2009 Full Year Best-Selling New Cars in Switzerland

List of the Top 20 Most-Sold Auto Makes & Models on the Swiss Market

Volkswagen, Audi and Renault were the best-selling car brands in Switzerland in 2009. The VW Golf and Skoda Octavia were the Swiss favorite car models.

© Volkswagen Media Services

Volkswagen remained Switzerland’s favorite car manufacturer in Switzerland in 2009. The VW Golf also maintained its traditional position as the best-selling car model in Switzerland. Skoda entered the list of the top ten best-selling cars in Switzerland in 2009 at the expense of Fiat.

In 2009, Switzerland’s new passenger vehicle registrations declined by  7.8% to 266,018 – a relatively small decline compared to other European markets, even though Switzerland offered no incentives to replace older cars.

Top 20 Best-Selling Car Makes & Brands in Switzerland, 2009

According to car sales statistics published by Auto Schweiz, the list of the top twenty most-sold car manufacturers in Switzerland in 2009 was:

  • Car Manufacturer … Cars Sold … % Market Share … % Change from 2008
  1. Volkswagen … 29,487 … 11.1 … -8.4
  2. Audi … 16,793 … 6.3 … -1.0
  3. Renault … 15,052 … 5.7 … 3.2
  4. Ford … 14,535 … 5.5 … -1.6
  5. BMW … 14,288 … 5.4 … -11.4
  6. Opel … 14,091 … 5.3 … -24.5
  7. Toyota … 13,955 … 5.2 … -8.3
  8. Peugeot … 11,806 … 4.4 … -13.9
  9. Mercedes … 11,706 … 4.4 … -15.9
  10. Skoda … 11,611 … 4.4 … 4.3
  11. Citroën … 11,458 … 4.3 … 15.9
  12. Fiat … 11,424 … 4.3 … -19.1
  13. Subaru … 8,408 … 3.2 … -2.6
  14. Honda … 8,289 … 3.1 … 3.4
  15. Mazda … 8,207 … 3.1 … -8.7
  16. Volvo … 7,128 … 2.7 … -2.1
  17. Suzuki … 6,777 … 2.5 … 4.3
  18. Seat … 6,378 … 2.4 … -3.8
  19. Nissan … 5,921 … 2.2 … -9.3
  20. Hyundai … 5,761 … 2.2 … -0.6

Top-Selling Car Manufacturers in Switzerland in 2009

The only new entrant on the top-ten list of best-selling car brands in Switzerland in 2009 was Skoda while Fiat slipped to twelfth place. Volkswagen sold almost double the number of cars in Switzerland in 2009 than second-placed Audi. Opel sold almost 25% fewer cars in Switzerland in 2009 and slipped from second place in 2008 to only sixth in 2009

Of the top ten best-selling car manufacturers in Switzerland, only Renault and Volkswagen-owned Skoda increased the number of cars sold in 2009. Eleventh-placed Citroen (+15.9%) was the most-improved car brand on the Swiss market in 2009 while Opel (-24.5%), Fiat (-19.1%), and Mercedes (-15.9%) lost the most on the Swiss market in 2009.

The Top 20 Best-Selling Car Models in Switzerland in 2009

The list of the top twenty most popular car models in Switzerland in 2009, as calculated by Auto Schweiz is:

  • Car Make & Model … Cars Sold in Switzerland in 2009
  1. VW Golf … 9,726
  2. Skoda Octavia … 7,704
  3. Audi A4 … 5,589
  4. BMW 3 Series … 5,426
  5. Audi A3 … 4,396
  6. VW Passat … 4,232
  7. Fiat 500 … 4,136
  8. Ford Fiesta … 3,945
  9. Peugeot 207 … 3,893
  10. VW Polo … 3,775
  11. VW Tiguan … 3,648
  12. Mini Mini … 3,647
  13. Honda Jazz … 3,581
  14. VW Touran … 3,440
  15. Renault Clio … 3,420
  16. Ford Focus … 3,403
  17. Renault Mégane … 3,256
  18. BMW 1 Series … 3,206
  19. Opel Corsa … 3,142
  20. Seat Ibiza … 3,031

The Volkswagen Golf remained Switzerland’s favorite car, while the Skoda Octavia was again the second most popular car on the Swiss car market. The Volkswagen Group domination of the Swiss best-sellers list continued with six of the top-ten best-selling cars from the VW stable and 9 of the top twenty. As usual, the Volkswagen Golf was again the best-selling car model in Germany in 2009 and Volkswagen the largest car manufacturer and leading car brand in Europe.

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.