New car registrations in the European Union (EU) for the month of October totaled 1.1 million units, essentially flat with October of last year. Year over year, sales rose by 9.7% in Italy, 4.0% in Spain and 1.4% in the United Kingdom. Including the four nations in the European Free Trade Association, total sales slipped 0.3% to 1.14 million units in the month.
For the first 10 months of 2016, total sales for the 27 EU members came to 12.35 million, up 7.2% compared with the first 10 months of last year. Germany posted a 10-month total of 2.82 million, while registrations in the United Kingdom totaled 2.33 million and new registrations in France rose to 1.66 million, just ahead of 1.55 million unit sales in Italy.
Among the Detroit Three carmakers, Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) saw unit sales dip 1.1% year over year in October at 6.9% and General Motors Co.’s (NYSE: GM) Opel Group experienced a sales increase from 2.6%. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (NYSE: FCAU) posted year-over-year growth of 6.9%.
Ford’s market share in October was flat year over year at 6.9%. GM’s Opel Group posted a gain of 0.2 points to nab a 6.1% share, and Fiat Chrysler added 0.5 points to post a 6.7% share of the EU market.
For the year to date, Ford’s market share has dropped from 7.3% to 7.1% on unit sales of 871,674, even though unit sales have risen by 3.9% compared with the first 10 months of 2015. Opel Group’s share has remained flat at 6.8% on unit sales of 834,837, up 6.4% over the first 10 months of last year, and FCA’s market share has risen from 6.3% a year ago to 6.7% on unit sales of 831,313, up 14.9% compared with the first 10 months of 2015.
The top-selling carmaker in the EU is Volkswagen, which sold 272,826 vehicles in October, down 1.7% year over year for the month. VW’s market share for the month totaled 24.7%, up from 25.1% in October 2015.
PSA Group, makers of Peugeot and Citroen among other brands, with 9.9% of the market ranked second, and Renault Group ranked third with market share for October of 9.5% of the EU market.
BMW Group’s market share in October rose from 6.8% last year to 7%, and the company sold 77,279 units last month, a 3.3% jump year over year. For the first 10 months of 2016, BMW’s market share rose from 6.4% a year ago to 6.7% on sales of 824,556 units, a jump of 14.9% for the period.
Daimler also posted a market share gain, rising from 6.2% in October 2015 to 6.5% last month. For the first 10 months of the year, the Mercedes-Benz maker posted a year-over-year share gain of 0.3 points, to 6.7% on sales of 760,995 units, a jump of 13.7%.
Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) posted market share of 4.1% in October, unchanged compared with last year. For the first 10 months of the year the carmaker’s market share also remained unchanged at 4.2%.
The company with the largest percentage sales increase for the first 10 months of 2016 is Jaguar Land Rover, with sales up 28.5% to 183,265. Honda Motor Co. Ltd (NYSE: HMC) has lifted sales by 24.5% in the same period and Mazda sales are up 15.9% year to date.
Sponsored: Want to Retire Early? Here’s a Great First Step
Want retirement to come a few years earlier than you’d planned? Or are you ready to retire now, but want an extra set of eyes on your finances?
Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply clicking here you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help you build your plan to retire early. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.
Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
