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/
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