An Entitled Workforce

My grandfather worked his way up in a company to management level in the UK. Having been a worker and in management, he had a perspective on both sides, yet he would often say "The working man's enemy is the working man himself". 

JLR has recently had to contend with tariffs put in place in its largest market. It was more recently hit by a cyber attack that really hurt the company financially. You would think common sense would prevail and the current situation JLR is facing would temper wage increase expectations. 

A pay offer has just been submitted by the company and the trade unions recommended its acceptance. 7,724 workers rejected the offer, with 2,129 accepting it. This is a short sighted, self centred reaction from the majority of the workers. 

I recently wrote an article on the subject generally, which can be read by clicking here. So back to the negotiating table. I would have thought the best thing for JLR would now be to start planning to move all its production off shore. They could make vehicles just about anywhere else at a lower cost. 

The industry is facing increased competition and JLR is under pressure like many other car makers. A shout out to the trade unions for showing some common sense, and the 2,129 workers who are seeing the bigger picture. As for the rest, you are your own worst enemy. 

Brands From China In NZ : 2025 (Jan -Oct)

New Zealand has an open car market so any brand can set up shop here. Chinese brands have been arriving, with local car magazine NZ Autocar having many articles about all these new models that are coming in. This article here covers passenger cars only, not light commerical vehicles which would add a few more brands. 

The question is just how successful will this new wave of Chinese entrants be? 

Apart from a few brand names, they are unfamiliar although that doesn't appear to be an issue for some. 

One thing they offer is value for money and that will be enough for such ones to take the plunge. Long warranties help too.

Others with a more cautious approach will stick to the brands they already know and trust. I am of this persuasion.

The chart shows what the current situation is. Those listed come to 10,300 registrations and 12.7% of the total sales YTD. 

The top ranked brand is MG, which started selling in reasonable numbers back in 2019 and is currently sitting in 7th place. Its market share is up 23% on its total 2024 figure.

Haval's break out year was 2018 and it holds 10th spot with a 10% market share gain and 4.3% market share. Ora arrived in 2023 but the rest were either 2024 or this year, n/a shows the 2025 arrivals.

For now, it seems that Chinese brands will not be knocking off the top brands. They will take some sales from them, but will take many from each other as well. Dealerships will spread further across the country which is an important part of maximising sales, improving brand visibility and a more comprehensive customer support network. All that helps a brand's image.

Several more brands will soon be here, creating a congested market place for what is a modestly sized overall market. Some suggest there will be casualties, be that the new Chinese brands or some existing ones from elsewhere. 

Who survives would depend largely on whether importers can make a profit and feel the effort is worth it. What is certain is Kiwis are spoiled for choice when contemplating buying a new car.

Data source: NZTA. Photo source: BYD (Sealion 6) top & Chery (Tiggo 8) below.

Spain Top 50 Models: 2025 (Jan-Oct)

Registrations were up 16% in October and up 15% YTD. For the ten months so far, BEV and PHEV market share is 19%, up from 11% in 2024. 

The local brands are SEAT and Cupra but it is a very diverse market with many brands vying for leadership. 

The Dacia Sandero has a huge lead on the rest of the models and is the fifth most popular brand in Spain. The MG ZS is the second most popular model with the brand at tenth. 

Toyota is the top selling brand with sales spread among several popular models. Renault is the second ranked brand with the Clio leading the way. 

A few Chinese brand names are appearing on the list and surely that will increase. 

Data source: ANFAC.  

Photos source: Dacia (Sandero Stepway) & MG (ZS).

France Top 50 Models: 2025 (Jan-Oct)

Passenger car sales were up 2.9% in October but down 5.4% YTD. Hybrid market share has gone from 41% to 51% of the total, with electric cars up from 17% to 19% share. 

In October Stellantis and Group Renault both have 26% market penetration. YTD it is 29% and 27% respectively.

To the right we have the usual colour coded chart showing the best selling passenger car models and which region they are associated with.

There is no surprise that French brands and those owned by them are doing well. In addition, both the Yaris and Yaris Cross are also made in France. 

Data source: CCFA.

Photo source: Citroen (ë-C3) & Nissan (Qashqai) France.

Estonia Top 50 Models: 2025 (Jan-Oct)

Registrations were down 53% in October and down 43% YTD. Taxes applied to cars from 2025 caused a spike in sales in late 2024, followed by the inevitable slump. 

Toyota, Škoda and VW are the three leading brands here and that shows in the chart to the right. They each have seven models in the top 50. 

By colour coding the list, it quickly becomes apparent where the brands hail from. 34 are from Europe (green), 12 are from Japan (blue) and the other 4 are from the rest of Asia.

Data source: Data source: Transpordiamet.

Photos: Toyota Estonia (Corolla) & Škoda Estonia (Kodiac). 

Germany Top 50 Models: 2025 (Jan-Oct)

There were 250,133 passenger cars registered in Germany in October, up 7.8%. YTD the total was 2,360,481, up just 0.5%. Going in the right direction.

