Albania Car Sales : 2026 (Jan-Mar)

Sometimes things just don't add up, yet it's true. The Albanian car market in 2026 is unprecedented in an extreme way but more on that in a moment. Most new cars sold here are not through Albanian dealers but imported through non-official channels rather than traditional local dealership networks.

Hyundai was the leading brand for 2020 and 2021, then VW took over for three years. BYD's first full year in Albania was in 2024, managing 5th place with 7% market share. 

In 2025, it rocketed to first place with 34% share and so far this year has over 60% of the registrations.  

It's hard to understand how that can happen in what is, by my understanding, an open market. Chinese penetration is now overwhelming and growing. Legacy car brands are for the most part getting battered. 

Data source: Dpshtrr. Photos: BYD. 

Nissan Global Deliveries : 2024-26 (Q1)

Deliveries: They were -1% in 2024, -4% in 2005 and for Q1 2026 -5%. That means two years of quarterly decreases but none of them large. 

Production: They have been -9% in 2024, -6% in 2025 and -6% in Q1 2026. As deliveries are consistently higher than production, I assume Renault and Mitsubishi produce some of their vehicles.

Data & Photo source: Nissan (Leaf, Juke EV & Qashqai).

Regional Production: The U.S. and Japan are the largest producers for Nissan in Q1, 2026. mexico has dropped to 18% of the total and China 17%. The U.K. is up to 12%. 78% of the total manufacturing is made outside of Japan. 

Regional Sales: They are down 5% with 84% outside of Japan. North America accounted for 41% of the total deliveries. China is down to 16% and while Europe is up to 12%, that surely has potential for improvement. 

Mazda Global Deliveries : 2025-26 (Q1)

Deliveries were down 10% for the first quarter, the fourth consecutive quarter of decrease. With the proliferation of Chinese brands aggressively seeking customers, it's hardly surprising. Mazda do not offer a meaningful sales breakdown by model.

Data & photo source: Mazda.

As for regions, all bar Europe were down. China is now barely of any relevance, such has been the decline there. With 'Others' now making up over half the volume, adding some more regional breakdowns might be a logical step forward.