Registrations were down 6% in April but up 5% YTD. Škoda is in its fourth year at the top, having dethroned VW. Renault was at the top in 2003 and while it's along way form regaining that position, at least it's having success in 2026.
So too are Chinese brands, somewhat late to the party but starting to arrive in numbers. With poor sales at home, targeting exports is a way to keep factories gainfully employed.
Photo; Renault.
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| 2019 Maserati Ghibli (Netcarshow) |
I had detailed production figures (blue background) for Maserati from way back until 2020 when the source dried up. Since then, delivery figures (pink background) are used. I pick up the story from 2012, when things took off.
2016 had another lift in volume with the introduction of the Levante SUV. Things then tapered off into the pandemic of 2020. There was a rebound in 2021 which lasted three years.
With the recent withdrawal of the Levante and Ghibli models, delivery numbers slumped. The small Grecale SUV was introduced along with the reintroduced Gran Turismo.
The Grecale was supposed to offset the above departures but it has fallen well short of what it was supposed to achieve. So where to next?
The marque is apparently being repositioned as a luxury, bespoke build to order manufacture. Electric will also be the direction taken. I see similarities with Jaguar.
The Maserati brothers founded the company in 1914, but they didn't make cars. Car manufacturing only starting in 1947. The four subsequent owners have had varied results. It will be interesting to see if it can make a go of the top end luxury market.
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| 2023 Maserati Grecale (Netcarshow) |
Using Geely technology and starting to take an interest in exports, Proton is looking up. Q1 2026 is up 40% despite the Malaysian market being down 3%. It took 26% of the total market, the highest since 2011.
Picture source: Proton.
Norway hasn't been big on this site but a Top 30 just makes the cut. The share data below compares four months of 2025 with 2026. It's quite tumultuous for a sizable market. It's also uniquely electric, with the highest penetration of such vehicles in the world. Tesla is the best selling brand, ahead of Toyota and a fast falling Volkswagen. Chinese brands specialise in EVs and are making a mark although you would have to think they have plenty of desire to gain still more success.
Data source: OFV. Photos: Tesla (3 & Y).
It's a tough year so far for those selling buses in the UK. Registrations were down 37.7% in Q1. Apparently. the SMMT say it's due to two years of high growth and statistically that looks to be correct.
I thought it might be larger buses suffering the most but no. Single deckers were down 15.5%, double deckers -22.1% and mini buses down a whopping 56%. Since 2021, mini buses have gone from two thirds to one third of the bus market.
A mini bus is up to 6 tonnes and has from 9 to 17 seats. Clearly they have fallen out of favour. Single decker buses are outselling them and double deckers aren't far off from doing the same. The suddenness is surprising.
So some of the larger falls are due to that change. It's nice to see Northern Ireland based Wrightbus doing well under trying circumstances, including indifference toward supporting locally made. Alexander Dennis manufacturers locally with its electric buses using BYD batteries.
BYD is also doing well with electric double decker buses made in China. Yutong uses a local company for final assembly of its buses, the main structure made in China.
Data source: SMMT. Photos Wrightbus & Alexander Dennis.
