Colombia Passenger Car/Taxi Sales : 2025 (Jan-July)

Kia is into its second year at the top, having displaced Renault in 2024. It has extended its lead this year. Chevrolet was last the number one brand in 2016 but has now slipped to sixth. 

I included taxi registrations as they are passenger cars. Just over 2,500 new taxis have joined the fleet so far, with Kia and Hyundai accounting for nearly 2,000 of them. 

Tiop selling models are: 

Toyota Corolla Cross (5,421), Mazda CX-30 (4,287), Renault Duster (4,129), Kia Picanto (3,257), Kia K3 Cross ((3,021 - pic above), Chevrolet Onix (2,871), Renault Kardian (2,788 - pic below), BYD Yuan Up (2,568) and Suzuki Swift (2,179). 

Data source: ANDEMOS. Picture sources: 

Mauritius Passenger Car Sales : 2025 (Jan-July)

Registrations were up 53% in July. It is already the same as the 2023 total and well up on years prior to that. It seems unusually buoyant as it is outperforming the overall ecomony. 

A possible reason is the upsurge in Suzuki, a brand known for value pricing. As the cars surely come from India, then that only adds to the value equation. 34% of the total sales is a clear endorsement of their popularity.

Data source: NLTA. Pictures: Axess Mauritius.

Philippines Vehicle Sales : 2015 (Jan-June)

I prefer to count passenger cars separately from commercial vehicles. In the case of the Philippines, PCs exclude MPVs and SUVs so are literally just the traditional car shape. So all vehicles were up 16% YTD.

Toyota/Lexus remains well on top with 48% of the total, not an overly unusual percentage for a protected market although it is a strong position to be in. 

Several brands do not belong the the agencies that release this data so they are omitted. Despite that, by far the majority of the volume is accounted for in the chart below. 

Data source: CAMPI, TMA. Photograph: Toyota Philippines - the Avanza.

Indonesia Vehicle Sales : 2025 (Jan-July)

The data below is for all vehicles that Gaikindo reports. Sales for July were down 18% and also down 6% YTD. The market is subject to import duty to foster local manufacturing. 

Toyota and its sub brand Diahatsu command half of total sales, down slightly on the 2024 total. Honda retains third spot but its market share is down to 9.8% compared to a full 2024 of 11.6%. With new entrants from China arriving in numbers, it is inevitable that market share will fall for incumbent brands. 

BYD only arrived during 2024 but is already up to sixth spot,. The same time frame is with Aion, while Denza (picture above) seems to have just turned up in 2025 and is already making its presence felt. Disruptive times indeed. 

Data source: Gaikindo.

RSA Passenger Car Sales : 2025 (Jan- June)

Volkswagen was the best selling passenger car brand in South Africa until 2022. At that time, Toyota took over the top spot. Then in 2024 Suzuki moved into second place, relegating VW another ranking down to third. 

Toyota last lost some market share so far this year, Suzuki improved very slightly and VW has dropped further, to its lowest share since well into last century. 

VW's problem is based on relying on the Polo model, both current and the one before, which is sold as the Polo Vivo. The two brands now above it have a much broader spread of models that sell well.

Chinese brands have established themselves and are proving popular. Indian sourced cars do well here, for Toyota, Suzuki, and of course, Mahindra the main ones. 

Jaguar has ceased selling cars here as is the case elsewhere, the 28 sales that were achieved through what dealer stock was left. 

Some popular models YTD were:

Suzuki Swift - 13,840

VW Polo Vivo - 11,310

Toyota Corolla Cross - 9,576 

(Top photograph)

Hyundai Grand i10 - 7,836

Suzuki Fronx - 7,683

(Lower picture)

Toyota Starlet - 7,330

Chery Tiggo 4 - 7,099

Data source: Naamsa.

Photos : Toyota & Suzuki SA.

Hong Kong Passenger Car Sales : 2025 (Jan-July)

There were 21,500 registrations YTD, which was down 18%. For July the 3,172 sales were up 31%. The first four months of 2025 were well down on 2024 but the last three were impressively up. 

For an open market without any import duty that I'm aware of, to have two brand taking almost half the total registrations is unheard of. One in four cars in 2025 are BYD models and for Tesla just over one in five. BYD is up 32% YTD and Tesla down 20%. Tesla's figure is close to the total figure's drop but it shows how strong BYD's year has been so far. 

To keep it in context, BMW is third but its volume has dropped 60%, Mercedes Benz is down 77% and Audi -91%. Many traditional marques are wilting from the heat that newer Chinese brands are applying. 

