The Volkswagen Golf remains Germany’s favorite car for the first nine months of 2012. It was followed by the VW Passat, Polo, and Mercedes C Class.
Germany’s top-selling car model during the first three quarters of 2012 was, as seemingly forever, the VW Golf / Jetta. Volkswagen sold more Golfs in Germany between January and September 2012, than the next three car models combined. The VW Passat was the second best-selling car model in Germany followed by the VW Polo. The Mercedes-Benz C Class was the fourth most popular car in Germany ahead of the Opel Astra.
New passenger vehicle registrations in Germany from January to September 2012 totaled 2,358,798 cars, a decrease of 1.8% over the same period of 2011.
Top 30 Best-Selling Car Models in Germany in 2012 (Q3)
Car sales statistics released by the KBA show the following thirty car models to have been the most popular in Germany during the first nine months of 2012:
| Best-Selling Car Make and Model | Jan to Sep 2012 | % Change | ||||
| 1 | VW GOLF, JETTA | 187,053 | -5.8 | |||
| 2 | VW PASSAT | 66,788 | -15.5 | |||
| 3 | VW POLO | 59,041 | -15.8 | |||
| 4 | MERCEDES C-Class | 54,290 | -5.8 | |||
| 5 | OPEL ASTRA | 52,860 | -19.3 | |||
| 6 | MERCEDES B-Class | 46,620 | 94.6 | |||
| 7 | BMW 3 Series | 45,708 | 0.8 | |||
| 8 | AUDI A6, S6, RS6, A7 | 43,054 | 30.9 | |||
| 9 | OPEL CORSA | 42,870 | -19.0 | |||
| 10 | BMW 1 Series | 42,523 | 11.8 | |||
| 11 | VW TIGUAN | 41,789 | 19.7 | |||
| 12 | AUDI A4, S4, RS4 | 41,523 | -6.8 | |||
| 13 | VW TOURAN | 39,597 | -7.1 | |||
| 14 | FORD FOCUS | 37,100 | -20.8 | |||
| 15 | SKODA OCTAVIA | 36,824 | 7.1 | |||
| 16 | FORD FIESTA | 36,519 | -8.4 | |||
| 17 | BMW 5 Series | 36,003 | -22.8 | |||
| 18 | AUDI A3, S3, RS3 | 34,180 | -12.6 | |||
| 19 | SKODA FABIA | 31,929 | -15.9 | |||
| 20 | VW UP | 30,945 | 7578.7 | |||
| 21 | BMW MINI | 28,403 | -4.9 | |||
| 22 | MERCEDES E-Class | 28,145 | -23.6 | |||
| 23 | VW CADDY | 26,310 | -8.2 | |||
| 24 | OPEL ZAFIRA | 24,628 | 63.9 | |||
| 25 | VW TRANSPORTER, CARAVELLE | 24,604 | 0.1 | |||
| 26 | NISSAN QASHQAI | 22,797 | -11.1 | |||
| 27 | AUDI A1, S1 | 22,634 | 14.9 | |||
| 28 | SMART FORTWO | 22,069 | -3.3 | |||
| 29 | HYUNDAI I 30 | 21,957 | -16.8 | |||
| 30 | SEAT IBIZA, CORDOBA | 21,784 | 0.7 |
Top Ten Best-Selling Car Models in Germany in 2012 (Q3)
The VW Golf has been Germany’s favorite car for over two decades and even a slight slip in sales will not change its top position any time soon. The Golf will be replaced by the new Golf VII in November. Although this may put sales numbers under pressure, there is no risk of the Golf losing its top position in Germany any time soon.
The VW Passat was again the second most popular car in Germany followed by the Polo. The order is the same as it was for full-year 2011 and mid-2012.
The Mercedes C Class swapped positions with the Opel Astra to become the fourth most popular car in Germany during the first nine months of 2012. The Astra was fourth in 2011 and the first half of 2012.
The Mercedes B Class almost double sales from the same period last year. The B-Class was in ninth place mid-2012 and only in 28th position for full year 2011.
Compared to full-year 2011, the BMW 3 Series maintained its seventh place while the Audi A6 shot up from 18th place to eight to sell even more cars than the A4. Sales of the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E Class were sharply down in comparison.
The Opel Corsa slipped from sixth to ninth. With the exception of the Zafira, Opel models were generally selling well below the market average.
The BMW 1 Series improved from 14th last year to round out the top ten best-selling car models in Germany during the first three quarters of 2012. The Ford Focus, BMW 5 Series, and Audi A4 all slipped out of the top ten list.
German car sales were down 11% in September 2012 compared to September 2011, while sales slipped 1.8% over the first nine months of 2012. A weak fourth quarter is expected.
