tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85808597875869411672012-02-16T20:04:40.196+13:00A look into the car industry from a personal perspective....please leave a comment.RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.comBlogger7241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-92015691119286031852012-02-16T07:44:00.008+13:002012-02-16T09:41:26.438+13:00

Getting Aston sales is not easy. The US figure is from a reputable source, but an estimate only. China? My estimate there. Canada? I wouldn't even have a stab at that one. What is there gives an indication, but if anyone can shed light on it, please let me know. Ax I get more data, I will add it to the list.The top three have their share of AM sales in brackets, which represents just over half

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-51821236523174937872012-02-15T06:05:00.006+13:002012-02-15T06:22:11.341+13:00

Bentley was up by over a third in 2011, still short of the 2005-08 period when the world economy was in 'super greed' mode. So for the more restrained times we now live in, a good result. Three markets dominate, and I have put the share they took of total Bentley sales in brackets - 70% in total between them. 1 USA 2,021 +32% (28.9%)2 China 1,839 +96% (26.3%)3 UK 1,037 +4% (14.8%)4 Germany 276 +

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-67981303709052279492012-02-14T07:07:00.014+13:002012-02-14T21:36:35.311+13:00

The leading brand by country in 2011 didn't show much change around the world (excluding Europe). Toyota is the big one, closely followed by GM. VW's aspirations at being the biggest in the world is hampered by its lack of strength in so many markets outside of Europe and China. The number shown after the car brand is the amount of top spots they got. A number after country is what ranking they

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-73831748647983095102012-02-13T06:59:00.014+13:002012-02-14T21:38:47.440+13:00

We all know that the Japanese car industry did it tough in 2011. That is reflected in production the figures below, especially car making. I looked back to 1990 to see how bad it was. Both Toyota and Honda had their lowest car production in 2011 for that twenty two year period. Considering the recent slump of a few years ago - and to go under that - shows how bad it was for those two

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-91824139036064519822012-02-12T07:19:00.014+13:002012-02-12T09:17:11.333+13:00

As to which manufacturer is top in a given country can be influenced by various factors. For example, a local brand is usually top where it is made. German speaking countries and northern Europe favour VW, Renault is most popular in southern Europe, while Skoda and Lada are strong in eastern parts. Below shows which make was most popular in the listed country. A number in brackets by the brand

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-78152482623175286222012-02-11T03:19:00.006+13:002012-02-11T03:40:31.617+13:00

The floods that devastated Thailand dented vehicle sales rather badly, yet the strong sales before that meant that the market proved stable for the total year. To sell cars in numbers in Thailand, you have to make cars locally to avoid steep import duty. Toyota provide the sales for the country, and they dominate the market. The three top makes were hurt by the floods most it seems. Other brands

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-46128515899308804122012-02-10T12:00:00.014+13:002012-02-15T07:02:06.327+13:00

Below is an article about Dutch car plant Nedcar in Born. To see the problem, production figures give it away. When the plant was shared, production volume made it viable. Now down to one brand and possibly one model, it would never pay. To show what I mean, production figures for the plant when Mitsubishi joined production: Year / Total / Mitsub / Volvo / smart1995 100,400 20,900 79,6001996

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-81893757489576654372012-02-10T11:24:00.006+13:002012-02-10T12:18:27.339+13:00

Mitsubishi operate a car plant in the southeast of the Netherlands called Nedcar, which they took over fully from Volvo in 2001. Prior to that it was joint owned. Mitsubishi now want to end its production there and are asking a token 1 Euro for its purchase. Production is down to only 50,000 cars, the 1,500 workers making the Colt and Outlander models. Mitsubishi's European sales have dropped

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-63063654471030294592012-02-10T08:38:00.007+13:002012-02-10T09:05:51.019+13:00

The local car market is heavily protected by import duties. For the size of the population, sales are modest, due to low incomes for many. If commercial vehicle sales were taken out, personal car sales would be very low. Some brands such as Land Rover and Jaguar are sold but the importer does not release sales figures. Such secrecy is so last century, and not proactive.1 Toyota 54,600 -4%2

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-18056945857993030442012-02-09T08:04:00.001+13:002012-02-09T08:05:55.937+13:00

In 2011, Renault achieved record global sales of 2,722,000 units, up 3.6%. Growth was driven by sales outside Europe, representing 43% of group sales, against 37% in 2010. Last year, the group's main markets (excluding Lada) are below. The percentage figure represents market share for that country:France 689,000 26.1% Brazil 194,300 5.7% Germany 181,200 5.3%Russia 154,700 5.8%Turkey 140,800 16.3%

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-12256041893562049182012-02-08T06:35:00.005+13:002012-02-08T06:59:03.936+13:00

This is an increasingly important market in size and potential. A car maker has to assemble cars locally to achieve any penetration due to stiff tariffs. Suzuki had supply problems which show below in the sales slump. The Land Rover and Jaguar sales are estimates, due to Tata steadfastly refusing to elaborate in any way other than to say they are doing fine. 1 Suzuki 685,000 -36%2 Hyundai 374,000

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-86086291115921259432012-02-08T05:58:00.005+13:002012-02-08T06:28:40.700+13:00

Data from this North African country are as rare as hens teeth, so we take what we can get. The top ten as below:1 Dacia 22,3562 Renault 19,1453 Peugeot 11,2444 Ford 7,3515 Hyundai 6,9506 VW 5,9477 Citroen 5,7708 Toyota 4,7269 Kia 4,68310 Fiat 4,027Premium brand sales: BMW 1,336Mercedes 1,320Audi 1,289Alfa Romeo 379Land Rover 374Volvo 320MINI 205Jaguar 100Porsche 98Clearly a strong French flavour

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-12489202012003602912012-02-07T08:13:00.005+13:002012-02-07T08:38:23.929+13:00

Local importing association Cadam used to give out reasonable data, but lately has got a bit stingy. They give out enough to allow this summary, so that is a positive. Paraguay is a poor country, so these sales figures are strong, with a healthy increase too. The Koreans are successful here, while the Chinese brands are quieter than I thought they might be. 1 Kia 4,300 38%2 Chevrolet 4,000 24%3

