WORLDWIDE SALES - Infiniti continues to grow with the help of the new Q30 & QX30 to produce record sales.

• Europe: August sales up by 88% compared to August 2015 and 169% year-to-date compared to same period 2015
• EMEA: August sales up by 5% compared to August 2015, and 44% year-to-date compared to same period 2015
• Q30: the volume maker for the brand across EMEA with 7,513 units sold since January
• Record global year-to-date sales with 145,000 cars sold

Infiniti continues its strong momentum when it sold 616 vehicles in Europe in August, almost twice as many as in August of the previous year. Year-to-date the car manufacturer sold 11,386 cars on European soil – corresponding to an increase of 169% compared to the same period of last year. 

Across the competitive EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) region 1,499 Infiniti cars were sold in August – 5% more than in August 2015, and 19,927 this year so far. Strongest model in the entire EMEA region was again the Infiniti Q30, of which 7,513 have been sold since January.

In the UK, 2,241 Infiniti cars have been registered in 2016 so far – compared to January till August of 2015 this shows an increase of 186%.

In France, 2,637 Infiniti cars have been sold across the country this year – an increase of 251% in comparison to the same period of the year before. In Germany, since January 1,529 customers chose a new Infiniti – an increase of 144%. 

Infiniti in Italy was able to sell 1,404 cars since the start of the year, more than six times as many as in the same time frame of 2015.

“We are very happy with our recent sales results. These highlight the trust that customers have in our vehicles. 

With the QX30 premium active crossover, the newly upgraded Q50 sports saloon and the all-new Q60 premium sports coupe, we are confident to drive further sales increases and to continue our success in Europe”, said François Goupil de Bouillé, Vice President of Infiniti Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Worldwide Infiniti sold 145,000 vehicles, an increase of 6% versus the same period in 2015. This marks an all-time record for the company. In the month of August, more than 17,150 cars were sold, up 2% versus August 2015 representing the best ever August result.

Infiniti sales up by 165% in Europe resp. 42% in EMEA in July, and 176% resp. 45% year-to-date

• Infiniti sales up by 165% in Europe resp. 42% in EMEA in July, and 176% resp. 45% year-to-date
• Q30: the volume maker for the brand across continent with 644 units sold in July and more than 7,000 since January 

Infiniti continues its strong momentum when it sold 1,235 vehicles in Europe in July, almost three times as many as in July of the previous year. Year-to-date the car manufacturer sold 10,770 cars on European soil – corresponding to an increase of 176%. 

Across the competitive EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) region 2,254  Infiniti cars were sold in July – 42% more than in July 2015, and 18,505 this year so far.

Strongest model in the entire EMEA region was again the Infiniti Q30, of which 683 units were sold in July and 7,124 since January.

In Europe, Infiniti was most successful in France: Sales went up to 337 vehicles – more than three times as many as in July 2015. During this year, 2,527 Infiniti cars have been sold across the country so far – an increase of 259% in comparison to the same period of the year before. 

With 247 cars sold, Infiniti in Germany was able to more than triple its sales comparing to July 2015. Furthermore, since January 1,455 cars were sold. In the UK*, 183 cars were sold in July, which corresponds to an increase of 101%. 

During this year, 2,079 Infiniti cars have been sold across the country – an increase of 198% in comparison to the same period of the year before. In Italy, 167 customers have bought a new Infiniti in July. 

Since January, 1,286 cars were sold in Italy, more than five times as much as in the same time frame of 2015, when 216 cars were sold there.

“The results highlight once again the trust that customers have in our vehicles”, said François Goupil de Bouillé, Vice President of Infiniti Europe, Middle East and Africa. 

“We are confident to continue on the road of success, particularly with our all-new premium active crossover QX30, which we have recently launched across Europe – a car that is as much at home in the city as it is outside of urban environments, inspiring confidence with its ‘ready-to-go-anywhere’ attitude.”

*The above figures are internal sales numbers.

Registration figures for the UK, according to the SMMT, are as follows –

July = 399 vehicles, up 191% on July 2015 (137)

YTD = 1964 vehicles, up 163% on YTD 2015 (746) 

EUROPEAN SALES MARCH - Infiniti sales increase by nearly 200% in the first Quarter and by 126% in March.

• Fastest growing UK automotive brand in 2016 – registrations up by 126% year on year
• First quarter European retail sales pass 6,000 cars, a 192 % increase year-on-year
• In March, Europe sales grow 232% to more than 3,900 cars
• Game changer – nearly 4,000 Q30s sold in the first quarter
• Record number of dealership openings – footprint grown by 33%
• First-ever Infiniti network of Authorised Service Partners

Infiniti, in Western Europe, has made its largest ever footprint increase since it began trading in 2008. The premium car manufacturer has announced record business results for the European markets for March and for the first quarter of 2016. 

