Car Production Belgium / Netherlands: 2010

Belgium is a small country but with a surprisingly large car industry. It relies on overseas firms as it has no industry of its own. This can make it vulnerable to sudden closures of factories. It's 2010 production was:

Volvo 225,000
Ford 185,000
Audi 70,000
GM Opel 50,000
Total 530,000 +1%

One of those sudden departures was GM Europe closing its factory in 2010. It has now gone for good but

Cars I Would Buy

When it comes to cars, I have definite tastes. I like compact. Compact means efficient, economical, ecological, convenient and maneuverable. The modern small cars are quite roomy and they travel distances in reasonable comfort. I would never buy a two door car (unless it is a sports car) and hatchbacks I like. So what would I buy in New Zealand? GM Europe products for example are not sold in NZ

The MINI Family Just Keeps Growing

On would have to say that German car companies are aggressive. They don't just exist in the market, nor do they merely compete in the market either. No, they attack it. Take BMW and its MINI brand. It started out as a smallish two door hatch in 2001, the convertible (2005), Mk II (2007), Clubman (2008) and Countryman (2010).Later in 2011 comes the Coupe, then more variants later. The MINI range

The Nissan Qashqai Mk II

The first Qashqai (Dualis) was designed, engineered and mainly built in the UK. The next one (Mk II) will be too. This car has been a rip snorting success. In 2010, Sunderland production reached 271,200, just over 21% of all UK car manufacturing and well ahead of second placed MINI. Pan European Sales reached a very impressive 235,500.

The decision to have the UK do it all again for the second

Car Sales Nouvelle-Calédonie: 2010

Car sales in New Caledonia are about 11,500 sales per annum. The three French brands of Renault, Peugeot and Citroen took nearly two thirds of the market as recently as 2001, but for 2010, under a quarter. Premium brands are not big sellers on this autonomous overseas collectivity of the French Republic.

Brand/Sales/Share/Inc-Decr
1 Ford...... 1,325.. 11.4%.. 18.2
2 Peugeot.. 970... 8.3%..

The 2012 Jaguar XK

Generally facelifts do little to improve a car, often to give buyers the excuse to trade in the pre-facelift model. Some seem to take the design backwards. I must say the changes for the Jaguar XK 2012 really work. It involves a larger grille, new bumper design, slimmer chrome trim, new wheels, and new exterior colors. The slight exterior changes have made for a smart looking improvement. With

Lamborghinis That Don't Work No More

Here is a fine police car in Italy. I am sure many a law enforcer on the beat anywhere in the world would like to have one of these...


Of course driving a supercar is more challenging than a regular car so they need extra care. Unfortunately, this a post about Lamborghinis 'that don't work no more'....


I think this officer had some explaining to do.

For some of these temperamental beasts,

Car Manufacturing In Japan Well Down

The Tsunami and sales downturn has really hit Japan. Manufacturers around the world who source components from there have been hit too. Looking at production figures, one can see how bad it is. If we compare April 2011 to 2010 by manufacturer:

Brand/Prod/Decrease
Toyota 50,000 –80%
Nissan 45,000 –50%
Mazda 35,000 –50%
Mitsub 27,500 –30%
Subaru 25,000 –40%
Daihatsu 20,000 –60%
Honda 15,000 –80%

Chrysler Brand To Go From Europe

The Chrysler brand has ceased to exist on mainland Europe. It has never sold well there so its owner Fiat has pulled the plug on it. Lancia will take over the dealers to broaden its coverage on the continent, the only place where they are sold anyway. It will also widen its range of just three vehicles by selling rebadged Chrysler vehicles under the Lancia logo. On the other hand, Chrysler will

Jaguar SUV...Finally

Finally Jaguar is planning to launch a new SUV to boost sales. Although this is the area of Land Rover of the same company, Jaguar intends for an off road vehicle to meet the development cost of a new platform. Besides, VW, Audi and Skoda all compete in the SUV sector within one company.