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-43606919761803169552012-02-06T17:51:00.004+13:002012-02-06T18:23:53.500+13:00

Fiat has been the best performing brand for many years here. To sell in any numbers in Brazil, you have to manufacture in the country, and the government seems to be heading even more down that route. This ensures the market will be dominated by the big car makers in the country. The top three brands took over 60% of the market! Getting accurate data can be a challenge too. It varies from place

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-61271787154745715592012-02-05T09:12:00.012+13:002012-02-05T10:12:16.421+13:00

It is hard to get car sales figures for Cyprus, but super sleuth here has managed to put something together. Between 2004-2008, sales boomed but were pegged back by the recession, but still remain quite strong. In 2008, Nissan took the lead for the first time and are now running away with it. Ford, leader in 2006-2007, are the only brand really keeping in touch. Front runners prior to 2006 such

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-36586443211677709442012-02-03T08:49:00.010+13:002012-02-06T18:53:26.181+13:00

Jaguar sales were modest in 2011, but they were profitable. Much of its recent history has featured red ink, so that itself is an achievement. Think of what an SUV would have done for the brand. Jaguar is a case of missed opportunities, but they are remedying that. Some bright spots were China, Korea, Russia and Singapore. The brand is definitely heading easterly for future growth, as the west

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-28473502275897114252012-02-02T17:55:00.008+13:002012-02-03T09:12:26.164+13:00

Two ultimate driving machines went head to head in an Auto Express test. How did they fare? The M5 first:Plus: Agile, direct steering, excellent body control, limpet-like grip, gearbox smooth and relaxing shifts (at speed).Minus: A little detached and clinical, gearbox slightly jerky around town, quite a bit more expensive.Plus: Blisteringly quick, sleek style, engaging driving dynamics,

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-1469889818519395212012-02-02T08:26:00.013+13:002012-02-04T12:26:13.006+13:00

Toyota has always been at the forefront of the Japanese market, and probably always will. However, 2011 will not go down as one to remember fondly for the car making giant. Its market share was the worst since 2001, when it had a bit of a rough time also. The 40% plus of the late 80's is now a distant memory.Nissan had its best penetration since 2005, Lexus its best share since it became a

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-76198145981710953872012-02-01T16:00:00.011+13:002012-02-01T16:41:29.479+13:00

Do they look similar to you?The Sirion has been around several years, the Skoda is just being released. To my eye, when I saw it, I thought Sirion. The pics I chose are not ideal matches, such as two door / four door and colours. Despite that, the basic shape is very similar to me. Which means that the Daihatsu was an advanced design when released. I think Skoda could have done something more

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-28452350718142792212012-02-01T15:09:00.005+13:002012-02-02T08:31:36.188+13:00

Back about 18 months ago, the first stats available showed for this site 681 hits for the month of July 2009. Things have steadily improved and last month (Jan '12), 10,590 hits. The US (1,525) led the hit list for the month, followed by the UK (1,392), Czech Rep (558), Turkey (435), Germany (391), Russia (281), Slovakia (272), Netherlands (220), Switzerland (211) and France (187), Others 5,118.

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-23649847106204687672012-01-31T07:14:00.004+13:002012-01-31T07:37:29.883+13:00

NZ car magazine NZ Autocar did a comparison between the above cars in its Jan 12 issue. Seeing as the X1 for many would be the benchmark for the best small SUV, and the Evoque is the new kid on the block, a worthwhile comparison. First up, it said the Evoque was the car with all the style. Not hard when compared with Germanic style, which let's face it doesn't really exist. There wasn't much in

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-48444756990788081402012-01-29T20:14:00.019+13:002012-02-06T18:53:12.102+13:00

Land Rover had a very good 2011 with sales up in almost every country. The new Evoque will compliment the rest of the range nicely in 2012, making for yet another record year. In some countries, LR has commercial sales which I have yet to confirm. Those nations have the the whole entry italicised. For example, Italy has a substantial number of such sales and as I cannot yet add them, shows a 16%

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-36789956963935982312012-01-27T06:57:00.009+13:002012-02-02T09:21:49.923+13:00

In many European nations, some Land Rovers are classified as commercial vehicles. In most but not all cases, it would be a Defender model. When sales are released by model, the commercial sales are not always included. Therefore, below you see two lists, the first Defender sales as released and the second unspecified commercial LR sales.1 Italy 1,5712 Germany 8173 Spain 7894 South Africa 7765

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-52111682774260971312012-01-26T18:28:00.006+13:002012-01-27T07:16:06.997+13:00

I wrote a while back about who was likely to be the world's biggest vehicle maker for 2011. Well it all came true. Of late, it has been GM and Toyota battling it out for supremacy. Both sides accepted how the other counted its sales. Now the VW Group has joined the calculations. Suddenly VW isn't happy how GM counts its figures, it wants them counted in such a way that makes them top in 2011. VW

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-14840271721252212982012-01-26T11:24:00.007+13:002012-01-30T15:39:05.366+13:00

The XK is a stunning vehicle. It effortlessly consumes miles and does it with style. I would imagine many of the US sales are in California, perhaps many seen cruising in Rodeo Drive. It probably deserves to sell in larger numbers than it does in many countries, but those who do purchase such a vehicle get something rather special.1 USA 2,1372 UK 1,6413 Germany 4874 Italy 1365 Canada 1176 France

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-52262766761039851842012-01-26T05:42:00.029+13:002012-01-30T15:41:04.542+13:00

The Range Rover has always been a solid seller and continues as such. However, it has been easily outsold by the Sport model since its introduction. There will always be those who like the regal Range Rover, but the Sport brings a dynamic edge to the genre.First up, the RR Sport: sales that I have found1 USA 12,3472 UK 8,5083 Italy 3,2144 Germany 1,7455 Russia 1,5436 Australia 1,3567 Canada

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-27458772202909412972012-01-25T07:09:00.008+13:002012-01-30T15:42:11.492+13:00