More than 3,900 cars have been sold in Western Europe during March, a record month with an increase of 232% compared to March 2015. During the first quarter, the brand sold more than 6,000 vehicles across the continent, almost three times as much as in the same time period of the previous year. 

The strongest contributor to this result has been Q30, the all-new Infiniti premium active compact.

Throughout EMEA (Europe, Russia, Middle East and Africa), Infiniti sold almost 10,000 vehicles, up 51% from Q1 of 2015. In line with the growth in sales, the company established more new dealerships at a record pace. In the last twelve months Infiniti opened 25 new Centres.

Best sales growth in history

In March and during the first quarter of 2016 Infiniti UK is the fastest growing brand in the country, according to the recent registration figures released from the SMMT. In March the brand increased its volume by 153% month on month and by 125% year on year, more than any other vehicle manufacturer in the UK across both periods.      

In France, retail* sales went up to 1,359 cars in the first three months of 2016 versus 345 in the respective period of 2015. During the month of March, almost 1,000 Infiniti cars were sold in in France, nearly five times as many as in March 2015.

From January to March, Infiniti in Germany has almost tripled retail* sales up to 863 in the first three months of 2016. In the Italian market, 570 vehicles were sold year-to-date. The Middle East is among the most successful regions for Infiniti globally, with more than 2,400 vehicles sold in the last three months, which accounted for the best ever sales figures for three consecutive months in Infiniti Middle East’s history.  

Q30, the strongest contributor

Q30 has demonstrated its game changer capabilities, being the bestselling Infiniti model in the region since its market introduction. In the first quarter of 2016, the UK was the strongest Q30 market with almost 1,000* vehicles sold, followed by France where nearly 800 Q30s found customers. In Germany as well as in Italy more than 500 models of the Infiniti premium active compact car have been sold so far. Nonetheless, Q50 keeps being popular. Infiniti sold almost 10% more of its premium sports saloon from January to March than in the same time period of the year before, putting more than 1,300 cars on the continent’s roads.

Record extension of Infiniti network

In the last twelve months the company opened 25 new Infiniti Centres – more than ever before in a single year. Infiniti in France is currently leading the list, offering its cars through a network of 20 dealerships across the country. In the UK two new outlets have recently commenced trading in Cambridge and Bristol making the total up to 11 centres across the country plus two retail outlets in Westfield London and Stratford. In addition to this – starting from zero – Infiniti has signed up a European-wide network of Authorised Service Partners in the last 52 weeks. The first one in the UK is now operating in Exeter. As such, 38 Service Points ensure customers a quick and reliable assistance and repair service.

François Goupil de Bouillé, Vice President of Infiniti Europe, Middle East and Africa emphasizes: “We are very proud to have almost tripled our sales in Europe in the first quarter and nearly reached the 10,000 sales mark in our entire EMEA region. Infiniti is becoming a serious contender in the European premium automotive market. Our Q30 premium active compact has initiated a period of accelerated growth with new models, like QX30 active crossover, the upgraded Q50 saloon and the brand-new Q60 sports coupe, joining the portfolio this year.”

Globally, Infiniti ended the first quarter of 2016 with exceptionally strong sales numbers. In March the brand achieved an all-time record by selling more than 24,900 vehicles globally, an increase of 22% over March 2015. This marks the 19^th consecutive month with global year-on-year growth. In the first quarter, Infiniti sold more than 57,200 vehicles, which surpasses the first quarter of 2015 by 9%. It is the best ever first quarter in Infiniti’s history worldwide.

Volvo's best seller, the XC60, continues to grow in sales, and has become the best seller in it's segment.

The Volvo XC60 was the most sold midsize SUV in Europe in 2015, according to independent figures compiled by automotive research firm JATO.

This landmark is another indicator of Volvo Cars’ ongoing transformation and growth story. It also highlights the lasting appeal of the elegant and adaptable XC60, which has been Volvo’s best-selling model since 2009.

The leading position for the XC60 comes as the SUV segment emerged for the first time as the most popular car segment in Europe in 2015, according to JATO. The XC60 has allowed Volvo to compete head-on with and beat its German competitors in the segment, one of the most competitive in the market.

Europe is Volvo Cars’ most important sales region, representing more than half of the company’s total global sales.

The XC60 was launched in 2008 and has recorded steadily improving sales figures every year since. Now in its ninth year of production, the XC60 remains relentlessly popular among car buyers and over 750,000 units have been sold since its introduction.

In 2012, the car breached the 100,000 mark for the first time and in 2015 almost 160,000 XC60s were sold around the globe. The most important markets for the XC60 in 2015 were China, the United States and Sweden. Within Europe, the XC60 has also proven to be highly popular in key markets such as Germany, the United Kingdom and France.