While much is yet to be known of the new vehicle, it will be made of aluminum. This is the material for all

Special BMW Car Polish

Someone once said that people will buy anything with a BMW badge on it. I suppose that provers that the company has managed its brand very well. That means they sell better than they should, even models not that well executed. The above 1-Series is a classic case of that. While a good drive, it was also impractical, as the rear seating and boot area were very cramped. While some may not worry on

Land Rover Start Indian Manufacturing

Land Rover has just officially opened its first assembly plant in India at Pune. The facility will assemble the Freelander 2, sourced as completely knocked down (CKD) kits from Halewood, Liverpool, U.K. The Pune factory will be overseered by two experienced manufacturing and quality managers who have moved to India from the UK.

With German competitors already assembling vehicles in the country,

North America - Europe Brand Comparison 2010

Nth America and Europe car markets (without the Russian region) are very similar in size. Both are between 1.3 and 1.4 million sales, Europe the slightly larger. After that, the similarities are less common. Top end luxury brands are quite alike but the more mass produced a vehicle, the greater the differences. Europe has more brands on sale, many that do not make it to the US. The chart below

Most Popular Model: Europe 1996 - 2010

Comparing top ten models within Europe for the last 15 years shows that there was not much change. Only 16 models have that distinction. 4 models were there every year and all the cars listed below were there at least 10 times (see Col 2). Only 4 have been number one (see Col 3), the VW Golf 9 times. Col 4 shows the highest ranking reached, the GM Corsa only reaching 4th as its best spot.

The Times They Are A Changin'

You better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone. For the times they are a-changin'.


Those words of that classic song certainly applied to the US car industry. Their 'Big Three' car makers were once at the top of the tree but poor management saw them plunge, so far in fact that two recently got government bailouts to save them and the other just avoiding that fate.


For the loser now

Car Sales Lotus: 2010

Lotus makes light sports cars, with emphasis on lightness and handling. The owners, Proton, have big plans to increase the range of vehicles (I wrote an article on this not so long back, you can find it under labels 'Brand Britain'). So how are Lotus sales doing currently? Below are some markets for 2010. It is not comprehensive, but rather a list of what I know of some of the larger markets:

1

Nissan Sales Booming

In the fiscal year 2010, Nissan's global sales reached a record-high level. Nissan's global sales increased 19.1%, with vehicle sales growing from 3.515 million to 4.185 million units. For the full year, overall global market share was 5.8%. Sales figures to note:

China 1,024,000 +35.5%
U S A 966,000 +17.3%
Europe 607,000 +19.3%
Japan 600,000 -4.7%
Others 709,000 +28.2%

Some things I

Toyota Doing It Tough

I commented some time back about Toyota making too many cars in Japan. It didn't matter when the Yen was held to an artificially low level. Recent monetary upheavals have scuppered that policy. Now with slumping domestic sales and market share, a strong Yen, the fall out from the Tsunami and VW closing in quickly on the world's largest car maker, tough decisions must be made.

One of those

Jaguar On The Move

I was reading and article in at detnews.com quoting some 'experts', some saying Jaguar was in fine fettle, while others thought it was doomed. The negative ones said Jaguar needed volume to succeed, the kind the German brands generate. Certainly volume can help with profits but that is so simplistic, as there is much, much more to it. When Jaguar was making its biggest sales, it was raking up

Land Rover On The Move

Having considered Jaguar, now for Land Rover. LR already has five models with a sixth about to arrive, the Evoque. The range will be quite broad at that point. It would be nice to go below the Freelander but I'm not sure there is a business case for that. LR is profitable, but this is something that they has to keep working on, as it doesn't take much to sink into the read in the highly

The Car And The Real Person

If you want to know what someone is really like, watch him or her drive a car. People can be polite when moving around others in a crowded area, be polite in letting others through a door first or when negotiating around a supermarket with a shopping trolley. But when they get into the car, does that considerateness continue, or do they become belligerent and intolerant?