Big, luxury barges do not sell in the numbers they once did. Luxury SUVs have taken much of the market from them. However, in some countries they still are popular, such as China. Unfortunately I am unable to find anything for China on model breakdown. What I have been able to sniff out is below:1 USA 4,2782 UK 1,8273 Germany 5454 Russia 2255 France 2016 Italy 1947 Belgium 1898 Canada 1899 Spain

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-37316838544156149042012-01-24T07:43:00.008+13:002012-01-30T15:49:23.462+13:00

The XF is the best car in its class. It is beautiful, refined and handling is superb. Even in this class, most of its competitors are sterile offerings. Not this cat. The downside to it is it arrived with too many alternatives missing. A small diesel has taken ages to arrive. The shooting brake model is still to come, and no 4wd option is available. For these reasons, and the fact that Jaguar

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-2142341417150447002012-01-24T07:24:00.008+13:002012-01-30T15:45:41.131+13:00

The Discovery, or LR4, is a vehicle of contrast. It is rugged, yet refined; butch, but smooth. It gives you the best of both worlds and for that reason the best selling LR in markets such as Australia and South Africa. 1 UK 8,2952 USA 7,1223 Russia 2,3474 South Africa 2,2105 Australia 1,7546 Brazil 1,7297 Germany 1,1378 Spain 9969 Italy 92510 Canada 52211 Belgium 46012 France 39813 Turkey 37314

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-56379835751214968072012-01-23T16:33:00.012+13:002012-01-30T15:48:58.466+13:00

The Freelander is a fine looking, fine performing SUV. It is a small vehicle for North American tastes, but does well elsewhere. Countries that I have been able to find sales data are listed below. If anyone can add to the list, please contact me directly or leave a comment.1 UK 15,5622 Italy 4,6743 Russia 3,9464 USA 3,6495 Brazil 2,5806 Spain 2,4197 Germany 2,3268 France 1,0339 Turkey 97810

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-46109470941273846922012-01-23T03:36:00.007+13:002012-01-23T10:11:03.762+13:00

Car sales are booming here, well above the average of last decade. Two sizable increases over tha past two years have seen to that. Chevrolet is the big brand in this small South American country. VW cannot even get close, standing a distant second. Chinese brand Chery only came to the market here in 2008 and is already 3rd with 6.6% of total sales. I'm picking (no pun intended) Chery will

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-32207415860232454372012-01-22T07:48:00.014+13:002012-01-27T08:42:04.222+13:00

Colombia has a low ratio of car ownership, yet suffers traffic jams. It seems the problem is an under developed road system. The government would like to restrict car ownership through auctioning registration plates Singapore style. That won't take cars off the road, but rather increase the age of cars in use. Improving roading is expensive though. As for car sales, GM has always been top here (

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-12899321484788313532012-01-22T07:28:00.006+13:002012-01-22T08:41:57.176+13:00

GM maintained its grip down here, with both Korean brands losing ground slightly to the general. About 1 in 5 cars sold here are for the leading brand, and won't be changing anytime soon. As far as I can tell, this is easily the best year for car sales. 1 GM 46,800 12%2 Hyundai 29,200 0%3 Kia 24,300 12%4 Suzuki 21,000 16%5 Nissan 17,500 3%6 Toyota 17,400 -7%7 Samsung 8,500 37%8 Mazda 7,700 6%9

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-73808148087831826762012-01-21T13:31:00.010+13:002012-01-22T08:37:09.047+13:00

They are a year late, but finally some data to assimulate. A strong showing came from Korea taking 1st and 3rd. Otherwise, brands from different regions are all mixed up, without preferences toward any region in particular. 1 Kia 6,494 66%2 Nissan 5,663 -18%3 Hyundai 4,152 75%4 Toyota 3,103 -30%5 Chevrolet 1,338 -2%6 Mitsubishi 1,287 36%7 Renault 1,145 -23%8 Peugeot 970 -35%9 Mazda 946 47%10 BMW

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-4424087437412532652012-01-20T16:23:00.013+13:002012-01-24T21:31:49.064+13:00

ACEA figures (below) reveal that 1,357,500 cars were sold in Europe (less Russia) in 2011, down 1.4%. VW took top spot with 12.4% penetration, up from 11.2% in the preceding year. While VW makes some good cars, the Passat for example is exceedingly ordinary, yet it is doing very well for the brand in Europe. This debunks the myth that buyers in Europe are always discerning, but rather badge

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-33704146522195362992012-01-20T15:23:00.014+13:002012-01-23T03:18:05.768+13:00

2011: UK car production was up 5.8%, from 1,270,000 in 2010 to 1,344,000. I was thinking it would be more, but it was and OK result. BMW's building the Countryman in Austria due to capacity restraints in the UK, and Honda reducing sales in Europe had a dampening effect. For the situation in data:Nissan - Juke, Note & Qashqai : 480,500 / +13.5%Land Rover - All models : 238,200 / +33%MINI - MINI :

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-86770695870154871602012-01-19T09:50:00.006+13:002012-01-19T10:18:54.382+13:00

I earlier published car sales for South Africa, and someone asked about including Light Commercial Vehicles too. So here it is. The first set of figures are LCV sales only. Toyota is the top brand by far. AMH do not release figures by brand. 1 Toyota 52,423 10%2 Nissan 22,825 3%3 GM 18,303 17%4 Ford 14,746 1%5 Isuzu 13,228 22%6 VW 8,759 205%7 Mazda 3,772 -2%8 Mitsubishi 1,559 -21%9

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-53711634891439021442012-01-19T07:24:00.008+13:002012-01-19T08:01:19.065+13:00

Another bouncy year for car sales here, with VW finishing up this winner of Denmark's version of musical chairs. With an amazing 60% increase in one year emphasises how things change. Then Ford managed a decrease when the overall market went up so strongly, surrendering a sizable lead in the process.10/11/Brand/Sales/Inc-decr4 1 VW 21,900 60%1 2 Ford 18,700 -1%2 3 Peugeot 18,300 21%5 4 Toyota

