Nissan/Infiniti Prod/Sales (By Nation/Region) : 2021-23

For the three quarters of 2023, Nissan's production was +2.4% and sales were +1.1%. With most manufacturers increasing post Covid, this doesn't sound very good. However, there is a good reason for it as we will see.

Please note, the charts below have complete year data for 2021 and 2022 but nine months for 2023.

Production: There are five main producing nations Nissan separates data for. China is the largest but for Q3 the volume was -39% and looks like it is about to drop in the ranking. Japan was +35%, the U.S. +14%, Mexico +56%, the U.K. +38% and the remainder -4%. China could have put a real damper on things but all other nations mentioned negated that with strong growth. 

Data Source: Nissan. 

Sales: In Q3 North America has moved swiftly past China, the former with a sales surge of +31% and the latter -35%. The days of huge sales success for Western car makers in China are coming to an end as they become increasingly marginalised. As for the rest, Europe was +23% with Japan up 8% and Others +0%. 

So for Nissan China has slumped while the rest of the world is doing really well. Personally, I think that is a good thing. 

Bosnia-Herzegovina Passenger Car Sales : 2023 (Jan-Sep)

Registrations for September were +16% and for the year so far up by 26%. The increase is maintaining its momentum. Škoda has almost one in four sales, the best percentage going back to 2010. Pictured above are two Škodas with the message "Roads are not borders for them". Big call. 

Toyota nearly maintains its share but most in the top ten from 2022 lost market share. There aren't many brands here but it isn't a big market. Besides, in many countries, there is too much choice anyway. 

The 'Diff' column shows market share change, comparing three quarters of 2023 with a complete 2022.  

There is a bonus top 25 model sales list below. 

Renault / Dacia Global Model Sales : 2023 (Jan-Sep)

It has been decided by the Renault Group to release sales of the Renault brand together with Dacia. Renault borrows some Dacia models for selected markets so the logic of combining has merit. It's just a shame that Dacia isn't presented as a stand alone brand anymore. Lada was briefly grouped together with Dacia but that ending may have prompted the move.

Now that I cannot put each brand in a separate article, they are both here in the list below. The new way does enlarge the Dacia/Renault shared models. The Clio which is Renault's top model is relegated to second place with the Sandero becoming the slightly stronger selling model instead. 

So it is not forgotten, at the base of the chart is the Alpine A110 sports car. Its sales for the first nine months were 2,887, up 16% on the first nine months of 2022. I also added Mobilize, an electric car obtained from JMC in China and exclusively available through a car sharing scheme. 

Green represents an increase in share for a model in comparison to the others listed. Overall there a 13% increase for Renault/Dacia with the Clio doing particularly well when compared to 2022. 

Data source: Renault Group.

Renault Korea Model Sales : 2023 (Jan-Sep)

Renault is changing tack in Korea. In 2022 China's Geely bought a third stake in RKM (Renualt Korea Motors) and by 2024 is planning to build cars at RKM's Busan assembly plant. The cars are being designed by RKM on Geely architecture and technology. I assume the Busan plant will still be heavily involved with exporting cars. 

For now, RKM is selling its own cars but as they are aging models (two of them), sales are in decline. Until the new cars arrive they are effectively sailing into a headwind trying to compete with newer models from the competition. 

The QM6 SUV (aka the Renault Koleos - picture below) is the main model but is slowing faster than the other two models. The XM3 crossover (aka the Renault Arkana - picture above) is quite a new model and I thought it may have sold in greater numbers in Korea. Finally, the SM6 (aka the Renault Talisman) is a large car that has been retired by Renault and presumably soon by RKM. 

The new arrangement with Geely cannot come quick enough for RKM but when operative will make it a more successful unit with the Renault Group. The '=/-' shows how the share for models within this shrinking group is moving. In reality, they are all well down in volume as the -56% sales fall would indicate.

Data source: Renault Group.