The fact is people who

Conservative Car Buying

Many people would probably think that when buying a new car, they are broad minded. Some are no doubt, but not many. I say this by looking at car statistics. If people are indeed open minded about their car choice, then we would see more fluctuation between brands on sales charts. The reality is that in any given country, certain brands dominate a segment year after year, and others consistently

Sinking Saab

If you click on 'Brand Sweden' to your right, there you will find an article I wrote "Can Saab Survive?" I really could not see it lasting long, and felt surprised that anyone would risk money with it. Well now suppliers are not getting paid and withholding stock until they do. Saab's are getting back in production again by raising more capital. To do so, Spyker sold a 30% stake to Chinese firm

The Uncertainty In GM Car Making

I must be a cautious person by nature. I don't just read something and swallow it. Recently the BBC quoted GM Europe chairman "The future of car making in the UK could be in danger if the industry fails to develop a British-based supply chain." It was a strong statement but something does not seem right about it. Nissan, Toyota and Honda all make cars in the UK and never talk of pulling out. They

Car Sales Malaysia: 2010

Two local brands, Peredua (pic below) and Proton (above) dominate proceedings in Malaysia. Proton was the leader until 2006, when its arch nemisis took over. Now Proton is coming back and closing in quickly on Perudua in the early stages of 2011. Proton was started in 1983, and was Malaysia's only car maker until Perodua arrived in 1993. Proton was initially tied up with Mitsubishi, using that

JLR To Ramp Up Chinese Sales

I do not give the Chinese car market much attention. Statistics out of that country are variable and usually only include locally built cars. As to why someone does not take charge of it and release consistent, relevant data of all sales by each brand shows how far China has to go to being an open, transparent nation. I saw some figures showing VW sold 1.47 million cars in China in 2010, and GM

The Audi Range zzzzzzz

Above are the Audi models A1, 3, 6 and 8. To me these cars are as dull as car design gets. They all look much the same. Of course, a car maker should have a theme that ties the brand together. Audi has that gaping grille, unattractive in its own right. However, to then have them all much the same shape, only different sizes, defies logic. To make matters worse, people are buying them in large

Car Sales 2010: Scotland

The Scottish car market slipped slightly in 2011. Ford lost share by nearly 3% with a 23% drop in sales. Renault and Nissan strengthened their respective positions, while Toyota didn't fare so well. Both BMW and Audi gained four places without increasing sales because brands above them stumbled badly.

Brand/Sales/Share/Inc-dec
1 Vauxhall 27,100 15.3% -6
2 Ford 20,400 11.5% -23
3 Volkswagen

Car Sales 2010: Wales

Wales is part of the UK, and car sales in that country come under the UK total. I have separated Welsh car sales for this analogy. Premium brands do not do as well here as the UK as Britain's wealth is centred around south east England. Overall, Wales saw a slight downturn in sales for 2010. Renault climbed three places while Toyota dropped three. Kia rose by four and Audi five places. Fiat,

Car Production Germany: 2010

Despite the vagaries of world car sales of late, German car sales have held up fairly well. VW has always been the main producer, but things below have moved around. Mercedes fell from 2nd in 2007 to 4th in '09, coming bacik to third last year. BMW was 2nd in 2008, but now is 4th. Audi were 5th in 2005 but is now 2nd. Of course, this doesn't represent total production, but rather domestic. Some

Buying A Used Car From A Supermarket

In the UK, Tesco supermarket chain has started to sell used cars online. A potential purchaser goes to the website where pictures and a brief video are available to view. The RAC mechanically inspect the car and it comes with a one month RAC warranty. By buying directly from Tesco, the costs are reduced from source to consumer. Most cars will come from the fleet sector, have one previous owner,

Who Are You?