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-78641383439419459012012-01-19T07:01:00.004+13:002012-01-19T07:23:15.333+13:00

This years sales in Austria may well be an all time record. It is a nation that prefers to buy European, especially German. The best Japanese make comes in a lowly 15th. VW achieved its best market share since 2001 and best sales since 2000. Renault got its best haul of units sold since 1999, assisted in part by Dacias being included under the Reggie logo. In case you were wondering, 5,256

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-6041552037097296032012-01-18T21:56:00.013+13:002012-01-18T22:21:29.238+13:00

Car sales were numerically low in Singapore, due to fewer permits (COE) issued to buy them. Cars have high duty and the cost for the COE is steep, so it makes average cars uneconomic. Those who can afford all this can also buy a better class of car, so the market is being taken over by premium marques. This is obvious from the data below:10/11/Brand/Sales/Inc-dec3 1 BMW 4,959 5%2 2 Mercedes 4,166

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-54650487574444246802012-01-17T15:20:00.017+13:002012-01-20T21:22:09.982+13:00

JLR had a good year in 2011. Below I have broken down the figures supplied to the media by JLR. JLR Combined:Period / 2011 / 2010 / Inc-decDecember 31,000 21,350 +45%Tot Yr 282,550 232,450 +22%Land Rover:Period / 2011 / 2010 / Inc-decDecember 26,250 17,000 +54%Tot Yr 232,600 178,600 +30%Jaguar:Period / 2011 / 2010 / Inc-decDecember 4,700 4,300 +9%Tot Yr 50,000 53,850 -7%Points To Note:The Land

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-69895435973492278012012-01-17T10:17:00.014+13:002012-01-19T10:22:50.886+13:00

Car sales took quite a hit in 2011 and now this is the 4th consecutive year of decrease so things are a bit difficult. Car maker Zastava became FAS in 2009 (Fiat Automobili Srbija), which makes an obsolete Fiat Punto car. Fiat sales then basically stopped in 2010, but picked up again this year. FAS sales took off for a couple of years, but have fallen badly in 2011, perhaps due to the ending of a

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-8968759228216414372012-01-17T09:01:00.007+13:002012-01-19T10:27:55.551+13:00

After the sales boom and bust of the last decade, the market had a strong growth to it. Lada now has its lowest market penetration that I know of, and Hyundai will take top spot very soon you would think. Opel was 8th as recently as 2006, but now they fight just for a top 30 spot. Chinese brand Chery crashed from 6th to 15th. It was a good year for European sourced vehicles, as they happily

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-72440823125830473792012-01-16T16:42:00.022+13:002012-02-08T15:22:05.990+13:00

I'm not keen on BMW cars nor understand their seeming obsession with being the largest selling premium brand. However, they have been very good at handling the MINI marque. In 2011 196,000 (69%) of MINI sales were of UK sourced models, and 89,000 (31%) came from Austria. Where did they sell? I have a partial list, which will be added to as I get more data. If anyone can assist, please leave a

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-21980660384990539782012-01-16T07:17:00.006+13:002012-01-16T07:54:40.874+13:00

The car market here has proved very consistent. It hasn't had the recent 'boom and bust' cycle of other countries. They have one car plant (Renault - 200,000 made in 2010), and that brand naturally enough leads sales. European marques dominate, but not premium ones.Jaroslav from the Czech Rep suggested increase/decrease figure were more useful than market share, which you can roughly tell for

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-84213118533395209692012-01-15T19:44:00.007+13:002012-01-19T10:23:24.889+13:00

To say that the Greek economy is in a mess is comparably to the statement 'one legged ducks swim in circles'. It would be nice to say that there is light at the end of the tunnel, but there isn't. However, many in Greece seem to think the world won't let them collapse, and in that they may have a point. There is a fear of a domino effect.Whatever the outcome, the car market is imploding. That is

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-90125010838620359202012-01-15T08:19:00.006+13:002012-01-19T10:28:04.065+13:00

Car sales were down in 2011, reflecting challenging economic circumstances. Local brand Dacia continues to rule the roost in its home market, although with a decreased share of it. Premium brands all did well, despite the downturn. 1 Dacia 23,600 28.9%2 Volkswagen 8,700 10.7%3 Skoda 7,600 9.3%4 Renault 6,900 8.4%5 Ford 4,800 5.9%6 Opel 4,550 5.6%7 Chevrolet 2,950 3.6%8 Toyota 2,750 3.4%9 Hyundai

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-15599855341526114632012-01-15T07:37:00.010+13:002012-01-15T08:56:57.058+13:00

Getting any sales data from Lithuania has always been difficult. In fact I do not even have 2010 figures to compare with 2011, except for five brands. If anyone can help with 2010 or earlier, it would be appreciated.The market had a 48.5% increase, after a couple of very poor years. VW consolidated its top spot and Nissan lifted into 2nd, but from what position I do not know. Its Qashqai model

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-32552936836102207222012-01-14T16:41:00.008+13:002012-01-14T17:03:07.392+13:00

It seems the government here plays a major role in what is allowed to sell, mainly locally made. Many brands have disappeared off the scene in the last couple of years. Whatever the politics, people still want vehicles and this is what sold in 2011:1 GM 44,000 36.5%2 Ford 26,000 21.5%3 Toyota 10,100 8.4%4 Chrysler 9,700 8.0%5 Hyundai 7,850 6.5%6 Mitsubis 6,350 5.3%7 Kia 5,600 4.6%8 Iveco 2,600

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-48810367361493390432012-01-14T07:20:00.006+13:002012-01-14T07:42:27.494+13:00

The economic downturn of a few years ago really hurt this Baltic State, but 2011 saw a sharp reversal of fortune, for the better. Sales up nearly 80% must have been a much needed boost for car importers and dealers. VW took a massive leap forward and accounted for one in five cars sold. Toyota, top brand from 2002 to 2010, wilted badly. Nissan jumped from 13th to 3rd, so things suddenly happen in

