Euro Compact Car Comparison : 2000-23

The compact sized passenger car has taken a beating during the 21st century. The SUV has been mainly responsible for the decline. In Europe, this was a very popular segment but not anymore and it's still progressively sliding downwards. 

Below is data collected from various sources and defining Europe is not the same from each one. It is close enough to give a clear picture of what has happened from the year 2000 through to 2023. The Golf includes the Bora and later the Jetta but just the Golf in latter years.

The VW Golf (top pic - 2013) had remained the best selling throughout, thanks of late to its enduring popularity in Germany although that is waning too. The Opel/Vauxhall Astra (above - 2007) and Ford Focus (just above - 2015) were sought after but are now on life support. The Focus ends in 2025 but the Asta continues. The fact it is now part of the Stellantis Group means it can share development costs with other models within the Group.  

I put in the Toyota Corolla (pic under chart - 2019) as a comparison. It's never been a hot seller and Toyota hasn't chased sales but the model has remained solid while the others have steadily declined. The hybrid technology Toyota has utlilised is working for the Corolla.

Picture source: https://www.netcarshow.com/

Aston Martin Global Deliveries : 2024 (Q1-Q3)

Aston Martin deliveries are a mixed bag in 2024. The sports cars increased but the SUV took a large volume hit. That has seen deliveries drop by 17% YTD. SUVs sell well but every premium marque bar McLaren has them as part of their range so there is plenty of competition. 

Regionally, there is little to learn except they all took a similar path to each other. The evenness of it gives the impression the reduction in units delivered was managed. Which of course leads to the question of what the reason was for that. 

Well, since you've asked I'll give my opinion for what it's worth. Many car makers are facing reduced profit this year yet gross profit was up slightly. That would indicate they decided to focus on margins rather than volume. Having negotiated that, it offers a chance to go forward with a stronger business structure as new models are released with emphasis placed on meeting demand rather than production targets. 

China Top 50 : 2024 (Jan-Oct)

I post data about China with reluctance, mainly because it doesn't paint a complete picture. Sales figures only state vehicles that are made there with imported models ignored. Individual manufacturers often release data with imported cars included but official figures eschew such information. This plus a high duty on imports to 'protect' local manufacturing indicates to me that imported goods are not really welcome. 

So the list below doesn't include imported vehicles which will lower some imported brands figures, premium ones mainly, as they are less affected by the obstructive tariffs applied to imports. It's also a Top 50 list so any brands below that threshold are not shown. That keeps the list more manageable as there are a plethora of local brands vying with each other. As for colour coding, yellow is less market share, green more. 

Chinese brands so far are definitely faring better in 2024 than foreign ones. Lack of quality used to mean local cars were not so sought after but there has been a real effort to improve in that area. Price could also be swinging buyers that way too. Not meeting changes in the market quickly enough has caught them out as well.

Things aren't so rosy for importers. As an example, GM's share of the market in China has fallen to its lowest level since 2003. It usually makes a profit here but for the first quarter of 2024, it lost just over $100 million. Buick has fallen to 22nd place and Chevrolet isn't in the top 50 anymore. Is GM thinking of exiting the market? They may not be alone in contemplating that. 

VW's share is about half of what it was just five years ago. Over the same period, Škoda volume has crumbled to about 5% of what it was. Foreign brands are struggling and margins are being squeezed. Those such as VW that became too dependent on China for profit are now realising they put themselves in a vulnerable position. I could see it but...