When Google recently enabled me to see data about the hits this blog was receiving, it proved illuminating. I would like to share that with you now.During the first month of July 2010, 22 hits per day seemed good. It has climbed month by month and so far in April 2011, there have been 275 hits per day! That is a more than a tenfold increase so I guess word gets around. Anyway, where do all you

Vehicle Production GM Europe: 2010

GM European production saw the bowing out of the Antwerp, Belgium plant in 2010. The other four nations will continue producing vehicles for "The General" in 2011. GM Europe vehicle production by model and country as below:

Corsa:
Zaragoza (Spa) 223,500
Eisenach (Ger) 136,500
Total Corsa: 360,000

Astra:
Gilwice (Pol) 141,500
Ellesmere Port (UK) 108,000
Bochum (Ger) 71,500
Antwerp (Bel) 44,500

UK Car Production: Top 15 Models In 2010

Nissan has been the top car manufacturer in the UK since the year 2000, however it hasn't had the top model before...Until 2010 that is, when they finally did get the 'most made' model to go with largest manufacturer tag. The six years previous it had been the BMW MINI, but the Qashqai went past the MINI with consummate ease in 2010. It looks as if the Qashqai could now stay there for a while as

Holden Car Manufacturing

Holden is GM's name down under in Australasia. Holden's car making in Australia is based around the large Commodore model. The problem is large cars sales are on the decline in this area. For example, in 2001 132,000 Holdens were made in Australia, in 2009 (the last year I have data for) only 54,000. That was a bad year all round but you get the idea. The numbers are shrinking.

Big Holdens are

Luxury Cars Are So Unreliable

When you part with your money to buy an expensive car, you expect it to be reliable. That monetary outlay should translate to it staying on the road. Well, whether buying a BMW, Mercedes, Land Rover or - as in the picture - a Lamborghini, expect plenty of repairs. Almost certainly the faults will be to do with the 'high tech' elements of these cars. I assume many buyers put up with these

Luton Van Plant Goes On

In 1905, Vauxhall Motors opened the largest car plant in the United Kingdom in Luton. Over the years cars and commercial vehicles poured out of the facility. However, production reduced as British industry declined. Today, only vans are made at the Luton plant, which currently employs around 1,170 staff and has a capacity of approximately 100,000 units. It now operates as GMM Luton, and produces

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta: 2010 Version

I must say that Alfa Romeo is a mere shadow of yesteryear. The brand has been hurt by poor reliability and substandard cars bearing the name. Now has arrived the 2010 Giulietta and I must say it is a looker. Does it have the precision of its Germanic competition? No. But where it wins hands down is in style. When a beautiful woman walks past a man, he has to notice. While one can hardly compare

Vehicle Production France: 2010

French total vehicle production was consistently around the 3.6 million mark in the early to mid 21st century, including 3.2m cars. It then slid to 2 million by 2009 (1.8m cars). There was an 8.6% rebound in 2010, but still only 2.2 million (1.9m cars). Not surprisingly, it is a few French marques that contribute the bulk of those figures, as you can see below.

Car Production 2010 France:

Automotive Conundrums

A definition of a conundrum includes an insoluble, or difficult problem. I have a few automotive ones I would like to air.

Audi styling: I find it confusing and bemusing that Audi can make cars that all look much the same and so boringly styled, yet people actually buy them. As an example, take the A1. You could have a fun MINI, a trendy Citroen DS3 or even a funky Fiat 500, but surely not the

Toyota UK: Burnaston & Deeside

Back in 2007, one of my first posts was about Toyota Flintshire, Wales. Now for Toyota UK in total. Toyota's decision to establish a manufacturing operation in Europe was announced in 1989 and Toyota Manufacturing UK was established in December that year.

Why did Toyota build plants in Europe?: Toyota believes in a policy of localising its vehicles to meet the specific needs of Europe’s varied

Longbridge Is Back

Once the largest manufacturing plant in the world, Longbridge in Birmingham, England is making cars again. Chinese firm SAIC bought the rights to MG Rover cars in 2005 and started making the cars in China as MGs and Roewes. Now they are going to make MGs there, starting with the 1.8L MG 6 hatch back (pictured).