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-12238010905488820152012-01-14T06:38:00.005+13:002012-01-14T06:58:43.979+13:00

Car sales were strong here this year, the best year since at least 2000. Renault is a major car maker in the country and it consolidated its lead at the top, with ahealthy lead. 1 Renault 94,400 15.9%2 Ford 58,800 9.9%3 Fiat 57,800 9.7%4 VW 55,550 9.4%5 Opel 52,600 8.9%6 Hyundai 46,450 7.8%7 Toyota 36,650 6.2%8 Chevrolet 23,600 4.0%9 Nissan 18,600 3.1%10 Dacia 17,900 3.0%11 Peugeot 15,500 2.6%12

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-43225898038503971282012-01-13T21:10:00.008+13:002012-01-13T21:36:47.496+13:00

The car market here is quite strong, with sales up for the last two years. They are still some way short of the peaks several years ago however. Nissan is at its peak of penetration for many a year, if not ever. Clearly its cars are well liked here, and they are worth the popularity. Nissan has led for three years now and the gap to second is widening.1 Nissan 224,500 24.8%2 GM 168,500 18.6%3 VW

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-24089095808316927662012-01-13T14:40:00.009+13:002012-01-19T10:28:11.460+13:00

I believe only 2008 had more cars sold than this year in Russia. With a 39% increase, it was a buoyant year. This was the lowest market share for home brand car Lada apart from 2008. Among the ten best selling models, nine were locally produced so there is a strong car manufacturing industry here. Imported cars are quite highly taxed. 1 Lada 578,400 21.8%2 Chevolet 173,500 6.5%3 Hyundai 163,400

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-14249493503185187862012-01-13T14:05:00.007+13:002012-01-16T06:57:46.460+13:00

Car sales in Slovakia dropped 21.5% in 2010, so to come back +4.2% this year was at least movement in the right direction - to 74,000 units. It now has a big car making industry, with over 560,000 vehicles made in 2010, obviously mostly exported.1 Skoda 13,900 18.8%2 VW 6,500 8.8%3 Peugeot 5,100 6.9%4 Renault 4,900 6.7%5 Kia 4,900 6.7%6 Citroen 3,600 4.9%7 Hyundai 3,600 4.8%8 Opel 3,200 4.3%9

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-48066539748907985312012-01-13T07:16:00.008+13:002012-01-13T14:04:17.148+13:00

Japan is a very insular country and the people have a sense of loyalty to the country. When it comes to buying cars, they buy local brands. Only with premium brands does this alter. A friend of mine with knowledge of Japan said they do not like Korean products. Hyundai entered Japan in 2001, expecting to crack the market. They sold 32 cars in 2011 and are having to walk away from Japan altogether

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-11964943188798401872012-01-12T17:43:00.008+13:002012-01-13T07:52:50.331+13:00

The importation of cars into Korea is limited, but growing. Most of them are premium models, impervious to the duty that makes regular models too expensive against Korean brands.1 BMW 23,300 22.2%2 Mercedes 19,500 18.6%3 VW 12,400 11.8%4 Audi 10,300 9.8%5 Toyota 5,000 4.8%6 MINI 4,300 4.1%7 Ford 4,200 4.0%8 Lexus 4,100 3.9%9 Nissan 3,800 3.6%10 Chrysler 3,300 3.2%11 Honda 3,150 3.0%12 Peugeot

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-21763163026019398142012-01-12T08:24:00.007+13:002012-01-14T13:50:20.734+13:00

South Africa is a strange car market to analyse. Brands under AMH including Hyundai, Kia, Daihatsu simply refuse to release any sales data by brand. A few other brands do likewise and now in December Mercedes has decided to stop reporting sales through the main body to release sales, Naamsa. This is while it deals with an investigation into anti-competitive practices by various European truck

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-19659384778550533532012-01-12T07:37:00.008+13:002012-01-12T09:20:26.557+13:00

Ford took the lead in Canada in 2011 from GM, who had held it forever. In fact Ford increased its hold on top spot, in the process realising its best market share since the year 2000. Chrysler is now getting closer to GM and that #2 spot, GM at its lowest point in the its share of the market since Noah was a lad. In contrast, both Hyundai and Kia achieved highest ever market share, so the Koreans

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-84411000824615206612012-01-11T21:03:00.009+13:002012-01-12T09:22:06.522+13:00

Car sales were not strong in France, with a 2.1% slide. However, the big news was the way the big three French brands lost market share. If they are letting some of their share go to improve profitability and I assume that is the reason, then that is the right thing to do. Sales figures on paper impress, but you need to be making decent money to invest in future products. Mind you, they still

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-25324733698545872042012-01-11T07:33:00.010+13:002012-01-15T09:31:54.034+13:00

To say that car buyers in Germany support local brands is like saying the pope is a Catholic. I mean it goes without saying...so I won't say it. VW had its best market share since 1989, Nissan since 1998 and Hyundai its best ever. The market was strong, up 8.8%.1 VW 687,000 21.6%2 Mercedes 285,700 9.0%3 BMW 257,100 8.1%4 Opel 254,600 8.0%5 Audi 250,700 7.9%6 Ford 230,900 7.3%7 Skoda 142,600 4.5%8

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-32774955107592473832012-01-10T19:33:00.011+13:002012-01-19T10:23:36.291+13:00

Despite a useful increasefor the year, sales are still down a long way from the heady days in 2008 when over 88,000 cars werwe sold; 2010 proving to be an annus horribilus.Opel lost its top spot to VW, with a drastic swing in fortunes for each brand. The overall market was volatile generally. 10/11/Brand/Sales/Share 1 VW 5,100 12.3%2 Opel 3,950 9.5%3 Renault 3,900 9.3%4 Peugeot 3,400 8.2%5 Skoda

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-3301678546680858492012-01-10T18:33:00.012+13:002012-01-19T10:28:20.593+13:00

I believe availability and reliability of car stats says much about a country or region. It's hard to get reliable data for Poland with any depth. Sources vary quite a bit and it is hard to compare sales over a period of time. From what I have, sales were down for 2011 about 10%, and 8 of the top 9 makes dropped sales. Skoda is top, the positive of its value for money winning out over the

