Bosnia-Herzegovina Car Sales : 2025 (Jan-Feb)

Greece Passenger Car Sales : 2025 (Jan-Feb)

Registrations were down 14% for February and -15% YTD.  That doesn't sound too good but 2024 was up 34% on the previous ten year's average. 

Toyota leads the way but slightly down on a very strong 2024. It's been the best selling brand every year since 2013.

Peugeot has been a consistently popular brand here as has Opel and they are both doing well so far this year. 

VW isn't quite as successful here as it has in the past and Tesla isn't going well generally and Greece is no exception. 

MG and BYD are quickly establishing themselves but Chinese brands are not that well established generally. They have been late in arriving.

The top selling models were:

Peugeot 2008 - 1,412 (pic above)

Opel Corsa 1,105 (pic below)

Toyota Yaris Cross - 997

Citroën C3 - 961

Toyota Yaris - 927

Toyota C-HR - 577

Suzuki Vitara - 558

Hyundai i20 - 525

BMW X1 - 489

Peugeot 208 - 473

For 2024 articles, simply click on the links below:

By brand.

Top 50 Models.

Data source: SEAA.

Picture Source: Peugeot & Opel.

Honda N-Box : 2011-24

The Kei car category (or light vehicle) was introduced in Japan in 1949 to save on fuel and encourage car ownership plus local manufacturing. They have a limitation on their physical dimension and engine capacity. 

They enjoy lower tax and insurance rates among their advantages to ownership. These don't apply elsewhere so exports have been limited mainly to Suzuki. They do enjoy around a third of all sales domestically.

The N-Box was released at the end of 2011 but in its first full year on sale, it exceeded 200,000 units so an instant hit. 

Just prior to the N-Box, Kei cars represented around 20% of Honda's domestic sales. After its introduction, it rose to between 45-50%. Its share of total Kei sales rose from under 8% to over 18%.

The chart to the right shows in thirteen full years of being on sale, registrations exceed 2.7 million. It's been the top selling Kei car every year since 2015 and for the total Japanese market from 2017.

2024 was another good year although slightly down on its historical full year avaerage of 210,700 but still the number one choice for car buyers in Japan. 

As we see above, there is a somewhat narrow cabin space due to size constraints, probably accentuated in the photograph by the tall style of the vehicle relative to other dimensions. Still, wide enough to fit most passengers comfortably.

With the rear seats lowered, it seems you can fit a bike into one as the picture below shows. We only see the front wheel in the car at this point but  obviously it must fit. 

So a versatile vehicle, ideal for narrower streets and ease of parking. However, if you don't live in Japan then don't expect to see one in your neighbourhood.

Audi Plant Production : 2023-24

Audi made nearly 1.67 million cars, down 14% from a year earlier. The previous year was up 15%. There isn't much change in factory production. China was up one percentage point to 36% with Germany going the other way to 33%. Those two countries make just over two thirds of all Audi vehicles. 

Unfortunately the breakdown by plant for China wasn't given, the reason for that I don't know. The plant in Belgium that made the Q8 e-tron has just closed. It started assembling Studebakers in 1949 and VW joined the assembly line in 1954.

The photo above shows assembly at the Martorell plant in Spain. The A1 is produced there along with SEAT and Cupra models.

Audi is to cut its workforce by 8% or 7,500 from now to 2029. It will be done through retirees and leavers not being replaced. Any excess cost in the automobile industry can no longer be afforded. 

Data & picture source: Audi Group.

Bentley Model Sales : 2023-24

Bentley deliveries were down 22% in 2024 but still exceeded 10,600. I noticed production was down just 15% and deliveries already look to be increasing in 2025.  

Data & photo source: Audi Group & Bentley.

Regions: They are surprisingly even which is a good situation to be in. It means that Bentley isn't too reliant on one region. China even managed to increase its share of Bentley sales to 23%. The USA remains the main market. 

Models: All three decreased with the Continental being the best performer. A fully electric SUV is expected to be released in 2026. It has the Mulliner division that specialises in bespoke vehicles and that does seem to be more popular than ever. 

Audi Model Sales : 2023-24

Sales for the Audi brand were down 12% in 2024 after being up 17% in 2023. It appears that a decision was made to pull back on chasing volume as the reduction was consistent across the model range. Selling cars in China was very profitable and not so much anymore. That could have caused a rethink of prioritising profit which has been falling recently.

Regions: The reduction in deliveries is consistent in the four regions below. Europe (40%) and China - Hong Kong (39%) are the two main regions with less than a quarter elsewhere.

Data source: Audi Group. 

Models: Again the reduction has been consistent across the model range. The Q5 remained the top selling model with nearly 300,000 sales and 18% of the total. The A6 (both pictures) is popular with 243,000 deliveries and took 15% of the share. 

The TT model is at the end of its run out phase, as is the R8. The R8 has a successor model but at this stage not the TT it seems. The B4 L means before market launch models just in case you thought this was an oddly named new car.

Lamborghini Model Sales : 2023-24

Lamborghini has sold 10,000 cars over the past two years. I would imagine that is about where they want to be with the current range of three models, one SUV and two sports cars. Maybe they will go a little higher in 2025. 

