UK Vehicle Production : 2024-25

Do you want the good news or the bad news? Well, there is only the latter here. UK vehicle production is nothing short of embarrassing. It's been building (or should I say sliding) for many years and little has been done to address the situation even as it reaches a disastrous level. Does anyone care?

The charts here show total production, monthly (Avg) and %. The percentage shows total reduction plus the percentage split between home and export. The only car manufacturers that publish figures are Nissan and Toyota. They are incorporated at the base of the third chart. They made up 48% of all production. 

Let's dissect it by diving deeper. Passenger car production was 717,400, down from 779,600 in 2024. That represents an 8.0% fall on an already poor 2024.  

You would have to go to the early 1950's to see lower figures. That was when a devastated post war Britain was trying to get back on its feet. 

161,000 sales in the UK were for locally produced cars. That represents 8.0% of the UK domestic market. In other words, 92.0% of the cars sold in the UK in 2025 were imports! Just as well no one cares.  

Can commercial vehicle sales salvage something from this disaster? Of course, I jest. It's even worse. Production reached 47,300 units, down 62%. No, that's not a typo. So tell us then, how bad is it? 

I have data going back to and including 1945. This is by far the worst over that time. I don't have detailed data for 2025 to explain why this is, all I can do is speculate and here I go. 

Stellantis is the main CV producer in the UK and they seem to be having problems either making or selling vans. They closed the Luton plant and consolidated it all into the Ellesmere Port facility. They also went to fully electric vans and this is probably the reason for the slump. Truck makers such as Leyland DAF and Dennis Trucks are still doing OK I would wager but they can't stem the drop by Stellantis. Exports are the hardest hit for CVs. 

Buses don't make up huge numbers but the government is subsidising the switch to electric buses. The UK's largest bus operator recently took the offer and bought buses made in China. Taxes spent on overseas manufactured buses. Just as well no one cares. 

By combining the above figures, the picture won't be any brighter. A solution could be an tax on imported vehicles, gradually increased each year and then manufacturers encouraged to start local UK production. 

The market is big enough to support that. Some of the revenue could be used to incentivise buying locally made.

Would this increase vehicle prices overall in the UK? Maybe slighty, but a small price to pay for an understanding and selfless populace. Would other nations understand the precarious situation or cry foul and threaten 'consequences'? 

Don't other nations impose import duties to 'protect' their markets? Some to help production get on a solid footing and others just to obstruct imports. Either way, surely they would be supportive of a move to revitalise a feeble UK industry. Again, another bit of humour. Double standards are the default setting of international dealings. 

So here I am, proposing a way forward to save a car industry on life support but realistically knowing nothing will change. It was a productive UK industry while it lasted, but it could end up being a few luxury brands only and maybe a few trucks. Just as well no one cares. 

Bosnia-Herzegovina Car Sales : 2025

Registrations were up 12% for the year. Better still, compared to the previous ten year average, 2025 was up 30%! Considering that, a strong result. 

Škoda has been the top brand here for as long as I know and its current lead is substantial. VW has been perennially in second place behind Škoda, but in 2025 Toyota supplanted it. Chery and Geely are the only Chinese brands in the top 20, and then only by a whisker.  

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

By brand.

Data source: Proauto. 

Picture source: Netcarshow.

Slovakia Top 40 Models: 2024/25

Data source: ZAP. Photos: Kia (Ceed) & Hyundai (i30) Slovakia.

Slovakia Car Sales : 2025

Registrations were 93,100 for the year, which was the same as last year. Comparing 2025 with the average for the previous ten years shows an increase of 7%. So it was one of the highest totals ever.

Slovaks are partial to Škodas, with one in five cars sold here bearing that logo. A high percentage for an open market. They have been top of the list since becoming an independent Slovakia. 

Chinese brands have been slow in arriving, but that has just changed. The next step will be to make inroads into the market and how successful that will be remains to be seen. Slovakia has a large car manufacturing industry, so many locals will want to support that. 

Data source: ZAP. Photos: Škoda Scala & VW T-Cross.

Croatia Top 20 : 2025

Data source: Autonet. Photo: Opel (Mokka) Croatia. 

Liechtenstein Car Sales : 2025

This tiny principality of 40,000 people and 160 square kilometres or 62 square miles makes a living mainly manufacturing quality industrial goods and financial services. It obviously pays as can be seen by the best selling brands.

Registrations are down 11% in 2025. Compared to the previous ten year average, it was down  21% YTD. It is the lowest taol since 1976! I know, it's tragic that  have data going back that far. 

