Analysis of 2011 new car Market in Europe

Jan 25 2012

The best sellers in the European market during 2011 remained the Volkswagen Polo and Volkswagen Golf models.  This is according to an analysis of 2011 sales figures by Jato Dynamics.

Despite a drop of 1.6% in sales, the Volkswagen Golf remained the top seller in Europe.  The second place was taken up by the Volkswagen Polo, and the Ford Fiesta came third.  In the process Volkswagen was able to increase its market share significantly.  The Volkswagen Passat and Ford Focus also did well last year, with sales increases of 46.5% and 7% respectively.

The only one of the Big Five European countries to show an increase in total car sales last year was Germany, where sales increased by 8.8 percent.  Premium German car brands did not only sell better in Germany, but also in the UK and in France.

The ongoing financial and economic woes of Europe had a negative impact on sales in many south European markets, including those of Portugal, Greece and Spain.

The Baltic markets saw substantial growth during 2011, with sales in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania rising 72.5%, 65.8% and 66.0% respectively.

If one looks at the sales figures for the top ten car brands, it is interesting to note that the four brands that were able to remain stable or even increase their sales during 2011 were all German: BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes Benz and Audi.

Jato’s Vice President of Research, Gareth Hession, said “Germany is clearly leading Europe in terms of a market for new cars as well as manufacturing models which appeal to consumers across the region.”

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