Europe Top 10 Models : 2024

The Top 10 model list had two changes from 2023. Out went the Opel / Vauxhall Corsa and Fiat 500. In came the Škoda Octavia amd Dacia Duster.

VW had three models and Dacia two on the list. It's good to see a budget brand doing well as they offer value for money and good quality. 

The 268,000 for first place sales was the highest since 2020. The tenth place was the best for that position since 2020. 

For the 29 years I've been tracing the Top 10 in Europe, the only ever present model has been the VW Golf and it has not finished below seventh. The Renault Clio and Opel / Vauxhall Corsa have made the list for 27 years each but the latter missed out in '24. 

VW has had the most models with 68, Opel /Vauxhall 49, Renault 44 and Ford 41. I doubt Ford will make the list again as it was last on it in 2020 and its focus (no pun intended) is more on light commercials. 

Tunisia Passenger Car Sales : 2024

Registrations were down 1% for the year which is a reasonably good performance. The top four all lost ground although Hyundai's was marginal. Hyundai took the lead off Kia three years ago and has retained its place at the top since then. MG and Chery pushed hard and were rewarded.

Renault doubled its sales but Peugeot was down 29%. Citroën all but disappeared in 2020 and fell from 12th to 42nd but suddenly reemerged this year and in 2024 finished up at 14th.  

UK Vehicle Production : 2024

While some Asian countries have a robust vehicle manufacturing industry, they remain 'protected' with stiff import duties. The UK has a weak car industry but any thought of protection that would see it grow and prosper is unthinkable. 

Passenger car production in the UK fell 27% in December and 14% for the year. I predicted in March that "one could expect that 2024 will not  equal the year before". I didn't expect it to fall that much.  

Commercial vehicle volume was -17% in December  but still up 4% for the year. Production for the home market has taken a battering, -28% in March and -13% YTD. Exports were -13% In March but up an impressive 58% YTD.

Put it all together and December was down 26% and -12% for the completed year. The numbers aren't flash but considering the apathy within the UK for its motor vehicle industry hardly surprising.  

With two manufacturers providing sales figures each month, they are listed here. Nissan accounted for 31% of the total and Toyota 11%. I appreciate their openness. 

Data source: SMMT, manufacturers.

Toyota Global Production : 2022-24

Global production was down just over 500,000 in 2024 or 5%. Japan down half of that and the rest of the world the other half. A scandal at home had much to do with the Japan figure. As for elsewhere, China was down 244,500 units South Africa (RSA) down 44,000 units as their economy weakens. That in itself covers all the decrease and a bit more so the rest was overall up slightly. Toyota always finds a way and this will be no more than a blip on the radar. 

Asia made 64.7% of all Toyota's, North America 21.5%, Europe 8.7%, Latin America 3.9% and Africa 1.2%. Japan accounted for 50.8% of Asian assembly and China 24.5%. Cambodia has joined the Toyota family of assemblers. 

The USA makes 62% of North American Toyotas and Europe has four countries with plants after its Russian exit. Brazil and Argentina are both very active but Africa relies on South Africa and as stated already that country isn't doing well economically. 

Data & picture source: Toyota Group.

Nissan Global Production & Sales : 2023/24

Nissan is open with its global data, something few companies are so hats off to them for that. The data below includes Nissan, Infiniti and the Venucia/DongFeng joint venture in China. First, we look at production by country and then sales by region. 

Production: Over the last two years there has been a shift in where Nissan vehicles are made. More precisely, Mexico and China. The former has increased from 12% of the total to 21%, eclipsing China as the largest manufacturing country for Nissan. China has dropped from 33% to 21% so has now gone below Japan into third. 

Total production was down 9%, based on lower Chinese volume. Despite that, overseas production is up at 79%, high by Japanese car company standards. The top three production nations are all 21% for 2024. 

Regional sales: It follows production as one would likely expect. China isn't as important as it used to be and managing the decline in that market while maintaining solid global sales figures is impressive. Japanese sales contribute 14% of the total, a percentage that's been held for the past three years. 

In 2023, production exceeded sales by 70,000 units. For 2024, it swung the other way to 219,600 so a large reduction in stock levels.  

