Fiat Group’s February sales in Europe (EU27+EFTA) totaled just under 56,000 vehicles, representing a 6.8% share of the market. The Fiat Panda and 500 continued to lead the A segment, and the 500L climbed to the number two spot in its segment.
Lancia/Chrysler posted a 38% increase in the UK and Jeep sales were up 10.1% in Germany and 15.7% in Spain. In February, the European auto market (EU27+EFTA) registered yet another month of decline, with new vehicle registrations down 10.2% over February a year ago to 829,000 vehicles.
For the first two months of the year, registrations were down 9.3% over the same period in 2012 to 1,748,000 vehicles.
Fiat Group posted February sales of nearly 56,000 vehicles. Market share for the month was 6.8%, representing a 0.2 percentage point increase over January 2013 and a 0.8 percentage point increase over December 2012. Conditions in Italy, where demand was down 17.4% over February a year ago, continued to affect the Group’s overall performance. By contrast, results were positive in the UK, where volumes increased 0.7% over the same month in 2012.
For Fiat brand, February sales totaled nearly 44,000 vehicles with market share at 5.3%, representing a 0.2 percentage point increase over February 2012 and January 2013. Year-to-date, the brand sold 91,000 vehicles, with share up 0.2 percentage points over the prior year to 5.2%. In addition to positive results in Italy, where the brand increased share 2.4 percentage points to 21.6%, year-over-year market share was also higher in Germany (+0.1 p.p. to 2.4%), France (+0.2 p.p. to 2.8%) and Spain (+0.1 p.p. to 3.1%). In the UK, sales volumes were up 4.1% over February a year ago.
The Panda and 500 were once again the top selling vehicles in the segment A, posting 16.8% and 12.0% segment shares, respectively. The two models continue to maintain a significant lead over the nearest competitors in a growing segment that accounts for more than 10% of the European market. The Freemont was among the most popular models in its peer group, posting a segment share of nearly 6% for the month. The 500L also turned in a strong performance, taking the number two spot in its segment just a few months from launch. With more than 4,700 units sold in February, the 500L had a 15.9% segment share and the introduction of two new versions in mid-February (with 105 hp TwinAir and MultiJet engines) is expected to further strengthen its market position. With a 4.7% share, the Punto remained firmly among the top 10 B-segment models.
Lancia/Chrysler recorded February sales of nearly 5,500 vehicles and share was in line with the prior month at 0.7%. Of particular note was performance in the UK, where volumes increased 38% over February a year ago. Year-to-date, nearly 12,000 units were sold with share at 0.7%.
Alfa Romeo reported February sales of more than 4,700 vehicles and share in line with January 2013 at 0.6%. For the first two months, share was also 0.6% with nearly 10,400 vehicles sold.
For the Jeep brand, February sales totaled 1,900 vehicles and share was stable at 0.2%. February sales were up 10.1% year-over-year in Germany and 15.7% in Spain, where share also increased to 0.3% from 0.2% a year ago. Year-to-date, the brand sold more than 3,900 vehicles. The brand’s flagship model, the Grand Cherokee (the latest version of which was presented at the Geneva Motor Show), was once again among the best selling vehicles in its segment with a 2.9% share.
For Ferrari and Maserati, the Group’s luxury and performance brands, February sales in Europe totaled 169 vehicles.