French Guiana Car/LCV Sales : 2023 (Jan-Sep)

French Giana is another overseas department of France, comprised mainly of tropical rain forest. It is located on the north east coast of the South American mainland.  Despite its size, the population is only about 300,000. 

The car market is small, with 4,900 units finding new homes so far in 2023. Volume is down 7% YTD and was also down 5% in the third quarter. Dacia is popular here (the Sandero Stepway pictured above) and I was surprised to see Fiat on the top ten list. The 'Diff' column below shows market share change, comparing three quarters of 2023 with a complete 2022.   

Here are the top ten models.

UK Vehicle Production : 2023 (Jan-Sep)

UK vehicle manufacturing is currently steadily rising. Manufacturers have exited and no new ones have replaced them for some time now, yet a reasonable gain has taken place. Most vehicles are exported which keeps the plants viable. More local support would help but the will to do that simply isn't there.

Car: Q1-Q3 production for domestic consumption is 135,000 (+10%) and exports increased to 525,000 (+16%). The total figure was 660,000, an increase of 15%. Only 9.3% of UK passenger car sales were met by locally made vehicles, the lowest since 1946 when my records start. Presumably, the lowest since UK car manufacturing began.  

As for the monthly average, that has increased from 63,800 to 73,300. I am curious as to where the increase is coming from but without a full breakdown by manufacturer, I can't be certain. It is probably spread across the various manufacturers. 

What I do know is that until recently. Nissan's and Toyota combined were just short of half of the total. Nissan makes the Qashqai, Juke and Leaf. Toyota the Corolla hatch and wagon. Toyota needs another model to better utilise the factory. 

Data source: SMMT.

Commercial Vehicle: Q1-Q3 production for the local market was 32,500 units (+3.4%), exports were 53,000 (+16.9%), and combined 85,500 (+11.4%). After hitting a low point in 2020, CV production lifted and I assume Ellesmere Port van production will give it some sort of boost. 

The average numbers have improved slightly, from 8,500 to 9,500. CV production may be plateauing unless more investment in that area is forthcoming.

Combined: Production for the local market was +8.5% to 167,500 while production destined for export was +16.4% to 578,000. In total, 745,400 vehicles were made (+14.5%). The totals could and should be better but it is for now moving in the right direction. Mind you, most production around the world is. 

As for average per month production, it has increased from 72,300 to 82,800 units. That is the best since 2019, when Honda and Vauxhall were still making cars here. Vauxhall (Stellantis) is switching over to vans but even when that transition is fully up to speed, the number of vehicles made by Vauxhall will be less than what they achieved with passenger cars. 

Guadeloupe Car/LCV Sales : 2023 (Jan-Sep)

Guadeloupe is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. It is a French overseas department with nearly 400,000 people living here. 

French car brands predominate as one might expect them to. Registrations are down 1% YTD and likewise -2% for Q3. Not much in it then. 

The 10,900 units sold are well short of the 17,000 for 2022 but each year there is a sizable jump during the last quarter. The 'Diff' column below shows market share change, comparing three quarters of 2023 with a complete 2022.   

As for models, the top ten are listed below.

Martinique Car/LCV Sales : 2023 (Jan-Sep)

Slovakia Top 40 Passenger Car Models : 2023 (Jan-Sep)

The top nine is the Škoda - Hyundai/Kia show. The Kia Cee'd includes the Proceed wagon variant and as it's made here not surprising it does well. Mind you, many cars are made here. In fact, it makes more cars per capita than any other country in the world. 

Réunion & Mayotte Car/LCV Sales : 2023 (Jan-Sep)

Réunion is an island in the Indian Ocean to the east of Madagascar. About 860,000 people live there and it is a French overseas department. The data I have isn't that extensive and that usually means it doesn't turn into an article but...(Gallic shrug).

French brands are the leading ones so no surprise there. For 2023 so far, registrations are down 4% and for Q3 it was neutral. The 'Diff' column shows market share change, comparing three quarters of 2023 with a complete 2022.

The top ten models reflect what sells best here.

