom. However, worryingly for Opel / Vauxhall is the weak performance of the Astra, which is only due for a replacement in two years.
After years of loses, often double-digit declines, Ford finally had a strong first quarter with sales up by 12%. Despite its recent woes, Ford has remained the second strongest car brand in Europe. Ford cars are particularly popular in Britain, Europeβs second largest and strongest growing large car market.
Fiat, BMW and Daimler all achieved growth but underperformed the larger market. Model changes currently underway are hitting Mini sales while Smart is likely to continue to decline until the new model is launched later in the year.
Best-Selling Car Models in Europe in 2014 (Q1)
The top five most popular car models in Europe during the first three months of 2014 according to JATO were:
Make & Model | Β Q1/2014 | Β Q1/2013 | Β % Change | |
1 | Volkswagen Golf | Β 129β599 | Β 112β423 | Β 15.3 |
2 | Ford Fiesta | Β 85β639 | Β 77β763 | Β 10.1 |
3 | Renault Clio | Β 74β473 | Β 75β349 | Β -1.2 |
4 | Volkswagen Polo | Β 73β576 | Β 68β887 | Β 6.8 |
5 | Opel / Vauxhall Corsa | Β 64β591 | Β 63β554 | Β 1.6 |
The Volkswagen Golf easily remained the most popular car model in Europe during the first quarter of 2014. Sales of the evergreen Golf increased by a further 15% compared to a year ago.
The Ford Fiesta was again the second best-selling car model in Europe, helped especially by its popularity in the UK, Europeβs fastest growing big market.
Sales of the Renault Clio slipped but the most popular car in France maintained its third place. The VW Polo, which just had a minor model update, increased sales.
The Vauxhall Corsa, which had a good run in Britain, achieved minor growth but sufficient to take fifth place from the Peugeot 208, which slipped to sixth place with sales down by 7%. The Corsa is due for a model change in a yearβs time. The Opel Astra slipped out of the top 10.