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-23596842354293207282012-01-10T11:12:00.005+13:002012-01-10T11:44:10.435+13:00

For some time now, new car sales have been dampened by used imports, mainly from Japan - which drives on the same side of the road. Often, the used imports have been higher than new cars. Used imports will reduce with stricter rules on what will be allowed to be imported. In 2011 64,000 new cars were sold, partly impacted on issues of supply from Asia, where most cars are sourced. It was the best

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-76299671014775206132012-01-10T09:13:00.006+13:002012-01-10T09:48:23.828+13:00

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a small landlocked country of approximately 2,600 square kilometres (1,000 sq mi) and has the highest GDP per capita in the world. So they can afford to buy cars, but have little space to drive them around in. VW took the lead from Renault in 2006 and has built a commanding lead since. Premium brands sell well here as expected with a high standard of living. Total

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-27138569637632380402012-01-10T08:54:00.006+13:002012-01-10T09:48:48.886+13:00

From what I can tell, this may be a record year for car sales in Belgium. Recession? What recession? The last few years have seen the lead change often and this year did not disappoint. VW pipped Renault by 0.1% market share or 400 odd sales. German and French brands dominate here.1 VW 61,900 10.82 Renault 61,500 10.73 Peugeot 48,700 8.54 Citroen 45,600 8.05 Opel 42,850 7.56 Ford 38,900

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-2158946039213146542012-01-09T14:48:00.008+13:002012-01-16T06:59:19.512+13:00

Skoda is unsurprisingly top in its home market. What they don't seem to cars much for are Japanese brands; none are in the top 10. With Hyundai having recently opened a big car plant in the country, and Kia likewise in neighbouring Slovakia, they are being rewarded by the Czech car buyer. 1 Skoda 53,400 28.6%2 Ford 16,900 9.1%3 VW 16,500 8.9%4 Renault 13,700 7.3%5 Hyundai 12,200 6.5%6 Peugeot

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-76710591771406567972012-01-09T14:10:00.009+13:002012-01-16T06:59:31.764+13:00

Switzerland had a good year in car sales, you have to go back to 1990 to find a higher number of units sold - according to my records. VW took top spot off Opel in 1999, and has not relinquished it since. In fact daylight now comes second and I don't think Vee Dubs are that good. The Passat is apparently sleep inducing, it's that bland. Even the female model (in the picture below standing next to

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-75652520903186652902012-01-09T12:56:00.009+13:002012-01-14T07:14:56.900+13:00

In smaller markets, changes are usually more dramatic. Certainly this applies to Estonia for the last year. Sales were up over 65%, and the rankings moved drastically too. I have included 2010 rankings to show where the movement was. Sales are well down on the 2007 peak of 31,400 but the best in the last three years.10/11/Brand/Sales/Share/Incr-decr3 1 Skoda 1,807 10.6% 73%1 2 Toyota 1,743 10.2%

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-39260364400853941812012-01-08T08:13:00.006+13:002012-01-08T09:10:50.560+13:00

Ireland started well with each of the first six months ahead of last year, but the rest of the annum was regularly down. That resulted in a small rise in overall sales, but you would have to go back to the early 90's to see this level of car buying. The boom of the last decade and a bit now well past. Ford fell from first to third over the year, with Toyota able to take full advantage (well done

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-63709991901695721122012-01-08T07:45:00.007+13:002012-01-08T09:11:43.468+13:00

With supply shortages affecting the giant car company, Toyota Australia had its lowest market share since 1997, but still dominated anyway. Both GM Holden and Ford had their lowest market share that I know of, so they were not able to capitalise fully on the situation with Toyota. The move away from large cars was the reason. 1 Toyota 181,600 18.0%2 Holden 126,100 12.5%3 Ford 91,200 9.0%4 Mazda

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-37775663435761100942012-01-07T07:17:00.010+13:002012-01-07T08:29:49.457+13:00

A second year of car sales increase is positive, even if down on the noughties. The Ford nameplate is well ensconced in the #1 spot now, while Mercedes takes the nameplate win for premium marques from Lexus. Overall dealers are happy with how the year panned out.1 Ford 2,060,000 16.1%2 Chevrolet 1,776,000 13.9%3 Toyota 1,397,000 10.9%4 Honda 1,024,000 8.0%5 Nissan 944,000 7.4%6 Hyundai 646,000

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-11864576359145114712012-01-07T06:46:00.007+13:002012-01-07T07:17:49.988+13:00

The UK market was the lowest in total sales since 1994, quite surprising to me. Ford's UK sales were the lowest since 1975 and as for its market share, I don't know when it was ever lower. The prospect that Ford may lose its mantle of #1 in the UK in the not too distant future a real possibility. If that is the price for greater profitability, so be it.1 Ford 265,900 13.7%2 Vauxhall 234,700 12.1%

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-14292691392114965072012-01-06T13:59:00.010+13:002012-01-19T10:23:48.115+13:00

With new car sales less than half what they were several years ago, it is safe to say the economy is not doing well in Spain. Local VW owned brand Seat is the leader, but sales are spread very evenly. All the French brands lost ground, as yet again most Japanese makes. 1 Seat 73,500 9.1%2 VW 71,700 8.9%3 Ford 65,000 8.0%4 Peugeot 64,100 7.9%5 Renault 63,700 7.9%7 Citroen 59,200 7.3%6 Opel 58,300

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-61157445201670982442012-01-06T08:32:00.003+13:002012-01-06T13:57:06.531+13:00

The Netherlands seem to have had their best year for car sales since 2000. VW is making this market save for years to come. French brands did OK too, not so the case with most countries. On the other hand, every Japanese make apart from Lexus lost market share. 1 VW 60,900 11.0%2 Peugeot 46,000 8.3%3 Renault 44,500 8.0%4 Opel 41,200 7.4%5 Ford 41,000 7.4%6 Toyota 35,500 6.4%7 Fiat 29,300 5.3%8