2008	6 954
2009	61 667
2010	80 723
2011	97 183
2012	106 203
2013	114 010
2014	136 993
2015	159 617

JATO announces that the SUV segment became the biggest sector of all in the last year.

• SUV registrations led the way and outsold the traditional segments
• Small SUVs contributed to the growth, exceeding 1.2 million units
• Subcompacts and Compacts registrations underperformed
• MPVs, large and luxury sedans suffered the biggest losses in 2015

European new car registrations went up by 9.3% in 2015, driven by an SUV boom that contributed to a big part of the total growth. For the first time in the history of European car sales, SUVs led the way, outselling the traditional subcompact and compact segments, posting an increase of 24% at 3.2 million units. 

Their market share grew from 19.8% in 2014 to 22.5% in 2015, leaving the subcompacts in second position with 22.0% share, and the compacts segment third with 20.6%. These vehicles along with the mid-size sedans/SW and sports cars were the only segments to gain market share in 2015. 

THE SUV SEGMENT LED THE WAY

The SUV growth was in part possible thanks to the outstanding results of the small SUVs, which contributed almost 38% of total SUV segment registrations in 2015. Their volume increased by 38% over 2014, exceeding, for the first time, the one million unit mark at 1.2 million. 

Despite their strong growth, they were still behind the compact SUVs, which accounted for 40% of the total at 1.28 million units. Small SUVs growth rate was also outperformed by the 42% increase posted by the mid-size SUVs, which totalled 470,400 units. 

The large SUVs came last with 243,000 units, up by 27% on 2014’s results. SUV registrations grew in all of the 29 countries analysed, with the UK posting the highest volume increase from 501,200 units in 2014 to 630,400 in 2015. Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Croatia and Greece all posted more than 40% growth.

In terms of brands, Nissan led the way with more than 376,000 units and 11.8% market share, but its volume percentage growth underperformed the total segments. 

Once again Renault occupied second position but this time it managed to move faster than its closest competitors in 2014, partly because of the introduction of the new Kadjar that allowed it to post a total increase of 44%. 

As a result, it moved further ahead of Volkswagen whose registrations remained static (+1.4%). In terms of segment share, Fiat and its new 500X posted the highest gain, followed by Citroen and Jeep.

SUBCOMPACTS & COMPACTS

The B and C segments occupied the second and third position respectively, losing one position each. The subcompacts registrations totalled 3.12 million units, up by 5.8% over 2014’s volume. These cars were still the most popular in the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. 

The Volkswagen brand led this segment with a 10.5% share, closely followed by Renault at 10.4%, and Ford which placed its Fiesta as the best-selling of the segment. The best performers were Skoda (+18%), Mini (+44%), Mazda (+46%) and Mitsubishi (+35%).

Within the compacts, even if the Volkswagen Golf kept its position as the best-selling car in Europe, the overall segment lost market share as its volume only grew by 5.8% compared to 2014. The limited growth was the effect of very low increases coming from Germany, France and the UK, the three largest markets. 

The segment is clearly dominated by the Volkswagen brand, which is quite ahead of Ford and Skoda. Peugeot and Mercedes were the only other brands to post double-digit growth, while Nissan increased its registrations by 153%.

Through December, registrations of MPVs slid 1.8% becoming the top loser of the year. The 3.6% and 4.7% rise in Germany and Spain wasn’t enough to offset the declining sales in the UK (-17%), Italy (-4.6%) and France (-1.7%), the second largest market. 

Most of the fall came from the small MPVs whose volume slipped 11.5% compared to 2014, while the compact MPVs benefited from the arrival of BMW and its new 2-Series Active and Gran Tourer. 

Following the MPVs, the mid-size sedans/SW posted significant growth (+12.8%), outselling the city-cars, with 9.05% market share. The introduction of the new Volkswagen Passat and the good results of the Mercedes C-Class boosted sales.  

“Similar to the shift towards SUVs in the US car market, Europeans are clearly favouring these vehicles. In 2015 this segment drove most of the growth as more consumers moved away from the traditional segments and MPVs, towards SUVs and crossovers. Both economic and social factors such as the lower fuel prices and the growing appeal of SUVs’ benefits had a big influence on this sales boom” said Felipe Munoz, Global Automotive Analyst at JATO Dynamics.

European car sales continue to grow, With the Golf and Polo taking the top two spots.

• European new car sales grew 7.8% compared to February 2014
• All of the Big 5 markets recorded increased registrations in February
• Volkswagen’s Golf and Polo are the best-selling cars for the second month in a row

New car sales for the month of February were 7.8% higher than the same month in 2014, according to the latest new car sales analysis from JATO Dynamics, the world’s leading provider of automotive intelligence. Combined with the rise seen in January this means that the market is already 7.1% ahead of 2014 year-to-date.