The SUV makes a huge difference even to marques associated with sports cars, provided they capture the essence of the brand. In the case of the Urus, that is the case.

Data & picture source: Audi / Lamborghini.

Regions: Europe and the USA take two thirds of the cars delivered. China isn't an important market which is just as well with its economic downturn. The Other is surprisingly strong with the Gulf States no doubt an important sub-region. 

Models: The Urus (picture above) does very well with nearly 5,700 deliveries for the year. The new Revuelto replaces the Aventador with a slight gap in the changeover. The Huracán replacement is arriving soon, known as the Temerario. 

BMW Group Regional Global Sales : 2023-24

While the Group maintained sales in most regions, Asia was the fly in the ointment. China in particular is economically struggling so a 10% fall was registered. It's still the largest region for the company but now it's only just. It was in 2020 that Asia overtook Europe but maybe in 2025 that will switch back.

I would have liked to have published BMW sales by model but the detail has been compromised sufficiently that it would be pointless in my opinion. Up until 2024, the detail was amazing, then acceptable until 2020 but since then poor.

One detail that I think that is worth noting is the XM SUV flagship (pictured above). That model sold 6,750 in 2023 and 7,800 this year. Surely that is a flop of major proportion. Price, looks and competition elsewhere within the BMW range have all had an impact. Other marques offer some compelling alternatives as well. 

Data source: BMW Group.

BMW MINI Sales : 2023-24

Retro models often fail or have a momentary spurt before fading away. The MINI did neither of those. In 2001, 25,000 were delivered and the popularity rose until it peaked in 2017 with 372.000 sold. Since then there has been a steady decline and for 2024 sales stood at 245,000.

A quarter of a million is still a goodly number and 2025 promises to lift from there with new models now available. Sales won't reach the 2027 peak again but the fact that it has been successful for so long is amazing.

Some may say the car isn't exactly MINI anymore but relative to how cars have grown in size generally it hasn't ballooned out excessively. It has also retained the fun to drive ethos which is essential.

The electric Aceman (picture above) has arrived but it is too early to have had any noticeable impact on sales figures. BEVs are not selling as was expected but still will be an important model within the range. 

Data & photographs: BMW MINI.

Rolls Royce Sales : 2023-24

When asked what were the biggest competitors for Rolls Royce, the then CEO replied private jets and luxury boats. 

I guess there is some overlap with Bentley but potential customers for the marque have discretionary spending in abundance so alternative forms of transport are also on their radar.

RR has settled around the 6,000 mark at this point. A weaker market in China affected sales but bespoke models are doing well so that has compensated. 

Such is the demand in that regard that the company is to spend £300 million in increasing capacity for customised vehicles. It's the largest plant investment since it was built.

The Cullinan SUV is still the most popular model but the new electric Spectre accounted for a third of sales in its first full year. Will RR become a fully electric marque? We don't know but with demand for BEVs stalling, it pays for car manufacturers to keep their options open. 

Data & Pictures: BMW Group.

BMW Group Plant Production : 2023-24

Production was down 6% in 2024 after a 12% increase in 2023. It was in 2015 that production in Germany dropped below 50% of the BMW Group total and it hasn't returned there since. In fact, it dropped each year thereafter until 2021 when it reached 31%.

Since then it has moved back toward Germany, now at 43%. The current German production figure of 1.087 million is among the highest. Yet if the total volume is down 6%, where was the reduced volume felt? The answer is virtually everywhere else.

I would have thought China's 5% fall was a good result in view of the depressed economy there but I wonder whether profit was affected in achieving that. MINI production in the UK was down 40% which was much more than I expected. It will be better in 2025 but by how much will be interesting. 

MINI production was transferred from the Netherlands to Germany which accounts for the slump in the Netherlands and some of the gain at home. The Z4 is made in Austria and that had a heavy reduction in volume. 

I don't know what is made at partner plants but it could be many models if they are from kits. They are located in China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Data & photograph: BMW Group.

South Africa Top Car/LCV Models : 2023-24

Toyota, Volkswagen and Suzuki are the three most popular passenger car brands in the RSA. For light commercials its Toyota, Ford and Isuzu. Those brands are well represented in the list below.

Toyota and Suzuki benefit from a model collaboration. Suzuki cars made in India are sometimes badged as Toyota models. Here is a list of such models: Toyota Rumion – Suzuki Ertiga, Starlet – Baleno, Starlet Cross – Fronx, Urban Cruiser – Grand Vitara and the Vitz – Celerio.

It's cost effective and done well as it seems in this case, benefits both companies. These models can be seen in the list below and are very successful. 

Chinese models are making quite an impact, with Chery in the top 10 with the Tiggo 4 and the Haval Jolion a few places below. Brands from Asia generally are the most common. 

Data source: Naamsa.

South Africa Pick Up Sales : 2022-24

Pick ups or bakkies as they are called here are popular here as seen below. Three models are particularly popular and although newer models have made some inroads they are still somewhat peripheral as is usually the case in this segment. 