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-70474728961147088872012-01-05T10:12:00.008+13:002012-01-05T10:39:52.651+13:00

Finland had a usefully good year of car sales for 2011. Toyota lost its 11 year #1 spot, falling 11.8% in a market that grew 12.7%! while Hyundai (+54%) and Kia (+45.3%) both moved up the rankings well. Mazda (-22.1%) and Fiat (-35.2%) continued their Euro trend of slumping yet again. Sales figures as below:1 VW 17,200 13.8%2 Toyota 13,300 10.7%3 Ford 10,700 8.6%4 Skoda 10,200 8.2%5 Volvo 8,700

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-91315418795427091832012-01-05T08:06:00.015+13:002012-02-10T12:22:15.900+13:00

Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity knows I'm a fan of Nissan's Sunderland plant. It produces cars to a high standard and is constantly increasing volumes of vehicles coming off its assembly lines. Over the years it has made the Primera, Micra, Almera, Note, Qashqai and Juke. Next will be the electric Leaf model for 2013. For the year 2011 just completed, 480,485 cars rolled out of the

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-64510601854394207842012-01-04T20:30:00.008+13:002012-01-05T08:43:12.937+13:00

The Norwegian car market is not easy to get data for. The agency in charge makes a living from selling it, so I guess that is understandable. I asked them for some older, historical sales statistics but after asking why I wanted them, didn't bother replying. I'm sure that is not reflective of the people as a whole. They do give out the top ten brands as you can see below:1 VW 20,900 15.1%2 Toyota

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-30401364944929877602012-01-04T13:08:00.011+13:002012-01-19T10:23:58.436+13:00

The Portuguese car market was down 30% in 2011, against a solid 2010. December was down 51% so 2012 the outlook is not good. Renault did a fine job holding top spot and keeping a buffer from the following pack. Below are rank, sales and market share:1 Renault 22,600 12.0%2 Peugeot 17,500 9.3%3 VW 17,200 9.1%4 Citroen 14,900 7.9%5 Opel 13,750 7.3%6 Ford 13,200 7.0%7 Fiat 9,800 5.2%8 Seat 9047 4.8%

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-84972247903395554402012-01-03T17:12:00.009+13:002012-01-19T10:24:10.970+13:00

Southern Europe isn't doing that well presently, and that's where Italy is. Sales of cars were down 10%, with Fiat down nearly 20%. That was the worst market penetration for the make since 2005 and one of the worst of all time since way back. If sacrificing sales gets Fiat back into profit in Europe, then so they should. Below are listed rank, sales and market share for 2011:1 Fiat 363,000 20.8%2

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-50761112365411778742012-01-03T05:54:00.012+13:002012-01-16T06:58:08.709+13:00

The super efficient Swedes have quickly got their statistics out for the public to know about their car market. A 5% increase for the year was good, but a 15% drop in December wasn't a good sign. The market was strong for the first five months, then flat thereafter. Volvo would have been happy with a 9.5% gain, but VW's 21.8% increase is ominous. Volvo will not want to give up it's top spot in

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-44012995774554429852012-01-02T09:28:00.007+13:002012-01-14T07:12:48.576+13:00

First up in this series for 2012 is Iceland, a country of Norse heritage, but proudly independent since 1944. It has a high standard of living, but was hit hard by the economic downturn in 2008. Passenger car sales fell from 17,100 in 2007 to 2,200 in 2009. Up until the 30th Dec 2011, 5,000 passenger cars were sold. Below are sales for the 2011 year by make:1 Toyota 787 15.6%2 VW 614 12.2%3

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-32955756373475195572011-12-30T12:24:00.011+13:002012-01-16T06:59:45.319+13:00

Things were so different back in the 60's in the Swiss car market. GM Euro makes Opel and Vauxhall were both imported. Fords were from Germany, Britain and the US. BMC brands still had credibility and sold well. Chrysler sales were mainly Simca, but also newly acquired Sunbeam from Britain and US models too. NSU was still to be absorbed by VW into the Audi marque. Triumph were part of Leyland,

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-74415436788126904842011-12-26T13:17:00.007+13:002011-12-26T21:21:18.968+13:00

This was a car I really liked, although it wasn't as successful as it deserved. The 600 was basically a Honda Accord, which wasn't a bad thing. It was tweaked so as to have a British feel to it, and that worked quite well. For European tastes it was probably too Japanese. When I was on holiday in the UK, I met an American chap who had a rental 600. I asked him his opinion of the car and he loved

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-58057571451526104092011-12-25T21:03:00.017+13:002012-01-19T10:24:29.267+13:00

Getting guaranteed car sales data for Spain is difficult. From what I did find, the market back in the 60's was limited to brands made within the country. In 1961, less than 70,000 cars were sold so not a market big enough to support many manufacturing plants. Sales grew well and by 1969, perhaps 380,000 cars were sold. Below are the sales as accurate I could get for 1969:Make/Sales/Share1 Seat

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-21489372178592222612011-12-22T07:38:00.010+13:002012-01-19T10:45:40.391+13:00

Four years ago I wrote an article 'Saab, Will It Survive?' You can see it on http://tiny.cc/pa0tcIn it I concluded: So while it would be a shame if they went the way of the Dodo, it's only GM that is keeping them from joining that hapless bird. Well GM did indeed give up on it, yet a certain Mr Muller thought he could save it. Unfortunately, he didn't have nearly enough money to do so. I am not

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-31025112975727302802011-12-18T07:02:00.010+13:002011-12-26T12:34:57.397+13:00

The 80's set the pattern for the future until today. Ford made top spot secure, GM Vauxhall over doubled its share through the decade to take second spot in 1989 from what was now Rover Group. The former giant of the UK car industry BMC/BLMC was steadily losing its share, never to come back. Jaguar was sold to Ford too. Peugeot's take over of Chrysler UK had given it the impetus to go from 1.2%

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-44621805328263322182011-12-14T13:55:00.008+13:002011-12-14T22:07:37.197+13:00