For Nissan/Infiniti Europe Sales 2024 by model, simply click here. 

For Nissan/Infiniti USA Sales 2024 by model, simply click here. 

Data & picture source: Nissan. 

Nissan / Infiniti Sales Europe : 2023/24

Nissan has recently made this data available so in a world where many manufacturers are too sensitive to offer information of this sort, well done Nissan. They join Toyota in this (click here to view it).

Nissan: Registrations have grown 24% over the past two years and that has been achieved with a pruned down range. The Qashqai and Juke are the two main models with the X-Trail not too fat behind. The Ariya EV (right) has effectively replaced the Leaf which has been discontinued in Europe.

Nissan has got into a range of vans sourced from Renault. It ended production of its own light commercials in Europe and the switch seems to have been successful. The Townstar is pictured below. The latest names for the vans are used in the list. 

Infiniti: There were high hopes for the marque in Europe with a push around 2016 and 2017, spearheaded by the QX / QX30. Then an about turn of giving up on that almost as quickly as it was started. 2023 was a low point for sales but in 2024 a slight upturn. The QX80 (below) is the leading model.

I assume it was soon realised that winning over European buyers of premium cars is a long haul project that was underestimated. The right decision was made as it was too ambitious. With a more measured approach and more realistic goals, the marque still has a place in Europe if Nissan want that. 

Data source: Nissan Group.

Canada Car/Light Truck Sales : 2024

Sales data from Canada is poor these days, not the sort normally associated with a country with Canada's status. As for the figures, some are from the manufacturers, some from other sources and others are estimates. So take them as a reasonable guide only.

With a total 10% increase in sales and the 'Diff' column reflecting market share change, anything down by up to 10% either broke even or had some increase in sales. Ford took its lead to a comfortable position. Stellantis brands did their usual drop due to what seems a policy they have decided on. 

Japan Top 50 Models : 2023/24

Japan has an open car market without tariff protection, yet the entire Top 50 are Japanese models. The list below is coloured as follows: Toyota Group blue, Nissan-Mitsubishi green, Honda maroon, Suzuki gold, Subaru and Mazda yellow. 

There are a few things I would have done differently had the source obliged. The Corolla and Yaris have the crossover combined with the car version as maybe the Crown. The Land Cruisers variants appear to be combined too. No matter, as the list otherwise is fine and hopefully informative. 

The Honda N-Box yet again leads the sales although it did drop 11% on last year. The Suzuki Spacia had a good season. Scandal hit Toyota Group suffered accordingly as happens in Japan because it's important to save face or mentsu if that can be applied to a company.

Above is the Honda Freed, up 10%. Below is the Suzuki Solio. up 9%.

Mexico Production By Manufacturer : 2023/24

Mexico has developed a strong automobile manufacturing industry. Production is for domestic consumption as well as for markets around the world. The list includes cars and light trucks.   

GM is the main producer with 842,500 vehicles made for three brands within the company. Nissan is next with 670,000 for two marques. 

The total was 4 million units which was up 6% for the 12 groups and 17 brands involved. It was 15 brands last year, with Cadillac and Hyundai added in 2024.

Such openness is rare. I can't see why this sort of data isn't available elsewhere.  

Data source: Inegi. 

Photos : Manufacturers.

Hyundai Group Korea Production : 2024

Hyundai manufactured nearly 1.5 million passenger cars in Korea during 2024. Most of the increases came from larger volume models and decreases otherwise. Overall the total was down 2%.

Nearly 288,000 or 19% of those were the Avante or Elantra as it is also known. The Kona at 251,000 and Tucson 206,000 were next. The i30 ended its production in Korea but it will still be made in Czechia.

There were 60,000 kits exported to plants for basic assembly. There isn't a breakdown of the models involved, where they originated from or their assembly location so they are not assigned to any country and are not included below. 

Data source: Hyundai.

As for commercial vehicles, 187,000 were made in Korea. 83% were light vehicles (vans) and the other 17% trucks. Their numbers fell 14%.

Finally, 205,000 Genesis cars were made here. The GV80 accounted for a third of the total. There was a 3% fall in numbers. 