Now I would suggest that if you are thinking of buying a Chinese branded car, don't

JD Power Customer Service Index 2011

The JD Power & Associates 2011 US Customer Service Index Study delivered this list of thirty three car brands, Notice everyone of the top ten are premium brands. No surprise there really. The bottom thirteen are either US or Japanese brands that are generally large volume sellers in the US. Is it a case of the more cars you sell, the less satisfaction the customer feels? The list:

Lexus 846

Fuel Prices

(For this article I will use the term petrol to describe fuel used in cars).Petrol is a finite substance and internationally humans are using it at an increasing rate. If things continue as they are, demand will cause shortage and that will put pressure on prices. We can do nothing about the reserves of petroleum, but a little about how much we need. Personally, I drive a vehicle with low fuel

Britain's Own Volume Brand

Italy has Fiat, Germany VW, Japan has several. What are they? A volume producer of cars that local people can identify as theirs. The UK used to have British Leyland, before BMW screwed things up with BL's outgrowth MG Rover (see the article by clicking here). So what volume brand does Britain have? Some could say Jaguar / Land Rover but they are rather pricey for the majority of UK citizens.

Car Production Italy/Spain: 2010

Italy: In 2001, nearly 1.3 million cars were built in Italy. It declined slowly until 2008, when it then dropped 28% to 660,000 and then held its own in '09 thanks to the scrappage scheme supporting small Fiats. Reality hit in 2010, when such schemes ran out and production sank to under 600k. Only the Fiat group make cars here.

Make-Incr/Decr
Fiat 337,000 -22%
Alfa Romeo 120,000 +18%
Lancia

Ambitious Nissan Europe

Around the world, Nissan plays second fiddle to Toyota. In 2009 Toyota made 7,250,000 vehicles, while Nissan 2,750,000. Quite some difference. However, one thing Nissan is improving on is making more interesting cars. Look at the Qashqai (Dualis) - Juke and compare those with Auris/Corolla - Avensis. The Nissans are pushing boundaries, while Toyota models are solid but boring. So if there is

Car/Light Truck Production USA: 2010

First Car Production: 2010
 



US car production isn't as high as you may think. Imports of cars are quite high and Americans generally prefer light trucks anyway. GM has been the king of car making but Toyota took top spot in 2009. It didn't last long as GM is again the top of the tree for 2011. Otherwise the production ranking of car makers remained the same as the year before.

The overall

Top Brands Worldwide By Country: 2010

These are the Asian, Pacific and African markets that various brands are top in. A number in brackets after the country indicates the position in 2009. No number means no change.

Toyota 13:
Australia
Brunei
Gabon
Indonesia
Japan
New Zealand
Philippines
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Thailand
Taiwan
UAE
Vietnam

Hyundai 2:
Egypt
Korea

Suzuki 2:
India
Pakistan

Volkswagen 2:
China
South Africa (2)

One

Top Brands In The Americas By Country: 2010

These are the Pan American markets that various brands are top in. A number in brackets after the country indicates the position in 2009. No number means no change.


GM - 7:

Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Paraguay (4)
Uruguay
USA
Venezuela




Toyota - 5:

Dominican Rep
Guatemala
Panama
Peru
Puerto Rico



One each:

Fiat:
Brazil
Ford:
Canada (2)
Nissan:
Mexico
VW:
Argentina



Summary: The Americas

You Want Car Statistics

From July of 2010, Google allowed Bloggers the ability to see statistically what is going on regarding visitor hits. What I have learned is:1) This blog has been gaining in popularity. In July to December there were a total of 5,300 hits or nearly 900 per month. In January just over 2,500 and the short month of February over 2,700! 2) Many of the hits for the last two months have been for blogs

New Nissan Juke A Hit In Europe

Nissan Europe have been singing about the success of its new Juke model. Its looks polarise people, but it is different and distinctive. In an automotive world of blandness, that is a plus for me. Some points of note from the press blurb:

From its European release in September 2010, 32,000 sales were quickly chalked up (44,000 were made in a partial year's production). It has now received a 5

