This is an area where sales statistics are not readily available so this is unique data below. Renault has fallen over the last few years but overall sales have also done so as well. Israel is the main market in the region, with Saidu Arabia next. The region is strong for Asian brands so ones from Europe have to fight hard to have an impression, unless they are of the premium variety.
Data source: Renault Group.
I've been scratching around Statbel and found some interesting historical data. So a big call out to them for making this available. It's not often older data is accessible. I have a lot more but I don't know how much statistical information on Belgium is of interest.
As for the chart to the right, some obvious and predictable things are there but also things to surprise. I've shaded the USA in a different colour and they were more popular than I expected. Belgium wasn't protected like the larger European markets were at the time so that would have helped.
I'm not sure if supply was an issue for some brands as they rebuilt after the war and sourcing materials may have still been problematic even ten years after hostilities ceased.
I did think of combining brands belonging to the same company but then thought seeing the brands separate would be more enlightening anyway.
Ford Europe was one brand, sourcing cars from England, France and Germany. Opel and Vauxhall were both owned by GM but both brands were sold their products which were quite different.
Some brands are now only found in history books (and blogs like this). DKW became Audi. Austin, Morris and several other English brands were merged and became MG Rover which was eventually killed off altogether. Shameful.
Enjoy the data. It took a while to assemble. The source seems to have total sales slightly higher than is generally found elsewhere. It could be down to what constitutes a passenger car or even if new cars imported privately are counted or not.
The car above is the Ford Taunus, sourced from Germany. The name used from 1939 to 1994 and unusually covered two different sized models. The above is the smaller car which went from 1952-59.
This region has been quite good for the Renault Group but a couple of situations have affected volume in recent times. One is the repositioning of Samsung in Korea, in which the right to use that name has expired. Geely has recently acquired 34% of Renault Korea Motors and between the two companies, new models will come online. It will also give Geely access to the USA via Korea.
I always thought that Toyota came of age at the beginning of the 1970s. They may have already achieved that earlier but I think the series two 1970 Corolla (pictured right) was a huge step up on the first one in terms of styling at least. 
Numbers gathered pace quickly from the brand's introduction in 1966. Most sales were for the Corolla several other models did reasonably well too. The Crown was very popular in 1970 but fell away sharply but other models more than made up for that. This was a successful five years for Toyota Belgium.
Data source: Statbel.
Another difficult region to get data for bar a few countries. North Africa is where most Renault products find their way, partly because they are larger than most and also through a greater French influence.
Morocco leads the way with South Africa/Namibia next. Algeria includes Brokers, someone used to facilitate the transfer of goods or assets from one party to another. I'm not sure how that fits in but it isn't a large part of sales overall. NITCO is a brokerage firm also, again not a big part of the sales.
It includes all Renault brands so here Dacia plays a large part too. It's an interesting and unique insight other car manufacturers don't share and I suspect this won't be available for the 2023 year or thereafter.
Data source: Renault Group.
The Triumph brand was one I always liked. One model I really took a fancy to was the Dolomite Sprint, sporty yet not flashy. The 2500 was a class act and of premium quality. The range was eclectic with basic, premium and sports cars. Yet they all came together nicely.
Data source: Statbel.
It may be a small region of the world but obtaining any data on the Caribbean is all but impossible so well done Renault for giving us this insight. I included French Guiana in this listing. Although geographically it is in South America, I see it from a cultural point of view as Caribbean.
Considering the size of some of these places, the numbers are good. The top three are connected to France so it is to be expected that they would be the main markets for Renault in this region. Overall sales have kept an even flow about them numerically at a time when globally there have been many upheavals.
Data source: Renault Group.
Global production was up 12.1% for the first half of 2023. Japan was +29%, the rest of Asia was +2.8%, North America +8.8%, Latin America +3.6%, Europe +0.2% and Africa +53%.