The Toyota Hilux is the top bakkie and while it has had some of its lead trimmed in recent years, it doesn't look like yielding its position anytime soon. The Ford Ranger is keeping in touch and the Isuzu D-Max is consistent if nothing else. 

Nissan has ended its NP200 model and sales dwindled toward the end of the year. Mazda has pulled the plug on the slow selling BT-50 with none sold for much of the year. Mahindra does well with its Scorpio Pik-Up (picture above) and Peugeot Landtrek (picture below) is getting some traction with a new model Landtrek giving things an uplift. It's sourced from China in case you wondered. 

Data source: Naamsa. Pictures: Manufacturers.

Singapore Passenger Car Sales : 2025 (Jan-Feb)

Registrations were up 61% for February and +41% YTD. It sounds good but it comes off a very poor 2024 so is well short of a record. As the number of cars on the road is controlled anyway, changes in volume don't tell us much. 

Toyota / Lexus took the lead off Honda in 2020 and remained at the top from then through to 2024. That may not have been the case had Toyota and Lexus been combined. 

Regardless, T / L has had a very slow start to 2025 and finds itself fourth. I don't know when it has been that low before. BYD has taken a commanding lead, selling one in five cars here so far! 

Premium marques sell well here as cars here are very expensive so wealthier car buyers are more likely to be able to afford one. 

For the 2024 article, simply click on the link below:

By brand.

Data source: LTA Singapore.

Picture Source: BYD Singapore. 

VW Group Heavy Commercial Vehicle Sales: 2023-24

Volkswagen has a range of heavy commercials that are known as the Traton Group. 

Scania, MAN, International (formerly Navistar) and VW Truck & Bus are the brands involved. Sales were down 1% in 2024 to 334,000. 

Regions: 48% of the volume is Europe (and Other Regions). The Americas are about the same at 49% and Asia / Pacific very little. Profit for the Traton Group was up 15%.

Brands: Scania (picture on right) is now the largest division with a 6% improvement in volume. It passed MAN that had a very good 2023 but was down 17% in 2024. International (picture below) was solid and VW branded heavy vehicle were up 24%. 

Data source: VW Group.

VW Group Car/Light Commercial Sales: 2023-24

VW Group sales were nearly 8.7 million units in 2024, down 2% from 8.9 million. We can break down the figures to see what happened.

Regions: The Asia / Pacific region is the largest for the company and has been since 2012. That could be about to change with Western Europe holding its sales at about the same number while the A/P region in contrast was down 10%. The Americas and Other markets fared best.

Brands: VW car sales were at 4.8 million, down 1% on a year before. Audi was -12% and Bentley -22%. Both are already showing signs of a better 2025. Porsche was down 3% due to China's tighter economic situation. SEAT / Cupra had another good year with Škoda much the same.

Overall not a bad performance considering decreased sales in China. The chart below has the critical data. 

Data source: VW Group.

The Honda - Nissan Merger

The car industry is in for a major shake up. Global sales are down yet many new brands are surfacing, putting pressure on many companies to cut costs to remain competitive yet also be profitable. Not all will manage that successfully, leading to some takeovers or mergers.

Takeovers work better because the absorbed brand has to do what the new owner wants. PSA bought Opel and the transition went well. Mergers or joint ventures are more tricky because who is going to make critical decisions? Renault's alliance with Nissan worked as Renault pulled the strings. 

Recently the Renault-Nissan alliance terms were renegotiated to among other things rebalance the partnership, creating greater autonomy for Nissan. Such an arrangement is harder to make work but was agreed to. 

How did Mitsubishi get involved in the alliance? In 2016, Nissan took a major stake in Mitsubishi which was embroiled in a scandal. That effectively brought it into the alliance but with little if any say. 

Despite the changes, things for the Nissan company were not going well so with profits tumbling, it entered talks with Honda for a merger. Those talks recently broke down when the terms from Honda would make Nissan a subsidiary, seemingly not unlike the former Renault situation. That was rejected by the Nissan CEO. 

Now the Nissan CEO has resigned, Honda says it is willing to restart talks. Who knows how they will go but with Honda the more secure company financially, it seems a deal will depend on it having most of the say. Nissan may not want that but it isn't bargaining from a position of strength. 

KG Mobility Global Model Sales : 2025 (Jan-Feb)

KGM (SsangYong) is a small fish and needs to grow to survive. It cannot sustain itself with current volume and that is understood. The KG Group took ownership in 2022 and has ambitions to succeed when numerous previous owners have failed. It has formed a strategic partnership with Chery Automobile to assist in achieving its aim. 

The Torres mid sized SUV is the leading model, with the similarly sized but slightly smaller Korando SUV next. The Rexton Sport pick up (picture above) is the third most sought after, the compact Tivoli SUV followed by the large Rexton SUV (which is based on the Rexton Sport). 

Finally the slightly more premium Acyton mid sized SUV (picture below the chart) which the same length as the Torres. So as you see, the range is basically SUVs which are not that far spaced apart in terms of length. 

Selling cars in Korea is currently not that successful. Less than 2,500 units per month at home this year isn't great. I've looked back to 2010 and the 30% of sales on the domestic market is the lowest over that time. At least exports are doing better and maybe that is the priority.