Following a 4.9% year-over-year increase for the month of July, in August the European auto market (EU27+EFTA) registered a 4.9% decline. For the 8 months
year-to-date, Fiat Group had a 6.2% overall market share. Fiat brand performed better than the market in August with share increasing by 10 basis points to 4%. For the year-to-date, the Fiat 500 and Fiat Panda ranked first and second, respectively, in the A segment with a combined 27.1% segment share.
The 500L was the best selling vehicle in its segment for both July and August.
The European auto market (EU27+EFTA) posted mixed results for the summer period. In August, new vehicle registrations were down 4.9% over the prior year to just under 687,000
units, while July registrations were up 4.9% to 1,021,000 vehicles.
For the year to August, new vehicle registrations in Europe totaled approximately 8,145,000, representing a 5.2% decrease over the same period in 2012.
Due to continued unfavorable conditions in the Italian market, which was down 1.6% in July and 6.6% in August, Fiat Group’s European sales were down 1.1% year-over-year in July (to 62,500 vehicles) and 4.9% in August (36,000). Year-to-date, Group sales totaled nearly 508,000 vehicles with European market share at 6.2%.
Fiat brand posted August sales of 28,000 vehicles, down 0.7% versus August 2012, and increased market share to 4.0% (3.9% in August 2012). July sales were up 2.6% to more than 47,000 vehicles, with market share at 4.6%.
Year-to-date, brand sales totaled nearly 394,000 vehicles (-2.1%) and share was up 10 basis points over the same period in 2012 to 4.8%.
The brand recorded particularly positive results in France, where sales were up 11.3% in July and 17.4% in August. In the UK, sales were up 24.5% in July and 22.2% in August, and in Spain, the brand recorded increases of 105% and 4.5%, respectively.
Despite the significant decline in demand in Fiat’s core city car segment, the Panda and 500 were the two best selling vehicles in their category for the 8 months to August. With sales totaling nearly 106,000 units a piece for the year-to-date period, the two models accounted for a combined 27.1% share of the European A segment. The 500L also turned in a strong sales performance in August, ranking first in its segment with a 19% share.
Year-to-date, the model sold nearly 48,000 units, representing a 17.1% segment share.
Those results are expected to improve further as sales of the 500L Trekking and 500L Living – launched in several European markets during the summer months – gain full
momentum. The Freemont also remained firmly among the top ten in its segment.
Lancia/Chrysler registered August sales of 3,200 vehicles, a 13.6% decrease over the prior year. For July, however, the brand achieved a 4.1% increase with sales totaling nearly 7,000 units.
Year-to-date, brand sales were just over 51,000 vehicles (-23.5% versus 2012). Results in France were positive, however, with sales up 57.6% in August and 48.7% in July. The Lancia Ypsilon, the brand’s number one model, registered a 14.2% sales increase in August.