Asia (including Japan) contributed 2 in every 3 vehicles made, North America 1 in 5 and Europe 1 in 12. Japan alone made 1 in 3. China and the US are the next two largest producers. Thailand and Canada come 4th and 5th. The UK could do with a second model.
Data source: Toyota Group.
Toyota: The Yaris Cross was the most popular model, followed by the regular Yaris. Then come the C-HR and Corolla (hatch & sports tourer). Two new entries are the Corolla Cross and bZ4X. This list includes light commercials as well. The Hilux is top there, ahead of the two ProAce models. Maybe a few lcv sales are also in the 'Others'.
Lexus: 85% of sales came from the SUV range (models ending with X). Improved supply, a new RX and a brand new RZ electric model assisted the increase nicely.
Lexus was conceived as a North American brand, utilising top of the range Toyota models. Lexus arrived in the US in 1989 and it gradually expanded beyond North America. Toyota is a name so revered in Japan it wasn't deemed necessary to have a distinctive brand there so wasn't introduced there.
It finally made its debut in Japan for the year 2005 but it wasn't that successful. It was outsold by both Mercedes and BMW for some years. It passed the latter in 2019 and likewise Mercedes in 2023 to become the top selling premium brand in its homeland.
Looking at regions, North America still takes nearly half of all Lexus cars sold. Asia was accounting for a third of sales but so far in 2023 just a quarter, lower sales in China are the reason for that. Japan has suddenly moved up 6.8 percentage points! That's why it's become the top premium brand in Japan.
As for the rest, Europe is a very disappointing 8% of sales. German premium marques chase volume in ways Lexus isn't. The Middle East has had an unturn and is now closing in on Europe.
In H1, global sales were up 22.4% while June was +40.9%. Japan is up a huge +140%, the Middle East an impressive +72%, Latin America +58% North America +16% and Oceania +67%. Europe is +41%, Africa +24% and Asia (excluding Japan) -6%. So most areas are doing well but Asia took much of the wind out of the sales as mentioned due to China.
Data source: Toyota Group.
Registrations were down 65% in June and -70% YTD. I thought there must be a mistake but apparently there isn't otherwise I wouldn't have published the article. It is mainly down to the floating of the currency which has caused car prices to jump. Sudden shifts have that effect until pent up demand and acceptance takes over and a degree of normality returns.
The 'Diff' column shows market share change, comparing half of 2023 with a complete 2022. Otherwise, the chart below would have been awash with yellow. Nissan and Renault seem to have been major benefactors in improving market share but Chevrolet and Suzuki have been hit hard. A few brands don't report but generally premium ones and commercial. Not a good year so far but reasonably sunny for some.
For the first half of 2023, Nissan's production was +6% and sales were the same as last year. So stock levels are being built up since recent events would have impacted that.
Production: There are five main producing nations Nissan separates data for. China is the largest but for H1 but volume was -34%. Japan was +47%, the U.S. +18%, Mexico +45%, the U.K. +36% and the remainder -4%. China could have put a real damper on things but all the others negated that with strong growth.
Data Source: Nissan.
Chrysler Europe wasn't successful but Simca was selling well in Belgium. The small hatchback 1100 was the most popular model by 1974, with the 1300/1500 medium/large sedan was consistent in volume. The small 1000 (picture above) was coming toward the end of its life and I presume the 1200 was a sports coupe which was in runout mode at this time.
The Chrysler-Simca 160/180/2L is listed here, although not a Simca product. It was mainly designed in the UK and built in France and then later in Spain. It was also the basis for the Centura model in Australia. European sales were affected by strong competition from more established manufacturers such as Ford and GM.
Data source: Statbel.
Thanks to Statbel, I was able to piece together some data from years gone by. It's basically accurate although some of the entries needed deciphering so I believe I got it right. It doesn't quite line up with total figures I've seen elsewhere so that will come down to how they are counted.
The Mini was the main selling model which isn't surprising as it was assembled here. It exceeded 50% of the total each of the years below and sometimes well over that.
