Registrations for December were up 18% and for the year -2% so nearly a positive result. Still, it was the lowest total since 1982 so let's not get excited here! The '+/- diff' column below is for market share change.
Kia was top after three months but then Ford took the lead only to have VW move into first place with a strong December surge. Even so, Tesla was the best selling brand in the last month of the year with nearly 16,400 registrations compared to VW's 13,100 and Ford's mere 7,650 odd.
Ford was for decades of being the leading brand, often outselling other brands decisively but that sort of dominance is over. VW only just exceeded 8% share, that being a very low percentage for the best selling brand. I can't think of another market where such a low percentage took the top spot.
Toyota and Kia are well placed to move up the rankings if Audi and BMW falter in any way. Tesla still didn't make the top ten despite it's December heroics. MG actually outperformed it terms of percentage increase.
Land Rover's 17% loss of market share and Jaguar's 34% drop is concerning as this is their home market. No Mitsubishi? That's right, sales have stopped for them. Some of the smallest selling brands are estimates but they won't be far off the mark.
Data source: SMMT.
How comes that Kia is first? This is a company with no production facilities in the UK, right?
ReplyDeleteNissan missed the top 10, I know they are not doing great (behind Audi and BMW?), but even at a "home market"?
Whether a car is made in the UK or not is of no interest to the UK buyer. Loyalty is reserved just for their football team. British workers can take a hike for all they care.
ReplyDeleteWell, neither did those workers, when they voted for Brexit e.g. in the areas near Swindon. Nevertheless, this is not just about loyalty. Factories offer quite good terms on their local markets, this is another reason why Volvo is strong in Sweden, or Suzuki in Hungary. I mean, we as buyers will go for the best value, local production is just a plus when considering many factors.
DeleteI am just curious what Kia is doing to outcompete Toyota in a home market, and especially Ford which has big traditions (albeit an ailing European arm).