Liechtenstein Sales : 2024

Registrations were down slightly 2% to 1,564. That's not a lot but from a small principality of just under 40,000 people as expected. Many premium marques do well here too. Mercedes-Benz jumped to first place with a 25% increase. Volkswagen was down 21% so changed places with M-B. Aston Martin increased over 600%!

With any smaller volume market, things can bounce around more so things could be quite different in a year's time. 

Data source: Liechtensteinische Landesverwaltung.

JLR Plant Production : 2023/24

JLR volume was up 3% for the year. The company doesn't provide the data as presented here but I've put together what is a reasonably accurate picture of where they make their vehicles. 

The UK has three assembly plants and overall they had a good year. The Solihull facility is the main plant for JLR, making some Land Rover models and the F-Pace. Halewood is exclusively a Land Rover plant. Castle Bromwich has made its last fossil fuel Jaguar cars during 2024. The plant will be repurposed for other duties. 

Overseas, the plant in Slovakia continues with Land Rover production. The Graz production is done on a subcontract basis for Jaguar and continues for the time being. The Chinese joint venture will gradually switch to electric production and will in future create the Freelander brand built on Chery EV architecture. Finally what appears to be the underachieving operation in Brazil making two Land Rover models. 

Data source: JLR, various. Pictures: JLR.

Premium Global Marque Sales : 2024

Many manufacturers put out their global data while others don't. You can spot the difference by the rounded numbers. They are all based on something, not wild guesses. The total remained much the same.

The BMW Group held on to the top spot as expected, despite a 4% drop in volume. Mercedes-Benz was close to last year as was Tesla. Audi took a tumble as it pulled back on deliveries. Lexus is an estimate but the brand did well in many markets. 

Volvo too had a strong result as did JLR. Jaguar was down less than expected as it stopped sales in the UK and ran down stock. The new low volume electric luxury era is ahead for Jaguar so they won't qualify for this list. 

Cadillac were well down in China but Lincoln was up strongly there. Fisker went out of business so the number is based on what had sold at that point and stock yet to be sold. That was the hardest figure to judge.

The new Chinese entrants in this area of the market are arriving. Hongqi got past Porsche into eighth place. Other Chinese brands are Zeekr, Nio and Xpeng and a new one Xiaomi is already moving fast. 

There are probably more than are listed here but keeping up is the issue. Also, what constitutes premium is getting blurred. Tesla hasn't convinced me but it is generally considered so. Many of the new premium Chinese brands seem to be of a similar ilk. 

Data source: Manufacturers, estimates.

Updated 31.01.25.

Brazil Top 50 Car/LCV Models : 2023/24

With registrations up 14% in 2024, there is no surprise with the number of increases we see in the chart below. What may surprise is the number of Chinese models making it into the top 50. They are highlighted in pink (along with Korea) to make them easier to find. 

The USA also has a fair representation (dark blue) and Japan (yellow) also having popular models here. Europe isn't left out (light blue), doing better at the top end of the list. The Fiat Strada (picture above) is the best selling model. The picture below is the newly arrived BYD Dolphin Mini.

Data source: Fenebrave.

US Model Sales : 2023/24

I've done a breakdown by model for many brands this year and now the summary chart I guess you could call it. The Ford F-Series took its customary place at the top with the Chevrolet Silverado was second for the third consecutive year. The RAM P/U range dropped to fifth, the last time it was lower was in 2012. 

Japanese brands are well represented, including Lexus which had the distinction of being the only premium marque represented. Korea too has some models here but notice not one from Europe and of course nothing from China.  

The top picture is of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, over 200,000 sold but down 12% as expected from a Stellantis model. Below the 'compact' Maverick pick-up with sales picking up nicely by 39% to 131,000. 

Data source: Manufacturers & estimates.

Brazil Passenger Car Sales : 2024

Registrations were down 2% in December but up 13% for the year. The top selling brands all had falls in share which is unusual apart from a slight increase from VW. I think the arrival of Chinese brands and their recent success has been a contributor to that. 

BYD (+276%), Chery (+71%) and GWM (+144%) lead the charge for China. Ford ceased production here which saw sales plummet but are now on a rebound if not enough to return to former glory. Import duty will see to that. 

Anfavea, Abeifa.