BMW is currently on top, a palce it last occupied in 2020. It has relative advantage over Mercedes and Audi but with such small numbers, change is a constant. VW was a long term leader here but this is the second year it has been back at fourth place.  

Data source: Liechtensteinische Landesverwaltung.

Photo Source: Land Rover Liechtenstein.

Croatia Passenger car Sales : 2024/25

Registrations were up a healthy 8% in 2025. Compared to the average for the previous ten years, it was up 38%! Yet this year was well short of any record, but it is moving back to those better times. 

Škoda is the top brand and has enjoyed that status for three years, with sibling brand VW being the loser in that tussle. Opel had a pleasant return to form while the Korean duo below them were less fortunate. 

Data source: Autonet. Photos: Škoda (Octavia) & VW (T-Cross) Croatia.

Brazil Top 50 Models: 2025

Looking down the list, the mixture of colours shows the diversity of the market. Not having a local brand to support adds to that. 

Europe is strong but so too is the USA and increasingly China. Japan is not far off the pace but apart from two models, Korea is not represented. 

The leading model is the Fiat Strada, which is a small leisure vehicle/pick uptruck. The VW Polo and Chevrolet Onix are tussling it out for second the spot.

Brazil has a large car assembly industry. The country recently started phasing in increased tariffs on imported electric and hybrid cars. Renenue raised will be used to encourage local manufacturing of more sustainable vehicles. 

It will also raise tariffs on cars assembled from kits which designed to encourage more manufacturing locally, adding value to the assembly. 

Photos: Fiat (Strada) & GM (Onix) Brasil. 

Panamá Top 20 Models: 2025

It's of note that all the models here are of Asian origin. The three colours highlight where from.

Photos: Toyota Hilux & Hyundai Venue.

Brazil Passenger Car Sales : 2025

From the outset, I'd like to point out that there are various sources in Brazil and the data never quite aligns. It's not a major issue though. Another thing is that some of the small brands are not included or are on an intermittent basis. 

Registrations were up 3% for the year and up 8% compared to the average over the previous ten years. VW has held the lead since 2023 with GM and Fiat having been on top in years before that. 

The top four rankings from last year are repeated although Chrysler (Jeep mainly) swapped places with Toyota. BYD moving into seventh place is an improvement of three. Renault has dropped two but overall there isn't much change on last year. 

For 2024 articles, simply click on the links below:

By brand.

Top 50 Models.

Data: Anfavea (mainly). Pictures: VW (Virtus) & Fiat (Argo) Brasil.

Panamá Car & LCV Sales : 2025

Registrations were +11% in 2025 and up 22% when compared to the average over the previous ten years. 2025 is not a record year, but certainly up there. 

Toyota took the lead in Panamá during 2014 and hasn't looked back. It's 19% market share 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. Geely and Suzuki are just over the 5% share mark. Asian brands are the most popular with many new Chinese ones adding to that. 

In all, ninety 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. 

Perú Car/LCV Sales : 2025

The market was up 24% YTD so a record year. 2025 was up 38% on the average for the previous ten years! The top 25 brands plus premium ones are available from AAP and that is what is shown below. 

The Share column highlights market share movement, not volume. Many that appear to be selling less have increased sales but not kept pace with the brisk increase.  

Toyota is comfortably the top brand with 20.5% of the market. 

Hyundai and Kia shadow each other closely with a combined 18.3% share. 

The Chinese brands are now well established. JAC is a regular in the top 10, the JS2 to the right. 

Changan has passed Chevrolet into fourth place. In sixth place is DFSK and the Glory 600 model is shown above. Ford has gone up three spots but Suzuki has lost three and Nissan is down seven places to 14th. So it is quite volatile. 

None of the premium marques make the top 25 but I assume BMW must be very close to doing so. It would be nice to have more information to confirm that, but at least we can get a reasonable picture of the situation. 

Lynk & Co Deliveries : 2017-25

The brand is jointly owned by the Zeekr Group and Geely Auto. It is marketed as a premium brand and now a wide range of models. 

It started in 2017 with the 01 small SUV, followed by a slightly larger saloon car in 2018 (03). A small coupe SUV arrived in 2019 (05) and in 2020, a compact SUV (06). 

Since then, larger cars were released and now eleven models are made. In 2024, two BEVs were released (Z10 & Z20). 

The chart shows that only in 2022 was there a drop in delivery volume. Considering the proliferation of models, the year on year increases are not outstanding. It isn't a company that has pushed exports like many other Chinese brands are doing. 

