Volkswagen and the Golf tops European sales for brand and model for year to date (YTD)

• May 2014 sales up 4.3% on the same month last year
• Year-to-date volumes up 6.2% compared with 2013
• The ’big 5’ markets have all grown this year, together accounting for sales of over four million cars

According to the latest analysis from JATO Dynamics, the world’s leading provider of automotive intelligence, European demand for new cars continues to grow steadily, with year-on-year sales increasing for an ninth consecutive month. At the end of May volumes were up 4.3% on 2013, and year-to-date volumes were 6.2% higher than the same period last year.

JATO’s headline market analysis:

• Sales of new cars have grown in 24 of the 30 European markets covered for the year so far
• Eight of the top 10 brands record year-on-year sales increases for May
• Sales of the Renault Clio are up by more than 22.6% for May, as Renault’s recovery in 2014 continues

European new car sales continue to be strengthened by growth in the ‘big 5’ markets, all of which have seen registrations increase year-to-date. This growth has been particularly strong in Spain and Great Britain, up 17.5% and 11.6% respectively. Both countries also performed well in May, with volumes in Spain up 18.1% and sales in Great Britain up 7.7% on 2013. Italy was the only country within the ‘big 5’ to record a year-on-year fall in sales during May, with volumes down 3.6%. The German market returned to growth, up 5.2% year-on-year, while sales in France also rose slightly, up by 0.3%.

Overall, year-on-year sales increased in 21 of the 30 European markets during May, and 24 markets have recorded growth for the year-to-date. Performance amongst the medium-sized markets was mixed during May. Notable sales increases in countries including Denmark (+14.8%), Poland (+7.3%) and Sweden (+7.3%) were offset by decreases in Belgium (-3.5%), Switzerland (-6.5%) and Austria (-7.2%).

European Monthly Sales Volumes Year-on-Year Comparison

All of the top 10 brands increased their sales year-to-date, with eight brands recording year-on-year growth during May, Ford (-2.4%) and Fiat (-5.0 %) being the exceptions.

Volkswagen (+4.4%) still holds a healthy lead as Europe’s top selling brand despite losing some of its market share, with Ford (-2.4%) and Opel/Vauxhall (+5.7%) taking second and third spots respectively.

Renault’s impressive progress since the turn of the year shows no signs of slowing down. The fourth best-selling European brand is the only one in the top 10 to achieve double-digit growth both for the month (+15.7%) and the year-to-date (+11.7%).

Outside the top 10, Skoda (+20.3%), Seat (+20.0%) and Dacia (+24.3%) all recorded impressive growth for the month. May was also a good month for Nissan (+8.0%) and Toyota (+6.0%).

Top 10 Brands

Make	May 14	May 13	% change May	May YtD 14	May YtD 13	% change YtD
VOLKSWAGEN	144,545	138,424	+4.4%	684,527	664,388	+3.0%
FORD	84,996	87,116	-2.4%	424,317	395,663	+7.2%
OPEL/VAUXHALL	79,840	75,565	+5.7%	378,591	352,578	+7.4%
RENAULT	71,461	61,738	+15.7%	363,363	325,222	+11.7%
PEUGEOT	68,911	65,958	+4.5%	347,110	321,725	+7.9%
AUDI	66,459	63,844	+4.1%	318,980	301,121	+5.9%
MERCEDES	58,073	55,151	+5.3%	273,688	263,634	+3.8%
BMW	55,524	55,060	+0.8%	280,588	268,124	+4.6%
CITROEN	54,657	52,626	+3.9%	274,054	262,879	+4.3%
FIAT	54,606	57,468	-5.0%	266,344	264,353	+0.8%

Volkswagen’s Golf remains a strong seller. Growth of 16.1% for the month and 15.7% for the year-to-date have helped Europe’s best-selling model to further increase its market share.

Audi’s A3 series and Skoda’s Octavia matched the Golf in achieving double-digit growth for both the month and the year-to-date. Renault’s Clio earned second place (+22.6%) in the top 10 models, while Ford’s Fiesta (+1.0%) was third. Sales of the fourth-placed Opel/Vauxhall Corsa (-4.3%) and fifth-placed Volkswagen Polo (-4.7%) both declined in May compared to the same month in 2013.

A number of new models outside of the top 10 recorded particularly strong sales for the month, including the new versions of the Peugeot 308 (+77.3%), Seat Leon (+76.4%) and Citroen C3 (+62.2%). Small crossovers have also increased their market share, with strong demand driving high year-on-year growth in sales of the Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008 and Opel Mokka.

Top 10 Models

Make & Model	May 14	May 13	% change May	May YtD 14	May YtD 13	% change YtD
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF	47,202	40,662	+16.1%	227,166	196,336	+15.7%
RENAULT CLIO	27,205	22,195	+22.6%	128,130	123,856	+3.5%
FORD FIESTA	26,875	26,613	+1.0%	140,958	127,836	+10.3%
OPEL/VAUXHALL CORSA	21,507	22,466	-4.3%	106,837	105,778	+1.0%
VOLKSWAGEN POLO	20,941	21,985	-4.7%	117,987	116,388	+1.4%
AUDI A3/S3/RS3	18,620	15,532	+19.9%	87,560	65,527	+33.6%
FORD FOCUS	18,522	20,362	-9.0%	99,852	100,282	-0.4%
PEUGEOT 208	18,075	23,081	-21.7%	100,190	114,168	-12.2%
SKODA OCTAVIA	17,785	11,299	+57.4%	87,698	60,925	+43.9%
OPEL/VAUXHALL ASTRA	17,370	17,080	+1.7%	78,083	84,416	-7.5%

Gareth Hession, Vice President of Research at JATO Dynamics, commented: “With steady year-on-year growth during May the industry has now recorded good news for nine months in a row. All the indicators suggest that we are heading for a fourth consecutive quarter of growth in the European new car market - a very significant and encouraging milestone.”