The Allegro model arrived in 1974 so its sales impact in the country was still undetermined. It was assembled in Belgium (150,00 in total) and exported so high hopes were held for its success. It replaced the 1100/1300.
Although the title says Austin and Morris, in 1973 the name Leyland was mostly - but not entirely - replacing them both in the data source. I don't know if that was simply how they were recording it or if it was reflected on logos on cars. Austin and Morris did duplicate models. Either way, sales were quite strong in Belgium.
Picture source and for all things BL (but too many ads) : AROnline.
Take for example the touch screen in cars. The idea is simply using the tip of your index finger to achieve a desired result is more efficient than turning knobs and pushing buttons. I suppose it would be true if the modern car had fewer functions. This has resulted in the curse of the inefficient submenu.
If a car dashboard had both a touchscreen and all the physical controls as well, which would a motorist end up using? Flicking through a series of menus or activating a manual control? I know what I would be doing and I suggest most would be doing the same.
So what is driving all of this? I can't see a cost saving. Driver efficiency is reduced and safety is compromised. With eyes off the road while fiddling with a touch screen, the need for autonomous braking and lane departure warning is needed. Yet a human will always be better at evaluating and anticipating hazards than a computer will ever be. That is why autonomous cars have failed to materialise in any meaningful way years after they were promised.
The main driver for all of this is profit. Car manufacturers are eyeing making huge gains from selling features that can be downloaded. I can see that on occasion that would be useful but what I have noticed is that features that could have been loaded into the system at the beginning are not and then made available at a substantial extra cost.
I have always been someone who wants a car to get me from A to B and back again. I think optimum reliability was achieved a decade or two ago, which more likely fulfills the aforementioned objective. I don't want to eat and drink while driving or have phone conversations. I concentrate on driving so I don't need intrusive driver aids to protect me from any self induced distractions.
What most people want are essential features but few want superfluous ones. Indulgence that creates inefficiency and frustration is the accepted norm in the industry. Striking the balance between useful and unnecessary is beyond car makers today.
I have always loved cars but modern ones are causing me to lose that love. The simple joy of driving is being overtaken by technology. That's why the only car brand that would interest me today is Dacia. If I had to buy something else, I'd opt for public transport. I've never wanted a new car less than I do today.
I'll still love statistics and will still watch car sales but I can't say the way technology in cars is being used today is something I appreciate or find appealing. For me, it's all gone too far.
Who would have thought a Tesla would be the top selling model in Europe. Incentives for electric carts have played a major part but it's still quite a feat. Budget brand Dacia coming second is also something that may surprise. They offer value and a sensible product that appeals against a backdrop of excess offered by other brands. Are you tired of the ever increasing complication of modern day life? Then check out Dacia.
Data source: Jato Dynamics.
What constitutes Europe varies slightly by source, so comparing doesn't bring identical results. For June registrations were up 18% and +17% for the first six months. The 'Diff' column shows market share change, comparing half of 2023 with a full 2022. So brands showing smaller minus results were up in volume.
Over the last few years, VW has retained its top spot but with a slightly reducing market share. Audi is working hard in increasing its share but Mercedes and BMW have decided to pull back on volume. A stated intention by them that looks like its being carried out. Tesla and MG are both on dramatic improve.
Honda and Mitsubishi both look like they're winding down in Europe. Electric cars may be about to slow as well with VW cutting production temporarily. Manipulating the market only goes so far if the product doesn't fit most people's needs.
Data source: Jato Dynamics.
This covers the first six months of the year and that doesn't work so well when some countries have consistent sales throughout the year while others are variable. A classic example is Ireland which booms then busts as the year progresses. Expect that country to fall by year's end.
Not much changes from year to year except for some minor shuffling here and there. The 'Diff' column shows regional share change, comparing half of 2023 with a full 2022. So for example Germany sold more cars but shows a fall because it didn't match the region's overall increase (to clarify the way I tabulate data). It's a point of difference compared to how it is shown elsewhere.
Data source: Jato Dynamics.
