2014 (Half Year) Germany: Best-Selling Car Manufacturers and Brands

The first semester of 2014 saw new passenger vehicle registrations in Germany increase by 2.4%. Volkswagen and Mercedes remained the top-selling marques.

VW Polo at the Geneva Auto Salon 2014

New car sales in Germany increased by 2.4% during the first six months of 2014. During the first semester of 2014, new passenger vehicle registrations in Germany increased in four of the six months although at a fairly low levels. Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz remained the best-selling car brands in Germany but both carmakers had lower sales and lost market share. Skoda remained the most-popular imported car brand. Sales of electric car nearly doubled from a year ago. Car production in Germany increased by 6%. The VW Golf was still the favorite car of the Germans.

The German Vehicle Market in 2014 (First Semester)

New passenger vehicle (PKW) registrations in Germany increased by 2.4% to 1,538,268 cars during the first half of 2014. The total vehicle market (Kraftfahrzeuge) increased by 3.1% to 1,811,243 vehicles.

Although car sales increased in Germany during the first semester of 2014, it should be born in mind that 2013 saw the worst car sales in Germany in two decades. The first half of 2013 was particularly weak. During the first six months of 2012, the German car market was more than 100,000 cars bigger than in 2014.

The number of electric cars registered in Germany during the first six months of 2014 increased to 4,188 cars from 2,389 electric cars registered during the first half of 2013. Electric cars now have a 0.3% share of the German new car market.

According to the VDA, car production in Germany during the first half of 2014 increased by 6% to 2,909,600 with export increasing by 7% to 2,240,300 cars.

Best-Selling Car Manufacturers in Germany in 2014 (First Half)

The 30 best-selling car makes in Germany during the first semester of 2014 according to car sales statistics released by the KBA were as follows:

Car Brand 2014 (First Half) % Market Share % Change
1 VW 323 474 21 -0.5
2 Mercedes 136 615 8.9 -3.6
3 Audi 133 751 8.7 4.3
4 BMW 119 619 7.8 0.7
5 Opel 112 923 7.3 6.9
6 Ford 108 548 7.1 9.8
7 Skoda 88 198 5.7 14
8 Renault 53 574 3.5 9.5
9 Hyundai 48 383 3.1 -5.3
10 Seat 45 630 3 10.3
11 Fiat 37 168 2.4 -0.6
12 Toyota 35 218 2.3 -2.8
13 Nissan 32 250 2.1 22.8
14 Mazda 28 542 1.9 22.3
15 Peugeot 28 497 1.9 2.5
16 Kia 27 699 1.8 -4.6
17 Citroen 27 416 1.8 3.9
18 Dacia 25 706 1.7 9.5
19 Mini 15 764 1 -12.5
20 Volvo 15 562 1 6.3
21 Suzuki 13 773 0.9 6.1
22 Porsche 12 687 0.8 7.1
23 Smart 12 645 0.8 -16.8
24 Honda 10 812 0.7 -10
25 Mitsubishi 10 241 0.7 -8
26 Land Rover 8 032 0.5 16.2
27 Chevrolet 4 999 0.3 -62.6
28 Jeep 4 041 0.3 33.3
29 Subaru 3 249 0.2 -31.4
30 Jaguar 2 612 0.2 16.8
Total 1 538 268 100 2.4

Source: Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt

Best-Selling Carmakers in Germany in 2014 (Half Year)

Despite flat sales, Volkswagen easily remained the largest carmaker in Germany from January to June 2014. VW has more than a fifth of the German new car market and a weak performance by the Wolfsburg carmaker always weigh heavily on overall figures.

Mercedes-Benz remained the second most-popular car brand in Germany during the first semester of 2014. However, Mercedes sales were down in a growing market costing the Stuttgart company half a percentage point in market share.

Audi enjoyed strong sales during the first half of 2014 and nearly caught up with Mercedes-Benz. BMW similarly maintained its fourth place despite flat sales.

Opel and Ford maintained the fifth and sixth places but for the first time in years, both companies had strong positive growth.

The last four places on the top-ten list of best-selling car marques in Germany during the first six months of 2014 were again taken by imported brands. VW-owned Skoda remained the strongest import car brand in Germany. Skoda and VW-owned Seat both had double-digit growth.

A resurgent Renault took eighth place from Hyundai, which saw sales slipping. Sister-brand Kia dropped three places.

A few other salient features from the first semester 2014 car sales figures in Germany:

  • Jeep was the most-improved brand but the overall units remain low.
  • Nissan and Mazda saw the second and third strongest increases in sales.
  • British-marques Land Rover and Jaguar continued to gain market share in Germany.
  • The worst performers were Chevrolet, which is withdrawing from the European market, and Subaru, which often sees wild swings.
  • Smart and Mini saw sales much weaker, in large part due to important model changes this year.

The VW Golf easily maintained its traditional position as Germany’s favorite car.

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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.