Car sales statistics for Greece in 2011 reflect the dire state of the Greek economy. Toyota, Opel and Volkswagen were the top brands in a very weak market.
The best-selling car manufacturers and brands in Greece in 2011 were Toyota, Opel, and Volkswagen. New passenger vehicle registrations in Greece were sharply down with almost a third fewer new cars sold on the Greek automobile market in 2011 compared to 2010. Of the top 30 brands, only Mini (+6%) registered positive growth.
The total Greek new passenger car market in 2011 was 97,682 cars, down 31% from 2010. Car sales in 2011 were only 36% of what it was on average per year between 2004 and 2009.
Best-Selling Car Brands and Makes in Greece 2007-2011
According to car sales statistics released by the AMVIR, new passenger vehicle registrations in Greece were as follows:
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | Average 04-09 | ||
| Rank 2011 | TOTAL | 279,794 | 257,242 | 220,548 | 141,499 | 97,682 | 265,312 |
| 1 | Toyota | 27,701 | 26,468 | 21,007 | 16,716 | 12,128 | 24,849 |
| 2 | Opel | 23,325 | 20,863 | 17,245 | 13,003 | 11,440 | 20,781 |
| 3 | Volkswagen | 22,056 | 21,068 | 18,745 | 12,936 | 9,466 | 20,108 |
| 4 | Ford | 19,059 | 15,752 | 15,572 | 10,165 | 6,427 | 18,061 |
| 5 | Fiat | 11,770 | 14,012 | 11,106 | 9,135 | 5,816 | 12,310 |
| 6 | Nissan | 11,046 | 11,789 | 11,849 | 6,732 | 5,687 | 11,736 |
| 7 | Hyundai | 17,282 | 18,610 | 12,069 | 9,432 | 4,885 | 19,573 |
| 8 | Skoda | 10,434 | 9,898 | 8,786 | 7,420 | 4,688 | 9,436 |
| 9 | Citroen | 14,030 | 9,839 | 5,524 | 6,137 | 3,609 | 11,844 |
| 10 | Peugeot | 12,642 | 10,350 | 7,657 | 5,066 | 3,419 | 11,785 |
| 11 | Suzuki | 14,797 | 13,680 | 12,731 | 6,466 | 3,103 | 12,754 |
| 12 | Seat | 9,102 | 9,223 | 6,685 | 3,799 | 3,029 | 9,877 |
| 13 | Audi | 6,175 | 6,888 | 7,904 | 3,141 | 2,513 | 6,552 |
| 14 | Kia | 8,338 | 7,809 | 5,229 | 2,418 | 2,328 | 7,346 |
| 15 | Mercedes | 8,782 | 8,797 | 8,802 | 3,149 | 2,078 | 8,412 |
| 16 | BMW | 8,128 | 8,069 | 6,509 | 2,870 | 2,021 | 7,142 |
| 17 | Chevrolet | 7,017 | 5,136 | 3,197 | 2,986 | 1,860 | 4,895 |
| 34 | Porsche | 562 | 467 | 424 | 98 | 37 | 470 |
| Ferrari | 21 | 18 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
Source: SEEA
The Greek Passenger Car Market 2007 to 2011
The collapse in the Greek automobile market reflects the dire state of the Greek economy as a whole. The average annual new passenger vehicle registrations in Greece between 2004 and 2009 were 265,312 cars. In 2010, only 141,499 cars were sold and in 2011 the figure was a further 31% down.
Toyota, Opel, and Volkswagen have been the top-three most popular car brands in Greece for the previous five years. Although these three remain the best-selling car brands in Greece, sales in 2011 were around half the average pre-crisis figures.
For many other brands, sales are now about a third of what it used to be. Premium and luxury German brands Mercedes-Benz and BMW sold only about a quarter of the number of cars they used to sell in Greece.
More Porsches than Rich Taxpayers in Greece?
The figures for Porsche were added for fun following the claims that there are more Porsche Cayennes in Greece than taxpayers admitting to earning more than €50,000 per year. (According to the BBC, over 300,000 Greeks declared such high incomes in 2010, while Porsche admits to selling only around 1,500 Cayennes in total in Greece.) Porsche sales in 2011 were less than a tenth of the long-run average while rich Greeks presumably now leave their new Ferraris offshore.