In 2024, it appears that exports may have been just over 3% of total deliveries. That will surely change as the local market isn't expected to grow by much, if at all. Future growth will be offshore.

Photo: Lynk & Co 01.

Porsche Global Deliveries : 2024-25

Volkswagen decided to sell Porsche shares to the public in 2022, Porsche reckoned its profit margins would be around 20%. Forecasts for 2025 were somewhat lower at between 5% and 7% but VW now expects its operating profit margin to fall to about 2% for 2025. This shows how quickly things can change. 

China was a profitable market for Porsche but recently it has become very competitive. Not only has volume slumped, so too profits as well. Add to that recent tariffs for cars going into the US. If that wasn't enough, electric cars are not selling as well as hoped and the new Macan is exclusively a BEV. A lot has changed since 2022. 

The chart immediately below shows regional deliveries. North America was flat and the Rest -1%, but Europe is down 14% and China -26%. The total is down 10%. In view of the above mentioned market conditions, understandable. 

Models: The new EV Macan is not helping as it should, with sales up just 2%. The older model petrol/diesel is still available and included in the data. It is still available in selected markets until sometime in 2026. A new PHEV model to replace it is expected in 2028. It will have a name change and be its own unique model.

The rest of the range is down in terms of volume. The Cayenne leads the way with a 21% drop and the 718 (Boxster/Cayman) range also down 21%. Electrified vehicles constituted 34% of the total. 22% were BEVs and 12% PHEVs. 

Managing a car company at this time is not easy. Decisions that allow for flexibility are essential. Who knows what's around the bend?

SAIC IM Sales : 2022-2025

IM Motors is an electric car joint venture between SAIC and Chinese technology companies Zhangjiang Hi-Tech and Alibaba Group. IM means "Intelligence in Motion". Its Chinese name is Zhiji Motors. I'll be calling it IM.

IM started delivering cars in late 2022 and has quickly established a range of four models with a fifth due on November 2025. The current models are the IM6 mid to large SUV, the IM5 mid to large sedan, MS7 large SUV and the L7 large sedan. The LS9 large SUV is the fifth model.

Customer reviews indicate performance, styling and features are strong points. Build and materials quality plus software glitches are at times criticised. Sales haven't been exceptional. Being a new brand trying to establish itself isn't easy with stiff competition.   

Distribution of IM cars is through either stand alone or MG dealerships. There are many premium electric brands from China as well as globally. Anyone in the market for such a vehicle is spoiled for choice. 

Deliveries in 2025 grew by 24%, slower than the previous two year, which could be expected. An export push is underway and how that goes will be very important for IM. 

Data source: SAIC. Photo source: IM.

USA Top Models: 2025

The list below is for models from manufacturers who were open enough to publish the sales figures. All exceeded 100,000 units delivered. They came from US manufacturers as well as Japan and Korea. European models didn't make the cut.

China is conspicuous by its absence but models do make it there is when a brand imports them from a joint venture they have in China. Perhaps somewhere in the region of 100,000 were brought in during 2024. That number may drop in future due to increased import duty. 

Of course, with an embarassingly large US$1.2 trillion trade surplus in 2025, China will be opening its border to allow more imports and not be concerned about minimal access to the US. 

Data source: Manufacturers. Photos: Chervolet (Siverado) & Ford (Bronco Sport) USA.

USA Car/Light Truck Sales : 2025

Gradually, the amount of data available is shrinking. It is largely dependant on the car makers themselves to voluntarily release the sales figures. It may not be easy to publish information when there is a decrease but there are many reasons why sales retracted and not necessarily an admission of failure. 

You can tell which ones are estimates by the rounded figures. The largest non compliant brand is Tesla and sources vary wildly regarding sales numbers. That is a consistent theme. 

JLR used to give North American sales for Land Rover and Jaguar separately which gave a basis to estimate reasonably accurately. They are combined now but with Jaguar in run out mode, not too disruptive. Comparing JLR's data with some of the figures published, I wonder how some sources come up with the numbers they do.

Many smaller marques do publish North American sales like JLR does, but Q4 data by them is published quite late in an Annual Report format, so Q1-Q3 is used as a basis.  

There isn't much change to be seen here percentagewise. The top four are the same as last year. Mercedes-Benz, VW, Audi, Dodge and Mitsubishi all had double digit drops. There is a dearth of double digit upturns, volume increases with the top two being the reason for that. 

For the 2024 articles, simply click on the links below:

By brand. 

By model. 

Data sources: Brands & estimates. Picture sources: GMC (Canyon) & Buick (Envista).