2012 (Q3) Germany: Best Selling Car Models

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.

VW Golf Series 1 to 7
© Volkswagen Media Services

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.

About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance writer with over 20 years of experience in online writing. His best-selling cars website has been reporting car sales statistics since 2008 with classic car auction prices focusing on the most expensive automobiles sold at public auctions in the past decade. He also owns the travel websites European-Traveler.com and Lake Geneva Switzerland. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Finance from the University of London.