Hong Kong is offering incentives for electric cars (BEVs) and this appears to be a major reason for just two marques being so dominant. In addition, Chinese brands are well placed to take advantage of that, hence the surge in Chinese brands.

Some popular models are the BYD Sealion 7 (4,153), Tesla Model 3 (2,468), Tesla Model Y (2,099), Zeekr 009 (656), Xpeng G6 (563) and the Denza D9 (547). The new electric marques are usually achieving their sales with relatively few models. 

Above the photograph is of the Denza 09, and below is the Deepal S07 which has just arrived during this year.

Data source: HK Transport Department.

Romania Passenger Car Sales : 2025 (Jan-July)

Registrations got off to a slow start here. For July they were up 25% but YTD they are down 16%. Local brand Dacia leads the way and then some. Its share is down slightly compared to 2024 but still in a commanding position. 

Toyota's market share of 9.4% is a record for the marque in Romania and Škoda's best since 2018. MG is up to 13th in only its second year in the country so quite an improvement. Chinese brands have yet to make much impact as yet. 

Sales by model for Dacia were the Duster (7,680), Logan (7,014), Sandero (4,373), Jogger (1,686), Spring (1,160 - pic below) and the just released Bigster (811 - pic above). Škoda's strongest was the Octavia (2,803) with Toyota's best selling model the Corolla (2,494).

Data source: DGPCI. Pictures: Dacia.

Israel Car/LCV Sales : 2025 (Jan-July)

Despite all the goings on in Israel, car and light commercial sales are going well and heading for an increase over last year. 

Hyundai surrendered its top spot last year but got the jump on Toyota early in 2025. However, Toyota is fighting back and there is nothing between them just past the half way stage. 

Kia was the second best selling brand in 2023 but this is the fourth year of reduced market share. The number of new brands arriving is no doubt contributing to that but not entirely. This is Chery's third full year in Israel and it currently fourth. Jaecoo (optimistically pictured above) is in its first full year and already sixth.

Data source: Israel Vehicle Importers Association. Picture: Jaecoo Israel.

Panamá Car & LCV Sales : 2025 (Jan-Jun)

Toyota took the lead in Panamá during 2024 and hasn't looked back. So far this year, it has taken one in five sales and that is substantial in a market not protecting local manufacturers through import duties. 

Kia and Hyundai also do well but then it drops away quite sharply. Asian brands are the most popular with many new Chinese ones adding to that. 

In all eighty brands are competing here in the passenger car and light commercial sector. Despite that, as we have seen, the big guns are still firing plenty of shots back. 

Hong Kong Passenger Car Sales : 2024

It's been a while since Hong Kong has graced these blog pages. My first attempt included used imports which have now been weeded out. That reduced the total by 6,000 and hit mainly Japanese brands as they drive on the same side of the road and is presumably the source of most used imports. So let's see how things went in 2024. 

First up, some background. HK doesn't limit car ownership like Singapore, with its certificate system that caps the number of cars on the road. Instead, high registration taxes, parking fees and tolls are used to discourage both car ownership and their use. This is backed up with a quality public transportation system that offers an affordable alternative.  

As for vehicle type, electric cars have become very popular. This has given Chinese brand sales real impetus, as we can see below. Tesla is on top despite sales volume remaining the same. Holding a over 20% share is impressive but with so many electric brands arriving, surely that is an untenable level of success.

Premium marques certainly didn't have a good year. Maxus has seemingly come out of nowhere and smart (picture above) came from years of obscurity to a top ten position with its new electric car range. Brands that sell fossil fuel cars will increasingly be marginalised. 

Data source: HK Transport Department.

The Jaguar Disaster

Whenever we leave a job, it will be defined by the legacy we left. Hindsight is a fine thing and is the clearest view we can get on a direction that we took. Below are a few points I'd like to share regarding directions mistakenly taken by JLR regarding the Jaguar marque.

1) Trying to go it alone. Alfa Romeo is a brand that struggles but is surviving because the cost of developing models is shared within the Stellantis Group. Jaguar didn't have that luxury and the volumes weren't high enough to carry that burden alone. 

The solution was to push volume up but anyone with a knowledge of traditional, conservative premium car buyers would know that they were never going to do that en masse. A totally flawed approach.

The only one that made sense was collaboration and the compromises that come with it. JLR didn't want to dilute Jaguar's DNA and I get that. But beggars can't be choosers.

2) Dumping the Electric XJ. The development cost had already been paid and if that was to be written off, then surely from that point on it would be profitable to produce. It would also be a positive flagship model for the marque.  

Had it been an entry level model, then that wouldn't help its image going forward, as Jaguar made it move up market. However, this was a top of the range BEV Jaguar, an ideal model to take the marque where it was heading.