Mayotte is also a French overseas department, consisting of two islands. The population is about 315,000 and the official language is French. it's not quite as French brand dominated as is Réunion but Peugeot is still the leading marque and Franch owned Dacia is number two. 

Sales are up 12% YTD and for Q3 again neutral. The 'Diff' column shows market share change, comparing three quarters of 2023 with a complete 2022.

As for models, Dacia has the two leading positions. 

Slovakia Passenger Car Sales : 2023 (Jan-Sep)

Registrations were +17% YTD but more impressive was the September figure of +31%! Škoda is a popular brand in many countries in Europe and I suppose the company based in what was once the same country helps. The 'Diff' column shows market share change, comparing three quarters of 2023 with a complete 2022.   

Since 2013, Toyota has steadily increased its share of the Slovak market each year. It is well short of the leader but the relentlessness is impressive. Lexus has followed the same pattern but with a much lower volume of course. Land Rover had its lowest penetration since 2009. I'm not sure why as they now have a successful plant here. 

Toyota LCV UK Sales : 2020-2023

Toyota does well with light commercial vehicles in many regions but in this segment, it has never been that big in Europe. It is however steadily expanding with its sourcing of LCVs from Stellantis. A large van is the next to join the ranks in mid 2024. For now, the ProAce city compact van (pictured above) and ProAce medium van (medium van pictured below) are the two vehicles from that cooperative. 

The big one for Toyota LCVs is of course the Hilux pickup truck, with over half the volume. The Landcruiser is also part of the LCV range with just two seats and a larger rubberised cargo area. A Corolla hybrid model (pictured below) has been added with the same two seat layout. It sounds like a really smart idea, combining a compact van with economical hybrid motoring. 

Sales are growing nicely, up from 9,000 in 2020 to 13,000 for the next two years. The 2023 figure is for nine months while the previous years are for a complete twelve months so 2023 will be another step up in terms of volume. The ProAce City seems to be the reason as it adds another option for van buyers to consider Toyota. I'm not sure the size of the market for the Corolla van but it's certainly worth adding to the range. 

Data source: Toyota UK.

Liechtenstein Passenger Car Sales : 2023 (Jan-Jun)

Registrations were down 15% in September but up 9% YTD. The numbers are tiny but so is the population. It's nice they are open with their data, an example some other countries should try to emulate. The 'Diff' column shows market share change, comparing three quarters of 2023 with a complete 2022.   

This market is similar to Luxembourg albeit on a smaller scale and I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise. The top four are comfortably ahead of the rest with premium marques doing well. Then a sizable gap to some mainstream brands. However, premium marques seem to have lost a little ground to the value priced ones. 

Hybrid cars made up 35% of registrations, petrol 32%, electric 22% and diesel 11%. 

Data source: Liechtensteinische Landesverwaltung.

Vietnam Vehicle Sales : 2023 (Jan-Sep)

In Vietnam, VAMA is the main body that collects sales data. According to them, September registrations for all vehicles were down 17% and likewise, they were reduced by 28% YTD. This is complicated by the fact that Hyundai and Vinfast don't report to VAMA as with many other smaller brands. At least those two named brands do release figures independently.

Hyundai is the leading brand from Toyota and Kia. Ford and Mazda come in next and have made up some ground on those above them. Local company Vinfast have done well this year too after a turbulent start to its brief existence thus far. 

There is an import duty here like in Asian vehicle manufacturing countries but understandable here when it's getting on its feet. So the variety of brands isn't there. Surely more will join. 

The 'Diff' column shows market share change, comparing three quarters of  2023 with a complete 2022. 

Data source: Mainly VAMA, manufacturers.

For the year to date, the best selling model is the Mitsubishi Xpander (see picture below). It apparently gets admiring glances wherever it goes. 14,200 have been sold so far. The Hyundai Accent (picture at the top) is next (11,500), Ford Ranger (11,200) and Mazda CX-5 (10,800) comes in at fourth.