101,598 were a hybrid or PHEV, achieving a market share of 40.6%. 52,425 were electric or (BEV), securing a market share of 21.0%.  As for fossil fuel cars, 64,706 passenger cars were petrol and 30,462 diesel.

The chart is colour coded to show where the brand originates. Green is Europe and that covers 92% of the list. 

VW has 19.9% of total sales, so no surprise that it is a regular contributor to the top 50 list. It has 13 models in total. The Tayron is pictured above.

BMW has seven models, Mercedes-Benz six and Audi four. Porsche misses out. Škoda is owned by VW and that helps its popularity, with seven models making the list. 

Opel has just under 5% market share but still managed a #4 ranking with the Corsa (photo below). Toyota is not a popular brand here, with 2.9% market share and one model in the top 50. 

Data source: KBA.

Photo source: VW & Opel.

Denmark Top 50 Models: 2025 (Jan-Oct)

Registrations were up 12% in October, but of more interest is that electric cars accounted for 71% of the total. 

By looking over the models we can see electric cars are dominating procedings. When a model listed to the right is of an electric and fossil fuel variant combined, the electric version is the better selling even if listed second. 

The chart is colour coded to show where the brand originated. Europe is Green and clearly is the main source of cars. 

Dark blue is the US and a few found their way onto the list. Light blue is Japan and mustard Asia, that  are likewise not too common. 

The Navor E5 is sourced from DFSK in China and from what I can glean, is a brand for the Scandinavian nations, with Denmark the first market to receive them. 

The photos are of the Škoda Elroq and the VW ID.4., sourced from the respective companies.

Data Source: Mobility Denmark.

Romania Passenger Car Sales : 2025 (Jan-Oct)

For October, registrations were up 11% but YTD they are down 4%. The year started slowly but is picking up. 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 9.6% is a record for the marque in Romania and Škoda's best since 2019. MG is up to 12th in only its second year in the country, so quite an improvement. Chinese brands have yet to make much impact. 

Sales by model for Dacia were the Logan (11,639), Duster (10,507), Sandero (6,528), Jogger (2,396), the just released Bigster (2,181 - pic above) and Spring (1,189 - pic below) for which sales have gone quiet lately. Škoda's strongest was the Octavia (3,846) with Toyota's best selling model the Corolla (3,831).

Data source: DGPCI. Pictures: Dacia.

NZ Top 31 Premium Models : 2025 (Q1-Q3)

Top lists are dominated by mainstream models and premium models rarely get a look in. In New Zealand, premium tend to be more premium than say Europe, with more kit included as standard. Well. that's what we are told to justify charging more.

To the right we see a colour coded chart based on brand origin. We will briefly look at each. USA has the top model with the Tesla Model Y. Is it really premium? It is generally considered so. Two Tesla models in the top ten.

The Ram P/U and Chervolet Silverado are included here. With right hand drive conversion cost and reasonable specification, I have added them.

Europe is finally in its element. Twenty three models in all. Having said that, the data source has a classification of BMW i which I assume covers all electric models combined as one model.

I was surprised to see the Polestar 2 second. Land Rover has three in the list, doing better than they would in the UK.

Japan has four Lexus models here, all in the top half of the chart. I view them as Toyota's with some bling which at least imbues them with a reputation of reliability.

Data source: NZTA. Photos Land Rover & MINI. 

NZ Top 50 Models : 2025 (Q1-Q3)

To the right is a chart showing the Top 50 passenger cars and pick up trucks. The list is colour coded to highlight the origin of the brand by country or region. 

Japanese brands have 28 models on the list and are green. Toyota is by far the best selling brand, having nine models on the list. Mitsubishi and Honda have four each, Suzuki, Mazda and Nissan three a piece. Subaru and Isuzu have one.

Korea (mustard coding) does well to have seven models. Kia outshines its sibling brand with five but only one makes the top ten.

China (orange) only has seven because of MG's European origin. They are basically new arrivals offering a value proposition to potential buyers. Expect more models to be added next year.

Europe (purple) has just four places, three from MG. Outside of the premium end of the market European brands are not that common.

USA. Ford has two in the top ten and Tesla further down but that's all folks. GM used to do well with Holden but that brand was retired a few years back.

Summary: The car industry has been relatively stable, but various factors are making that less so. Speed and flexibility are required to keep up but also to react if things don't work out as planned.

Chinese companies are in a real hurry to establish themselves as a real force in the industry. With New Zealand having an open market, there is nothing to stop new entrants from succeeding. 

Data source: NZTA. Photos: Haval & MG NZ.

Land Rover Sales : 2025 (Q1-Q3)

Deliveries were down 4% for Q1-Q3 period, a good result with the way things are in the car industry. The marque's mixture of quality combined with ruggedness gives it a certain 'je ne sais quoi', not that French buyers can appreciate that now.  