There were issues about the platform it was built on and where to build it but the reason given was it didn't fit the direction the band was heading. At a cost of nearly £500 million to develop, I would have found a way to make it happen. 

3) A jump upmarket. I can see JLR was trying to put a distance between where Jaguar was and where it is going to be in the future. However, the best way to go upmarket is to do it incrementally. How could they do it in one step? By stopping production and then taking the giant leap into luxury after a sales hiatus.

What a flawed premise. The risks associated with this move were certainly not worth taking. A more measured and gradual approach was the only way to do this, but somehow JLR would pull it off.  

4) Going fully electric. There is a saying about never putting all your eggs in one basket. JLR did just that and it's going to leave egg on some people's faces. It has been announced that low demand for luxury electric vehicles will now mean a delayed introduction of the two planned Jaguar EVs. 

Will a delay achieve anything? Is there a sudden upturn expected soon? This high risk move upmarket into full electric has disaster written all over it. JLR has painted itself into a corner because the initial concept was risky and has no plan B. Failure was always the most likely outcome. 

Summary:  Jaguar is a marque that could have been managed so much better but those entrusted with its care have failed in their duty. The first rule of any undertaking is to do no harm. Then build on that. Bold moves have to succeed or else you end up failing big time. To me, where Jaguar has ended up is a disaster. 

Albania Passenger Car Sales : 2025 (Jan-Jun)

Registrations in Albania amounted to 4,811, but the amazing thing is that it took 67 brands to achieve that. 31 of them sold five cars or less.  

BYD is the leading brand so far this year. In 2023 it arrived in the country and reached 13th; in 2024 5th. 

Volkswagen was the top brand for the previous three years but it now resides in second place. 

Hyundai was the leader before that but is now 5th, so nothing can be taken for granted. Škoda has slipped one place to 3rd and likewise Fiat down one to 4th. 

The aforementioned proliferation of  brands has been driven by all the new Chinese entrants. Consumers can't complain about a lack of choice. 

Data source: DPSHTRR.

Photograph: BYD Europe.

Leapmotor Global Sales : 2019-2025 (H1)

Zhejiang Leapmotor started delivering its first electric car (BEV) in mid 2019. This progressed steadily with sales confined to China. However, things are starting to accelerate in China. Also in late 2023, the Stellantis car company bought a share of Leapmotor and will assist in the expansion of the brand globally. That is starting to happen now. 

To the right is a chart of deliveries initially by years, but then by both quarters and years. Virtually all of what is there reflects domestic deliveries. 

The first model was the S01, a reasonably stylish coupe. Numbers were limited and it was soon discontinued. 

The following year the T03 became the next model, a tiny electric city car. It was also manufactured in a Stellantis plant in Poland from mid 2024 but that ceased in early 2025. I would imagine the volume was limited. 

The C11 medium sized crossover was released in 2021 as either a BEV or with a range extender engine (EREV) and in 2022 the BEV C1 executive saloon car was released.

Late 2023 arrived with the C10 midsized wagonlike EREV crossover and in early 2024 a large version of the former named the C16. In early 2025 a compact BEV (B10) was introduced. 

This flurry of models is going to keep driving deliveries upward. The tie up with Stellantis will be an important part of the export drive.

Data source: Leapmotor. Picture source: Leapmotor NZ.

RSA Passenger Car Sales : 2024

Sales in South Africa were about the same as the previous year. One notable difference is that premium marques didn't do so well. Another point of interest is Chinese brands moving in with two of them looking settled in the top ten. 

Toyota achieved its highest market share since 2003 and has been the best passenger car brand for the last three years. Adding light commercial vehicles would paint a very different picture, with Toyota well on top. 

VW has been the leading passenger or second best car brand going back into last century. This is the lowest market share I can find for the brand. The arrival of more brands has upped the competition so maintaining one's share of the pie is a challenge. Suzuki is also on a roll.  

The fact that Toyota has thus far been able to succeed is in its model range. VW relies heavily on the Polo Vivo, an previous generation model as a value proposition. Toyota has worked with Suzuki in securing fresh metal and it's working (see above the Urban Cruiser).  

To clarify regarding the Great Wall listing below, the two brands under it are Tank and Ora. The Haval brand that is also from GWM is listed separately. 

Picture source: Toyota SA & Suzuki SA. 

Vinfast Sales : 2025 Q1

Vinfast isn't quick in reporting sales figures. The Q1 result was 36,330 units deliveries, which was up an impressive 296%. That was below the 2024 Q4 figure but volumes go up through the year, although how that will pan out for the rest of 2025 we will have to wait and see. 

