Spain led the way in September as Europe’s new car sales increased 6% year on year, according to analysts at JATO Dynamics. Sales in Spain were up 25.9% while Germany and Great Britain saw increases of 5.2% and 5.6% respectively last month.

JATO said 22 of the 29 countries it tracks grew sales year-on-year in September; nine of the top 10 brands recorded sales growth for the month and Volkswagen increased its market share, boosted by year-on-year sales of the Golf (+19.3%) and recently updated Polo (+32%) models.

The ‘Big Five’ European car markets all registered growth in September, rebounding from the traditional summer dip in sales. The rise in Spain was a result of the continued impact of government incentives. Europe’s two biggest markets – Germany (+5.2%) and Great Britain (+5.6%) – also performed well. 

Growth, however, was not restricted to Europe’s biggest markets. Eight smaller markets have grown their sales by over 20% in the year to date (YTD), notably Greece (+21.6%), Portugal (+31.7%) and Ireland (+30%) where the global recession had its greatest European impact. 

Overall, 24 of the 29 countries studied increased YTD sales compared to last year.

Performance was mixed among the medium-sized markets. Sales in Romania rose 10.8% for the month, for a YTD increase of 27%. The Czech Republic also performed well in September with a gain of 19.4%.

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On the other hand, the downturn in the Netherlands continued with YTD sales falling 5%. Austria’s 1.7% dip in September also means that new car sales have decreased 4.3% YTD.

Brands

Volkswagen remained the top selling brand in Europe and continued to increase its market share. Skoda’s growth, led by new models, kept it in the top 10 even though its best-selling Octavia slipped outside the top 10. 

Ford was second as the Fiesta model reclaimed second place from the Polo in the top 10 models table. Peugeot saw double-digit YTD growth as its new 308, 2008, and 108 all performed strongly. This helped the French carmaker jump one place to fifth in the European top 10.

Outside of the top 10, Dacia continued to capitalise on the appetite for budget models as it grew YTD sales 29%. Mazda’s new 3 model helped the brand increase sales by 21.8% in September while its established CX-5 crossover also performed well. Strong sales of the Outlander, particularly the plug-in-hybrid version, helped Mitsubishi increase sales by 65.4% in September.

Models

Six of the top 10 models saw sales growth both in September and YTD. The Golf further strengthened its lead at the top of the market, growing sales by 19.3%. Higher demand for the Polo, especially in Great Britain and Germany, also saw its sales climb 32% in September. As a result, Volkswagen had the fastest growing models in September’s top 10. Sales of Audi’s A3 also continued to grow, resulting in a YTD increase of 23.5%, the highest among the top 10 models.

Outside of the top 10, YTD sales of the new Seat Leon grew by 60.8% while the Peugeot 308 also increased sales by 60.2% over the same period.

Small crossover models continued to take market share in Europe, with the Renault Captur (+4.5%), Opel/Vauxhall Mokka (+117.3%) and Peugeot 2008 (+83.8%) all increasing sales in September.

Tesla’s Model S electric luxury car is shaking up the market, outselling well-established competitors such as the Audi A8, BMW 7-series and Jaguar XJ. In this segment only the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (+151.2%) has sold more YTD.

Brian Walters, vice president of data at JATO Dynamics, said: “It is reassuring to see Europe’s recovery continue to strengthen for another month, particularly with the five largest markets all returning to growth in September. Not only are many established brands improving sales, but we are also seeing challengers like the Tesla Model S shaking up the market.”

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