JATO Dynamics releases Europe's best brands and models for the first half of 2015, no surprise here.

• European new-car sales grew 8.4% in H1 2015, 14.6% in June
• 25 of 29 countries recorded increased H1 2015 sales
• Volkswagen Golf, Ford Fiesta and Renault Clio were the best-selling cars for the first six months of the year

European new-car sales increased by 8.4% in the first half of 2015, reports JATO Dynamics, the world’s leading provider of automotive intelligence. Sales bounced back in June, with a rise of 14.6% compared to a year earlier, following a slowdown in sales during May.

JATO’s headline market analysis:

• Total car sales in H1 2015 were 7,410,510 units, the highest H1 sales since 2010
• Italy and Spain both recorded H1 2015 growth of more than 100,000 units
• All of the top ten models and top ten brands recorded higher H1 2015 sales

The European new-car market ended H1 2015 in good health, indicating that the slower sales in May being a downfall in an otherwise strong start to the year. 25 of the 29 markets studied showed H1 2015 growth, with four recording growth of over 20%.

Brian Walters, Vice President of Data at JATO Dynamics, commented: “Confidence in the European market last month was clearly well placed, as the car industry reported strong sales growth for the first half of the year in most markets.”

European Monthly Sales Volumes Year-on-Year Comparison

(Image file of graph also attached)

Volkswagen reinforced its position as the leading car brand in Europe, as it increased total H1 2015 sales by 9.1%. Renault took second place, with Ford in third. All the top ten brands recorded increased sales, with Mercedes-Benz and Renault achieving growth of more than 10%, benefitting from the success of modern products such as the latest Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Renault Captur.

Top Ten Brands

Make	Jun_15	Jun_14	% change Jun	Jun YtD_15	Jun YtD_14	% change YtD
VOLKSWAGEN	166,424	141,274	+17.8%	899,715	824,553	+9.1%
RENAULT	110,979	105,504	+5.2%	516,721	468,000	+10.4%
FORD	104,969	91,595	+14.6%	548,283	515,229	+6.4%
OPEL/VAUXHALL	101,815	93,297	+9.1%	498,789	473,224	+5.4%
PEUGEOT	84,887	75,034	+13.1%	449,120	421,652	+6.5%
AUDI	75,458	64,394	+17.2%	400,569	383,465	+4.5%
BMW	72,050	64,390	+11.9%	372,241	345,327	+7.8%
MERCEDES	70,137	59,970	+17.0%	371,643	333,593	+11.4%
FIAT	65,257	57,467	+13.6%	353,072	324,267	+8.9%
SKODA	60,700	52,577	+15.4%	319,293	299,257	+6.7%

New products have also driven increased sales for many brands outside the top ten, with Jeep, Lamborghini, smart, Infiniti and SsangYong all reporting strong growth in H1 2015.

The Volkswagen Golf remained Europe’s best-selling car in H1 2015, with sales up 2.2% for the half year, although this represents a slight reduction in market share. Behind the Golf, four B-segment models, the Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Polo, Renault Clio, and Opel/Vauxhall Corsa took the next four places.

The biggest volume increase in the top ten was recorded by the new Volkswagen Passat, which rose 39.3% in H1 2015 compared to its predecessor’s performance a year ago.

Beyond the top ten the trend is much the same, as most models recorded increased sales, but the greatest increases were achieved by new or revised models, such as the Ford Mondeo, Renault Twingo, and Peugeot 308. Of particular note are the increased sales of small crossover models, both new and longer-established, such as the Renault Captur, Opel/Vauxhall Mokka, Peugeot 2008, Nissan Juke, Citroën C4 Cactus, Fiat 500X and Suzuki Vitara.

Top Ten Models

Make & Model	Jun_15	Jun_14	% change Jun	Jun YtD_15	Jun YtD_14	% change YtD
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF	49,555	43,725	+13.3%	275,848	270,012	+2.2%
FORD FIESTA	33,646	27,509	+22.3%	173,999	167,889	+3.6%
VOLKSWAGEN POLO	31,063	22,567	+37.6%	158,952	140,445	+13.2%
RENAULT CLIO	30,821	34,680	-11.1%	165,841	162,619	+2.0%
OPEL/VAUXHALL CORSA	27,133	26,943	+0.7%	150,943	133,753	+12.9%
FORD FOCUS	25,031	21,714	+15.3%	127,799	121,494	+5.2%
RENAULT CAPTUR	23,942	20,911	+14.5%	107,453	87,340	+23.0%
PEUGEOT 208	23,092	19,390	+19.1%	120,786	119,599	+1.0%
NISSAN QASHQAI	22,899	19,291	+18.7%	124,782	110,375	+13.1%
VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT	21,698	14,757	+47.0%	111,285	79,892	+39.3%

“Following this strong first-half performance across a diverse range of brands and models, the industry is well placed for a successful second half of the year,” Brian Walters concluded.