This blog has had quite a year. When it started in September 2007, I had no idea how many people came to view it. In July 2010, Google started giving bloggers a hit count and for the latter six months of 2010, 4,636 hits were recorded, or 773 per month. However, for 2011, there will be about 49,000 hits, or nearly 4,900 per month. That is quite an increase. What seems mostpopular is car sales by

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-44025352878824225992011-12-13T13:37:00.009+13:002011-12-25T05:46:27.708+13:00

The 70's didn't see the end of the UK car brands, but they were feeling the strain of under investment therefore reduced competitiveness. BL's market share had over halved from 1969 to 1979. Ford was up slightly but both Chrysler UK and Vauxhall were down somewhat. Import brands were chipping away with much success, as can be seen below when compared with "Car Market UK: 1960's" two blogs

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-1542616274381149632011-12-11T07:10:00.008+13:002011-12-25T07:05:01.760+13:00

For the first time, the all about cars blog is issuing a COTY (car of the year) award. I'm not convinced it will get international recognition or whether the manufacturer will publicly acknowledge this prestigious award. I will write to let the manufacturer know however. The criteria are as follows: Released during 2011.Excellent design and execution.Moves the car industry forward in some

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-25188064453603659812011-12-08T08:08:00.014+13:002011-12-25T05:46:49.976+13:00

The British car market was very different from today. There were numerous local car brands that dominated the scene. Most of them have gone in such a short time span. Management that lost the will or became apathetic. Workers who forgot how lucky they were to have a job. All sorts of reasons could be given, but the bottom line is a large, successful industry was wasted in a couple of decades. I

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-23476327436927627382011-12-06T11:08:00.014+13:002011-12-25T05:47:14.855+13:00

In the 70's things were changing steadily in the German car market. The top three brands lost ground, especially Ford. Meanwhile, the three premium brands closed in as more affluent German buyers could afford to move up a level of quality. Japanese brands were starting to feature and import European car makers were feeling their presence. In 1979 sales and market share were as below:1 VW 580,575

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-43539878158955743102011-12-03T16:30:00.010+13:002011-12-25T05:47:35.529+13:00

Car purchasing in Germany in the 1960's reflected the growing prosperity. Sales in 1960 were 970,000 but had almost doubled to 1,840,000 by 1969. VW was the biggest brand, capturing 32.5% of the market in 1965. GM Opel was a stable second and got a respectable 25.5% in 1964. Ford kept third spot warm and obtained an 18.3% share in 1966. Mercedes was a regular at 4th, until the merger of NSU and

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-144086778250732322011-11-30T20:42:00.017+13:002011-12-25T06:04:45.118+13:00

BMW and VW wanted into the luxury end of the market. They knew having the correct brand name was as important as making fabulous cars. BMW obtained Rolls Royce, while VW secured Bentley. Mercedes Benz realised it had to get into that stratospheric segment too, but they decided to reintroduce an old, not well known marque. The Maybach brand was born. It probably seemed a better value option to

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-36672670716161288822011-11-27T21:23:00.014+13:002011-12-25T06:38:30.365+13:00

I wrote an article recently and it featured car sales in Sweden from the 1950's. I asked for help as I was looking for a German brand, not Czech and found nothing. I made a mistake of reading Tj (Tjeckien - Czech) as Ty (Tyskland - Germany). Then I got this email shown below. A big thanks to Roul for his kind assistance: Dear Mr. RayCee,With pleasure I follow your blog and read your question

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-80818158528129630162011-11-25T16:15:00.004+13:002011-12-25T05:50:11.856+13:00

The UK car magazine website CAR has released scoop spy shots of the XF Sportbrake coming to a dealer near you from late 2012. Ideally it should have come out years ago, but Jaguar is getting there. This is an important segment in Europe and Jaguar needs to be there. It will soon. To read more and see more pics, please go to: http://tiny.cc/ehxgw Unfortunately someone at Jaguar left that funny

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-28353107016868425262011-11-23T14:25:00.006+13:002011-12-25T05:50:33.198+13:00

Americans have not taken to diesel engined cars. Previously, the engines were noisy, unrefined, smelly and polluting. Today those issues have been minimised or eliminated. I have owned diesel cars and loved the even pulling power and effortless towing capability. I do not and will not own another one until the NZ authorities fix the unfair way diesels are taxed in this country. For everyone else,

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-86627191485302691352011-11-19T07:13:00.007+13:002011-12-25T05:51:06.691+13:00

JLR now seems to understand publicity. They are doing well and not too modest to say so. That is good for those who want to know what is going on...like me for instance. Land Rover: In October 2010, 15,626 LRs were sold; for the corresponding month in '11 20,927. That is a 34% rise. LR has managed that percentage increase for the YTD as well, 144,200 to 182,500. Some may say the Evoque is the

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-21705338530982208692011-11-18T16:48:00.003+13:002011-11-18T16:53:03.662+13:00

As we progress in life, our motoring needs do likewise....So where are you at the moment? Hopefully not the last one at least.

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-592137704351671932011-11-17T12:49:00.011+13:002012-01-19T10:37:49.822+13:00

The car market in 1950 was very different from today. WW 2 had devastated Europe, although neutral Sweden didn't feel it the same way. What was then Nuffield (mainly Morris) had 6.8% of the Swedish market in 1950 and Austin had 6%. Standard/Triumph had 5.3%, Rootes (Hillman, Humber etc) had 3%, a German car brand Minor? (can anyone help with that one?) had 1.8%, Jowett 1.1% and Borgward 1.0%. All

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580859787586941167.post-88224013113271867602011-11-13T17:35:00.017+13:002012-01-19T10:58:06.419+13:00

In 1960's New Zealand, there were restrictions on car availability to reduce imports and therefore protect the balance of payments. By locally making an agricultural vehicle, they could make as many as the market would take. This lead to the Trekka vehicle. The running gear was sourced from communist Czechoslovakian company Skoda. It wasn't any good off road but as a runabout for farmers and

RayCeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459801818458845271noreply@blogger.com0