Tata Invests In Jaguar Land Rover

Research & Development (R & D) is an expensive part of car making today. Technologies are moving at a pace, safety now needs to be nanny like, emissions and fuel efficiencies are paramount, not to mention new market segments that you need to be in or miss out on growth. When Ford sold Jaguar/Land Rover, R & D was about £400 million, this year (2011) under Tata it will be c. £1 billion. That is

Renault Worldwide Car Sales By Model: 2010

I'm not a follower of Renault in particular, but I am impressed by the openness of the company. The figures below are from Renault itself, which I find refreshing. Many car companies guard their sales achievements jealously, as if the opposition will find something out to their harm. Of course they know that if the competition is doing its job, it knows all this already. So why be so secretive?

Renault Worldwide Car/LCV Registrations: 2010

The Renault Group of Renault, Dacia and Samsung has an unusual mix of registrations around the world. It relies heavily on France and Europe, is strong in North Africa and Iran, as well as Latin America. On the other hand, it is all but non-existent in the increasingly important Asia/Pacific region and does not contest the North American market at all. The Samsung brand sells well in Korea, but

Jaguar XF/XK Sales By Country: 2009

The Jaguar XF has been a success story for the marque since it replaced the lovely but aging S-Type at the end of 2007. 2009 was a tough year but the XF did very well considering the downturn. Below is a sampling of sales by country from around the world.

1 UK 10,108
2 USA 8,487
3 China 1484
4 Germany 1,398
5 Italy 1,213
6 Spain 761
7 France 709
8 Belgium 604
8 Canada 604
10 Russia 578
11

Vehicle Sales Paraguay: 2010

While only 20,200 cars were sold in Paraguay in 2010, less than 3,000 were in 2002, so this is a small car market. Data is hard to obtain for this land locked South American land, but here it is.

Kia was top in 2009, but had to yield to Chevrolet in ’10. In fact Chevy moved up four places to achieve top spot. Unfortunately a year to forget for Nissan though, actually managing a decrease.

In

Vehicle Sales Peru: 2010

It’s hard to believe that only 12,500 vehicles were sold in Peru in 2003, yet by 2010 120,800 were. Obviously this is a fast growing economy. I believe that in times past, many used cars were imported which may have kept the 2002 figure so low.

Toyota has been numero uno for many years, although current market share is down on earlier this decade. The two Korean brands have improved to be well

L R Freelander Sales By Country: 2009

When first released, the Freelander (LR2 in some markets) was a runaway success. Many more brands have joined the segment since, so the Freelander has had to fight for it's fair share of sales. A fine vehicle indeed, if somewhat understated.
While not covering all countries, sales listed below do cover many markets of where the Freelander is sold. It's still a hot model in the UK and Italy,

L R Discovery Sales By Country: 2009

The Discovery (LR4 in some markets) is a fine looking vehicle. It's definitely masculine, but with class to please the feminine gender. On the sales front, it hasn't done as well as it's class deserves and I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it is just too practical for some.
The sales as listed below are not comprehensive, but doe covers many markets of where the Discovery is sold. You can see it

R Rover / Sport Sales By Country: 2009

The Range Rover can only have so much appeal, due to it's size and cost. The RR Sport on the other hand adds has a broader appeal and is a hot seller. Both the models are so very popular in the US, where larger vehicles are common. In some markets such vehicles are less practical, their size counts against them.
This isn't a comprehensive list, but covers many markets of where the Range Rover

L R Defender Sales By Country: 2009

The Land Rover Defender is an icon. It's impossible not to love this vehicle, don't you think? It doesn't sell in very large numbers, but keeps on selling at a very consistent rate. It cannot be sold in North America due to legislation. Sales by country appears below. This isn't a comprehensive list, but covers many markets nevertheless. It is popular in Italy and in Pakistan, the latter where

E-Type Jaguar 50 Years Young

The Jaguar E-Type is 50 years old this year. It was my favourite car when I was a lad. The style was amazing back then, and it still looks good today. