Vauxhall UK Historical Market Share

While the Vauxhall name disappeared from NZ many years ago, I've had some contact with the Vauxhall brand. My parents had a Victor and then a Velox, both well made cars from what I can remember. In my first job, the company vans were CF Bedfords (Vauxhall's van division name) and they were a good van. 

When I visited the UK on my first overseas trip, I hired an oldish Vauxhall Chevette from a small garage and toured Old Blighty in it. It was a nice little car to drive. My last encounter with the brand was when I married my beloved, she came with the last model Viva and I have to say the least impressive of all the Vauxhall products I'd been involved with. Enough of the reminiscing. 

Going back to the 1960's (where my data starts), Vauxhall was some way behind BMC and Ford. It was close to the Rootes Group in size (it became Chrysler UK). It was a steady third in the UK through the 1980's and the consistently the second biggest brand in the 1990's. 

The graph below shows GM Vauxhall's vehicle market share from 2001 through to 2024. It includes light commercial vehicles. It was doing well initially, with the Corsa and Astra models leading the way and selling at almost identical levels. The Vectra had been a big selling model but now not so much. 

Then a decline kicked in from 2014. The Insignia was never that popular and the Astra was losing ground. The Corsa held up better but also suffered. GM was losing money on its once profitable European operation and in 2017 sold it to PSA.

People were switching to SUVs and crossovers and PSA lost no time in introducing two. The figures indicate they didn't sell that well and the decline in market share continued. By 2024, the Corsa (picture above) was the best selling, followed by the Mokka. 

Light commercials have become a much greater part of the overall sales, going from 7.5% of the brand's total in 2021 to just over 27% now. I presume that helps the bottom line but market share now being below 5% shows how far Vauxhall has fallen in terms of volume. It mirrors the fall that sister brand Opel is experiencing across Europe. 

Is this a problem? What it comes down to is profitability, and Stellantis has been able to leverage cost savings in Europe through shared platforms and the like. Vauxhall will likely remain a viable brand in the UK, but not chasing volume just for the sake of it. 

Peugeot Global Model Sales : 2023-24

Brands within Stellantis are data shy, perhaps it's due to the fact that they aren't doing that well. Peugeot is perhaps the strongest brand within the company and the only one seemingly sharing data. Coincidence? Possibly. 

Global sales were just under 1.1 million, down 2%. That is a good result, especially considering the Stellantis Group is badly in need of revitalising. They currently have an interim CEO while the search for a new one is underway.

Models: 14% don't make the cut in 2024, a shame. The other 86% are below, led by the compact 208 with 275,000 sales. The compact 2008 SUV comes in next with 214,000 units. The Partner van includes the Rifter passenger version and together they came in at 133,000. 

Data source: Peugeot.

Regions: Many of the Stellantis brands are regional rather and limited in their global reach. 75% of Peugeot sales are in Europe as an example. The Middle East/Africa took 11% of the volume, Latin America 8%, Asia/Pacific 3.8% and North America (read Mexico) 1.7%. 

Stellantis US Model Sales Part 2 : 2023/24

Stellantis is a huge amalgam of brands from the US and Europe. There are seven operating in the States and here it's the US side of the company that's under the spotlight. Sales are not going that well but there seems to be a policy of reducing unit sales. Part 2 covers the five smaller brands. 

Dodge: Total sales were down 19% with the Charger leading the charge at -54% as the old model departs. 

The new 2025 iteration will have a 2-door variant as well so will hopefully arrest the decline and then add plenty of more sales as well. 

The Durango SUV is the main model with just over 42% of all sales for the brand in 2024. The new Dodge Hornet will add sting to the range and it's based on the Alfa Tonale so a sensible cost saving in doing that. 

Chrysler: Sales were down just 7% despite a 60% drop for the 300 model car which has been discontinued. It has a tiny range of vehicles which could be enhanced by Euro vehicles but hasn't been. It consists of two MPVs and a large car. 

The MPV range has been enhanced with a new model, the Voyager which is a base trim option to higher spec Pacifica. 

Fiat: It is an insignificant part of Stellantis USA but they persist with it. Sales were up 153% but only to 1,528 units just in case you get too excited. The 500e and 500X were the total range and the latter has been axed.  

Alfa Romeo: The three model line up was down 19% despite to the new Tonale. Alfa is a fringe player in the US premium segment but has found a niche in the market nevertheless. Well, more a case of sticking with it as sales are poor. 

Maserati: I don't have a model breakdown for the premium marque but total sales were about 4,600 and down about 40% by my reckoning.

Data & pictures: Stellantis. 

Stellantis US Model Sales Part 1 : 2023/24

Stellantis is a huge amalgam of brands from the US and Europe. There are seven operating in the States and here it's the US side of the company that's under the spotlight. Sales are not going that well but there seems to be a policy of reducing unit sales. Anyway, Part 1 covers the two larger brands. 

Jeep. An iconic brand that has had many owners but is currently settled in that regard. Sales are down 9% YTD with only the Compass and Wagoneer (pic above) in positive territory. 

The Grand Cherokee is the biggest selling but is -12% and at the other end of the list is the Cherokee which has been discontinued. In between the Galaiator was -3%.

The Renegade is in runout mode, to return in 2027 as an EV which will be quite different to the outgoing model.

RAM: It does mainly pick ups but also vans, the compact City which has been dropped and the larger standard van (pic below) which experienced a 19% fall in sales. With the pick up also down 16%, Ram was collectively -19%.

Fiat Italy : 2018-2022

Fiat enters the last five years of this series going back to 1997. In that year, Fiat held 33.1% of the Italian market but it was not realistic to think that the brand could retain that percentage of registrations as the passing of time has confirmed. 

The third generation of the Panda model (pic below the chart) has been around since 2011. It still looks quite fresh but margins at that end of the market are thin hence the length of time since a new model has been released. It will be replaced in 2024 by a rugged looking electric crossover. 

In 2020, the 500e was released and that has affected sales in a positive way. The 500X is steadily slipping and 500L is departing without a replacement in sight. The Tipo has fallen quite dramatically in recent times while the Punto and Qubo have been retired.  

Nearly 2 million sales for the total market since 2017 have shrunk to just over 1.3 million in 2022. Fiat's share of the Italian market over the same period has fallen from 20.4% to 13.6%. Therefore volume has over halved since '17 to just 179,000 units as a result of these two negatives combining. 

Fiat is now part of the Stellantis Group and it will be interesting to see what direction the brand now takes. Profit will be the main driver of decisions as it has to be in a capitalist world. It's still early days as far as Stellantis' involvement is concerned. 

For the first in the series, simply click here. Pictures: Netcarshow.

Fiat Italy : 2013-2017

With registrations in Italy at a low 1.3 million in 2013, things improved to the point of nearly two million in 2017. This was hugely important for Fiat and by that time, sales exceeded 400,000. 

The Panda series three arrived in 2011 but had no effect on sales but gradually things did improve. By 2017, this one model accounted for over a third of Fiat sales in Italy. The 500 and 500L were ticking along very consistently and the Tipo (pic above) taking over from the Bravo was an improvement in volume. 

The Punto was slowly on the way out but the 500X (pic below) made up for that although not a direct replacement. The Qubo was boxing along consistently and the Freemont disappeared quietly. 

Market share was holding up just over the 20% mark, matching the upward trend in registrations. Would that be a minimum level for Fiat in its home market?

For the final in the series, simply click here. Picture Source: Netcarshow.

Fiat Italy : 2008-2012

Registrations in Italy fell dramatically over this period. In 2008, they stood at 2,160,000 but by 2012, they had slumped to 1,400,000! The fall wasn't in one hit but from 2010 to 2012 it was -10%, -11% and -20%. At the end of that unit sales were at their lowest level in over 30 years. to add to that, the market share for Fiat has fallen to 21% by 2012, not quite the lowest ever but still well down historically. 

For a brand like Fiat that relies heavily on the home market, that was no doubt tough. Total registrations for the Fiat brand in Italy by 2012 were less than half what they had been just five years earlier. The model range that expanded several years prior was now being trimmed back.   

The Qubo arrived in 2008, a very small van converted into a passenger vehicle and it did OK. For 2011 out went the Sedici, Croma, Multipla and Seicento and in came the Freemont (pic below), a Dodge Journey for Europe. In 2012 the 500L (pic above) replaced the Idea but it was too soon for it to have much impact on the sales data featured in tthe chart below. 

For the fourth in the series, simply click here. Pics: Netcarshow.

Fiat Italy : 2003-2007

Fiat hit an all time low in 2003 in regard to Italian market share, which was replicated the following year. The arrival of the Croma (pic below the chart) gave Fiat a car larger than its more successful smaller offerings but that didn't sell well. A second generation Panda lifted sales in 2005 and likewise a third generation Punto a year later. 

Then Fiat created a small MPV which was named the Idea. It sold quite well too so not a bad idea. The Fiat Sedici was a collaboration with Suzuki and was much the same as the SX4. It wasn't supposed to be a big selling model so did well for what was expected. 

The interesting-looking Multipla (pic above) got a major facelift to 'normalise' its appearance and 2005 sales perked up slightly as a result. The Stillo name was dropped after one generation, Fiat returning to the Bravo label in 2007.

The 500 was introduced in 2007, a retrostyled version of the 500 that ended production in 1975. The new 500 could be classed as a replacement for the Seicento but as both sold concurrently for some years, I decided not to merge sales figures. 

Total registrations in Italy hit a record 2.5 million units in 2007. Did that and all of this model activity have a positive effect on sales? Well, yes it did with total numbers exceeding 600,000 for the first time in six years and its market share was now close to 25%. Could this positive change of fortunes now be maintained? 

For the third in the series, simply click here. Photos: Netcarshow. 

Fiat Italy : 1997-2002

I thought I'd do a series on Fiat in Italy, going back to 1997. The data is from various sources and is sufficiently accurate to use although sources from Italy can be slightly variable. With that in mind... 

Back in 1997, Fiat commanded a third of the Italian passenger car market. Going further back to 1974, it exceeded 50% but has never reached those dizzying heights but not a realistic penetration nowadays. 

Still, we are starting over twenty years later and 33% was a strong result. The Punto was king with 375,000 registrations or 15.7% of total sales. Impressive for a single model. However, sales were dropping rather quickly after that. The second generation did uplift declining sales in the year 2000 but perhaps not by as much as one might expect. The Panda, Cinquecento and Bravo/Brava were also solid performers, highlighting Fiat's strength in smaller cars.

Over the six years covered here, total registrations were very stable but Fiat was losing ground. The total sales per annum dropped from 793,400 to 511,700. All models were part of that decline but none more so than the Punto (pic above).  

The Cinquecento was replaced by the Seicento but that didn't have any impact of note. The Stilo (pic below) was designed to improve on the Bravo/Brava with only a marginally superior result. The 22.4% share in 2002 was a third down from just six years earlier.  

For the second in the series, simply click here. Photographs: Netcarshow.

Opel Returns To New Zealand

New Zealand has a myriad of car brands, some of which could only be described as bottom feeders. There are several marques with comprehensive dealer networks and the rest are in main centres only and selling in limited numbers. It's a tough market to crack unless you got in early or are now arriving with a budget priced product. 

European brands that are not premium are the ones that are confined to larger cities so the fact another one is coming is a surprise. As the title says, it's Opel. They could have gone with Vauxhall which was a popular brand but too long ago for modern buyers to relate to. 

Opel was sold in NZ from the late 1980s until the early 90s. Just over 2,500 were sold which wasn't too bad but then it was absorbed into Holden. Now Stellantis owns Opel and have decided to give the market another crack. Electric will figure heavily but not entirely. Vans may join the ranks later too. A commencement date is yet to be released. 

NZ seems to be a test run market in this region with for example Škoda, SEAT and Cupra all entered the NZ scene and then into Australia later. I assume a similar scenario may occur again if the brand's introduction into NZ works out. That may also depend on our cousins across the ditch being more encouraging of electric vehicles. 

Jaguar - Alfa Romeo Comparison : 2016-20

If you haven't read the previous one in the series, it would pay to first. It can be accessed by clicking here. 

Moving to the next phase of the comparison, we find that fortunes and direction were to swing quite drastically. Both Jaguar and Alfa Romeo were similarly sized in terms of sales but that was about to change.

Jaguar sales nearly doubled in 2016 as the company was pushing hard to move volumes upward. The new medium sized F-Pace SUV was the main reason for the sales surge but the new XE was not too far behind. The XF was holding up well too. 

The compact crossover E-Pace added impetus to the growth spurt along with the electric i-Pace crossover / hatchback. Things looked promising but it was being achieved at the expense of profit so a new CEO arrived and a new direction was decided upon.

The about to be released XJ replacement was surprisingly stopped and the marque was to become electric only by 2025. That's a tight schedule. Jaguar is to become a niche brand although talk of it ending SUVs is something I believe has since been denied. Things are moving swiftly in the car industry. 

While Jaguar was a hive of activity before a sudden directional change, what was going on at Alfa Romeo? In came the 159 replacing Giulia medium car, followed shortly after by the Stelvio mediumish SUV. It sits between the E-pace and F-Pace but much closer to the latter. 

Numbers took an upward turn as expected but not for long as they too realised the wisdom of focusing on profit rather than simply shifting metal. A second SUV like the E-Pace would have been helpful but not forthcoming neither from within Alfa Romeo nor from Jaguar (joke). 

So what's the future for Alfa Romeo with sales falling and it's now being part of the Stellantis Group? The expensive platform developed for the Giulia and Stelvio as well as a host of other models was not future proofed for electrification. With all future Alfas being electrified in some way, they will now tap into the Stellantis Group for platforms to make the transition possible. 

So in summary, the two charts show little commonality between Jaguar and Alfa Romeo. Colour coding shows the XE was matched by the Giulia, the F-Pace and Stelvio and the tenuous link between the sports cars. That's all there was. They haven't been as alike I had subconsciously thought and working together was not much of an option. With Stellantis offering much to Alfa Romeo, the marque may finally have a direction to move forward with.

