Volkswagen remains at the top of the table as Europe’s best-selling car brand during 2007, although new-car sales of 133,857 units in April represent a 3,301 unit decrease on the same month last year for the brand. Renault also remains in second position, followed by Opel/Vauxhall and Ford, which recorded a 0.6% rise during April and increase of 1.8% year-to-date.
Peugeot saw new-car sales rise by 1.3% in April thanks to strong sales of the 207 which helped maintain its position as the fifth best performing brand throughout Europe.
Other brands that recorded a rise in sales last month (April) were Fiat, Toyota, Audi, Skoda, Honda, Suzuki, Volvo and Kia, largely due to new model variants entering the market.
Despite the slump in its new-car market, Germany recorded the highest sales in April with 264,871 units sold. This is a significant change in fortunes for a market which has suffered in recent months. Italy took second place with 206,743 units, France in third place with 172,754, Great Britain in fourth place with 170,163 and Spain in fifth position with 121,359 new car units sold.
Top 10 performing brands - April 2007
1. Volkswagen: 133,857 (-2.4%); 531,246 (-4.3%)
2. Renault: 105,731 (-13.4%); 416,900 (-12.3%)
3. Opel/Vauxhall: 103,688 (-4.7%); 467,717 (-0.5%)
4. Ford: 97,834 (+0.6%); 463,007 (+1.8%)
5. Peugeot: 92,117 (+1.3%); 391,658 (-1.4%)
6. Fiat: 82,231 (+8.9%); 347,893 (+6.1%)
7. Citroen: 75,024 (-3.1%); 331,565 (-1.3%)
8. Toyota: 71,878 (+0.1%); 324,627 (+9.7%)
9. Mercedes-Benz: 58,011 (-0.3%); 241,336 (-1.0%)
10. Audi: 56,770 (+7.4%); 226,498 (+4.9%)
Sales of the Peugeot 207 increased dramatically during April, recording a 373.2% increase on the same month last year, from 7,874 units to 37,260 in 2007. This can be explained by the limited availability of the model during 2006, its introductory year. Positioned at fifth place during March (2007), the Peugeot 207 is now at the top of the table in first place.
The Renault Clio also marked a significant hike from eighth position to second, Volkswagen Golf from seventh to third, Fiat Punto from sixth to fourth, Ford Focus from first to fifth, Volkswagen Passat from tenth up to ninth. The arrival of the Renault Scenic / Grand Scenic at tenth position pushes BMW’s 3-Series out of the top 10.
Many manufacturers benefited from the registration plate change in the UK during March, which as a core European market for the volume brands always has influence on overall sales figures. Therefore, it is no surprise to see that Opel/Vauxhall and Ford have both seen a reduction in new-car registrations during April as the market settles back into a more typical trading pattern.
The Opel/Vauxhall Astra, moves down four places to sixth position and the Corsa down from fourth to seventh. Ford’s Fiesta also lost ground, dropping from third down to eighth in the table.
Other new models performing well in the European market during April include the Toyota Auris, Citroen C4 Picasso, Fiat Bravo, Ford S-Max, Nissan Qashqai, Kia Cee’d, Skoda Roomster, Volkswagen Eos, Volvo C30, Chevrolet Captiva, Suzuki SX4, Fiat Sedici, Opel Antara, Dodge Caliber and Audi Q7.
Top 10 performing models - April 2007
1. Peugeot 207: 37,260 (+373.2%); 152,638 (+1630.2%)
2. Renault Clio: 35,241 (-12.5%); 145,147 (-7.3%)
3. Volkswagen Golf: 34,879 (-2.6%); 137,190 (-1.9%)
4. Fiat Punto: 34,310 (+2.5%); 150,035 (-3.6%)
5. Ford Focus: 32,988 (+2.4%); 146,555 (-4.9%)
6. Opel/Vauxhall Astra: 31,732 (-11.0%); 139,718 (-9.3%)
7. Opel/Vauxhall Corsa: 30,048 (+40.7%); 148,339 (+55.6%)
8. Ford Fiesta: 29,190 (+7.1%); 134,614 (+2.0%)
9. Volkswagen Passat: 25,184 (-7.5%); 105,178 (-9.0%)
10. Renault Scenic/Grand Scenic: 23,060 (-1.2%); 88,412 (-3.9%)
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