In 2025 Land Rover pulled out of the passenger car market in France. 11,200 LRs passenger vehicles were sold in France in 2024 with some extra sales achieved as stock was snapped up. 

The Q3 2025 figure was down 12% which was out of character with the brand historically. In these changing and unsettled times, it's to be expected.

Models: The Defender leads the way with 31% of LR sales, with over 83,000 units delivered. The Range Rover Sport nearly reached 59,000 deliveries and the Range Rover passed 52,000 units. 

The Evoque had 32,500 purchasers. The three lesser models all slipped, the Discovery Sport down the most at -30%. 

Data & photos JLR.

Regions: I held off updating this article, waiting for Land Rover only regional sales, but they simply aren't in any hurry to release that information. For now, the data below is up to the end of June. I will update when someone at Tata notices the omission. 

Jaguar Sales : 2025 (Q1-Q3)

JLR in its infinite wisdom decided to end Jaguar sales until it is 'revitalised' as a luxury marque as opposed to a premium one. I personally felt they could have kept the F-Pace and i-Pace going through the transition period. I won't even go into axing the XJ after having spent up large developing it. 

It's a shame that this new direction will take Jaguar away from their existing loyal customers but the marque cannot straddle both premium and luxury. 

They will be hoping to woo new customers and being fully electric, buyers of such vehicles seem more willing to move to something new and exciting. 

It is still a gamble to go all electric and having all your eggs in one basket is high risk. Jaguar needs to deliver on its new direction. From a styling point of view the teasers don't impress me. Hopefully, reality is kinder.

With sales having ended in the UK so dramatically, there were zero deliveries since Q1. It is excessively premature. Despite that and sales winding down everywhere, the sales drop is just 59%. Deliveries were a surprisingly high 6,900 in Q2. 

Models: Some countries stocked up to keep sales going as long as possible, a logical move lost on the UK. China manufactures the XE and XF and most Q3 sales are there. 

Data & photos JLR.

Regions: I held off updating this article, waiting for Jaguar's regional sales, but they simply aren't in any hurry to release that information. For now, the data below is up to the end of June. I will update when the tea break is over and they get back to work. 

Xiaomi Deliveries : 2024-25 (Q1-Q3)

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,  Q2 is based on monthly rounded figures and Q3 a mixture. Xiaomi goes from definite to indefinite figures in what seems a random manner. Anyway, the 2025 figure of 264,217 deliveries is already 93% up on the start up year 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 strong local demand has meant opening up new export markets isn't possible at this stage. In Q1 2025, the company has reportedly lost US$900 on each car delivered. In Q2 it was US$500 so it seems to be improving. That isn't a surprise for a new venture. Starting out in the car industry is an especially expensive exercise. 

Data & picture source: Xiaomi.

BMW Brand Global Deliveries : 2023-25 (Q1-Q3)

BMW is a marque that puts emphasis on performance. A BMW advertiseing executive even coined the phrase "The ultimate driving machine". I've never driven one to prove that, but at least I can check out the sales performance.

BMW currently delivers about 2.2 million cars each year. The last time the figure was below 2 million was 2015. It seems 2025 will again pass that mark and comfortably so.

Regions: These figures include MINI and RR as BMW release them that way. That explains why the total figures are different. 

Europe is the largest region and is up 9%. Asia has been the leading are for deliveries since 2020 but now a change at the top.

Asia is still prominent and the next largest region, down 8% with China within that region predictably 11% lower. The Americas is up 10% and 'Others' up 13%.

Rolls Royce Global Deliveries : 2023-25 (Q1-Q3)

The name Rolls Royce is often attached to something that is the best quality you can obtain. The cars are known for exceptional craftsmanship, prestige and engineering. 

Deliveries were often around the thousand mark until 2010, when they took an upward turn. They peaked in 2022 and 2023 at 6,000 and slipped back to 5,700 in 2024. 

2025 is going well and depending on Q4, should reach or exceed last year. Not that volume is the thing for RR. Customer demand will dictate the number made. 

Regional sales are not provided by the owner BMW. I'm assuming China is down and was the reason for 2024's slightly lower figure. 

BMW MINI Global Deliveries : 2023-25 (Q1-Q3)

Retro models rarely last too long. An initial flurry and then it's over. The MINI has lasted very well and still sells strongly. In an industry where models grow with each new generation has been less successful. 

MINI hit 300,000 deliveries in 2012 and stayed above that until 2022 when it slipped just below. 2023 did likewise and then a drop in 2024, one that you have to go back to 2010 to see it lower. 

Was the grim reaper sharpening his scythe? No. The fourth generation has arrived and sales are going up, but not to the heights it has achieved in the past. It is still a popular car that's fun to drive.

BMW doesn't post regional sales for MINI. Europe and North America are major destinations for shipments. I don't know how the US's tariffs are going to affect sales there. For now, at least, 2025 is looking much better than the year before.