Jaguar can share with Land Rover to a point but its future is also mapped out with clarity. Working with other companies seems out of the question so the marque can at least define itself without compromise.

Jaguar - Alfa Romeo Comparison : 2011-15

When a car company has many brands, they share a great deal to reduce costs and to gain benefit from other efficiencies. When dealing with separate companies, it's not so easy. The uniqueness that makes them what they are is often compromised, not to mention the challenges for engineers working with each other.

I think of Jaguar and Alfa Romeo being two brands that share a similar ethos. Both are small in volume so bringing new products to market must be difficult to justify cost-wise. So is there an opportunity being missed here to save costs and make available to the customer a reasonable range of products? 

I went back to 2011 and compared the ranges of the two. Both I must say make good very looking cars. The Alfa data is for total production and Jaguar's for total sales. Not ideal but over a series of years they will provide a clear and accurate picture.  

Back in 2011 Alfa Romeo production was 136,000 units. The MiTo mini 3-door hatchback was selling quite well but I would have thought the numbers needed to be higher to make money. The small Giulietta 5-door hatchback was selling well for the size of the brand. Strangely the medium sized 4/5-door 159 was being phased out but no replacement. 

As time passed sales dropped with only the arrival of the small 4C sports car which was very much a narrowly focused product. In five years, production numbers dropped by over half. The owners didn't seem to know what to do with the marque.

Jaguar was a mirror opposite to Alfa Romeo. In 2011 sales were just 50,000 with three models. The medium XF doing most of the volume. The large XJ was solid but that sort of car was going out of vogue. Finally, the small volume impressively styled XK grand tourer sports car. 

Over the next few years, the F-Type indirectly replaced the XK and the compact XE saloon car took over from the X-Type after a brief hiatus in that segment. The good news was that numbers were going the right way for Jaguar, 83,500 by 2015. The contrast with Alfa Romeo was stark. 

So the only commonality between the two was the 4C and F-Type yet they really were different in focus. So could they could have worked together in a complementary way? Alfa was making smaller cars and Jaguar larger. 

That could have worked but I can see why it didn't happen. It could have ended up a failed arrangement for Jaguar in particular who surely didn't need to go down the small car road. Alfa Romeo may have liked the XF but the model cycle wouldn't have worked. Would there be a chance of colaboration in the future? The next in the series can be accessed by clicking here.

France Renault / Peugeot Comparison : 2009-2021

The Renault Captur could do with more help

Renault has been the best selling car in France for so long. It's also managed to be the top selling brand in its main market Europe at certain times too. Today is a long way from there as it slides down the rankings in Europe and facing being bumped out of its perennial leadership back home.  

In 2009, it had a sizable advantage over Peugeot but that lessened as the years have since passed. Regarding traditional cars Renault does well but as for SUVs and especially crossover vehicles, Peugeot seems to have made a better fist of that. 

By 2020, the difference in registrations had become negligible and for 2021 Peugeot has pulled clear of its rival. If the year continues as it has been, then a notable change will have occurred in the French car market. Even if Renault was in some way able to regain the lead, it would surely only be a temporary reprieve.

The question now is does it really matter which brand is the top selling one? Yes and no. If the top spot is secured through discounting then of course not. If it can be done in a profitable way, it proves the product is right. In the SUV and crossover area, I think Peugeot is doing that better and that's why it's now at the top in France. 

It's Peugeot's impressive crossover lineup

DS Global Global Model Sales : 2020

DS is the upmarket marque for Citroën, which initially appeared to be the same cars but with some bling. They now seem to be differentiating them more as well as going away from car to crossover models. Both of these changes seem to be working.

DS sales peaked at 129,000 in 2012 but dropped to 53,00 for 2017 and 2018. 2019 sales went to 62,500 and 2020 down to 43,868 in a tough environment. Sales were down 30%. It has become a two model brand for now but the crossover vehicles are doing better business, with new models to be added.

As for the regions, it's very much a Euro marque. Expanding that footprint will surely be an aim of PSA.

Opel/Vauxhall Global Model Sales : 2020

The Grandland X model a welcome addition to the family

PSA took on a big one when they bought Opel/Vauxhall from GM. It cost GM a great deal to offload the profit challenged company and it's not going to be easy for PSA to get it to where it needs to be. Some new models have arrived and some older ones have got the chop - what you see at the bottom of the first list below.

Registrations were -35% for the year, not a great time to be reviving a struggling company. Making a profit in Europe is not easy and that's where they rely upon nearly all their sales. All models were down to varying degrees except for one new one, as seen below. That shows how well the Corsa model has done with a tiny drop of 1%. The Astra and Insignia are falling quickly.

Regionally, Europe takes over 90% of the production, but the ME/Africa looks promising.