JATO’s headline market analysis:

• Volkswagen’s Golf maintains its lead, with sales up 5.8% in February and 5.4% year-to-date, while the Polo retained second place for the month, up 7.2%
• Volkswagen, Renault and Ford were the best-selling brands in February
• 18 of the 29 markets covered recorded growth compared to February 2014

As in January, the five biggest markets in Europe (France, Germany, Great Britain Italy and Spain) recorded growth in the new car market compared to February 2015. Spain experienced the highest increase (up 22.2%) compared to the same month last year, while Italy and Great Britain also recorded double digit growth.

European Monthly Sales Volumes Year-on-Year Comparison

Volkswagen remains the market-leading brand, with Renault overtaking Ford for second position for both February and the year-to-date, with sales increases coming from the new Twingo and the Captur. All of the top 10 brands saw their volumes increase for the month, with BMW posting the strongest growth at 14.8% driven by the new 2-Series Active Tourer.

Outside the top 10 growth was also driven primarily by new models, with Nissan volumes up 26.8% for the month, SEAT up 20.9%, MINI up 33.4%, Mitsubishi up 45.1%, smart up 44.3% and Jeep up 186.2%.

Top 10 Brands

Make	Feb_15	Feb_14	% change Feb	Feb YtD_15	Feb YtD_14	% change YtD
VOLKSWAGEN	118,781	105,737	+12.3%	251,932	228,432	+10.3%
RENAULT	69,617	60,488	+15.1%	135,840	119,837	+13.4%
FORD	63,049	59,128	+6.6%	133,885	127,048	+5.4%
PEUGEOT	61,993	59,573	+4.1%	125,689	121,499	+3.4%
OPEL/VAUXHALL	59,658	56,861	+4.9%	123,236	112,238	+9.8%
AUDI	49,490	48,274	+2.5%	104,078	102,521	+1.5%
FIAT	48,306	46,304	+4.3%	95,958	92,140	+4.1%
BMW	48,278	42,069	+14.8%	99,972	90,918	+10.0%
MERCEDES	45,087	40,257	+12.0%	97,478	86,031	+13.3%
SKODA	43,548	40,215	+8.3%	87,960	83,572	+5.3%

The Volkswagen Golf remains the market leading model, with a 5.8% increase in February sales, followed by the Polo in second place with 7.2% more units sold following last year’s facelift. The Renault Clio (up 1.9%) took third place, ahead of the Ford Fiesta (down 1.5%) and Peugeot 208 (down 2.7%).

Volkswagen’s new Passat increased sales by 63.8% year-on-year compared to its predecessor last February, to record a year-to-date increase of 44.0%, making it the most improved performer across both measures among the top 10 models.

Outside the top 10, the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka recorded a 66.6% increase due to growing demand for small crossovers; while the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class increased sales by 53.4% compared to February 2014 the new Renault Twingo sold 132% more units than its predecessor managed in February 2014. 

However sales increases for the month were not limited to new or facelifted models, as demonstrated by the Fiat 500 (up 12.8%) and SEAT Ibiza (up 22.4%).

Top 10 Models

Make & Model	Feb_15	Feb_14	% change Feb	Feb YtD_15	Feb YtD_14	% change YtD
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF	36,292	34,292	+5.8%	77,414	73,463	+5.4%
VOLKSWAGEN POLO	21,495	20,059	+7.2%	45,102	42,808	+5.4%
RENAULT CLIO	21,406	21,005	+1.9%	43,355	42,049	+3.1%
FORD FIESTA	18,452	18,732	-1.5%	40,338	41,144	-2.0%
PEUGEOT 208	17,053	17,533	-2.7%	33,057	36,012	-8.2%
OPEL/VAUXHALL CORSA	16,719	16,816	-0.6%	37,970	31,030	+22.4%
SKODA OCTAVIA	16,407	14,700	+11.6%	33,701	31,631	+6.5%
VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT	15,711	9,590	+63.8%	30,639	21,278	+44.0%
NISSAN QASHQAI	15,682	13,100	+19.7%	33,903	25,885	+31.0%
AUDI A3/S3/RS3	14,036	12,690	+10.6%	29,507	28,328	+4.2%

“Car buyer confidence has remained strong across Europe through February,” commented Brian Walters, Vice President of Data at JATO Dynamics. “New models have brought customers into showrooms, and attractive offers have maintained demand for many existing models. We wait to see if this momentum can be maintained in the months to come, following a successful Geneva Motor Show and the prospective launch of new models.”