Vinfast lost $712.4 million in Q1 2025. Dividing that figure by sales brings it to -$19,600 per unit. 

It is backed by Vingroup, which gives Vinfast the ability to continue even in the loss making situation it currently sits in. Obviously it needs to remedy this as soon as possible. 

At present there are six models in the range which collectively need to be selling in much larger numbers. 

Most sales are domestic although the company doesn't seem to release global regional data.

The range kicks off with the VF 3 (photo above - tiny SUV) which starting reaching customers in the second half of 2024. 

The VF 5 city car (photo left) came out in 2023. It was initially known as the VF e32. 

The VF 6 also was released in 2024. It's a small crossover SUV being just over 4.2 metres in length or 167 inches. 

The VF 7 (picture below) was another car released in early 2024. It's a compact crossover which in my eyes has a wagon look about it. The red car (second from top) is the VF 8 medium large crossover SUV and the first deliveries commenced in late 2022. Lastly, at the top of the page is the VF 9 large crossover SUV. Deliveries were from early 2022.

As the Vietnamese market isn't large enough to support the brand, exports are essential. I would imagine the company would like that to progress more quickly than it is but reputations take time to be established. Some customers have complained about quality issues while others seem happy with their purchase. 

The US was seen as an important market to enter but that could be problematic with recent tariffs potentially limiting that opportunity. Overall, it comes across to me as a company in too much of a hurry...unless it's sales figures.  

Xiaomi Deliveries : 2024-25 (H1)

Xiaomi make all sorts of things and in the second quarter of 2024 started delivering cars. It was a large four door fastback named the SU7 (photo above). The SU stands for Speed Ultra and looks like it was heavily influenced by Tesla. Mind you, that could be said of many Chinese cars of this ilk 

Deliveries started in Q2 2004, with the company giving definite figures for the first two months, then a general number for the third month. So by using that information, I came up with 25,700 units delivered. Then based on the Q4 and full year figures provided by Xiaomi, I came up with the Q3 number of 41,457. Elementary, my dear Watson. Why make it so hard?

In 2025, 75,869 units found owners in Q1 and Q2 is based on monthly rounded figures. Xiaomi goes from definite to indefinite figures in what seems a random manner. Anyway, the 2025 figure of 157,000 deliveries is already 15% up on the three quarters of 2024. 

So where will 2025 end up? With the imminent arrival of the YU7 SUV (photo below), deliveries for the year are expected to be 380,000 plus. That would be divided as 280,000 and 100,000 for the SU7 and YU7 respectively. 

For now, the emphasis has been on the Chinese market but exporting will surely follow sooner rather than later. In Q1 2025, the company has reportedly lost US$900 on each car delivered. That isn't a surprise for a new venture though. Starting out in the car industry is an especially expensive exercise. 

Data & picture source: Xiaomi.

Colombia Top 50 Passenger Car Model Sales : 2024

Kia leads the way here with the tiny Picanto model, which is shown above carrying a generous load of goods. Mazda comes in next with the CX-30 with the Toyota Corolla Cross breathing down its neck. The Chevrolet Tracker fell nine places so it needs some love, hence the picture at the bottom of the article. 

Data source: ANDEMOS. Picture sources: Kia Colombia & Chevrolet Colombia.

Colombia Passenger Car/Taxi Sales : 2024

Total sales were 165,000 for 2024, a 14% increase. That is some way down on recent averages but at least it was a healthy rise in volume. The average for the last ten years (including 2024) is 197,000)

It may seem odd to include taxis in the title but they are counted as a segment, with 5,300 new cars added to the taxi fleet around the country. Kia accounted for just over half of them. 

Taxis enabled Kia to become number one for the year, ending Renault's seven year reign at the top. BYD is yet again moving up the rankings. Chinese brands have been here for some time and are yet to crack the top ten but that may be about to change. 

Data source: ANDEMOS. Picture source: Renault Colombia.

Albania Passenger Car Sales : 2024

Registrations are booming in Albania. It seems most of the sales are not through official channels, although they are new cars according to the source. The data was time consuming to assemble and I believe accurate. It's a unique opportunity to see what's happening in a market that is rapidly emerging. 

Registrations were up 74% in 2023 and 47% in 2024. The 'Diff' column shows the change in market share so they virtually all enjoyed an increase in volume. Those shaded green had extra ordinary increases.

Hyundai was the leading brand in 2021 but VW put an end to that in 2022 while Škoda and Fiat have also since pushed past. As usual, BYD has come from nowhere to be a serious threat to those above. Citroën too enjoyed a good twelve months. MG roared up the chart but then slipped back. 

Data source: DPSHTRR. Photograph: VW Albania.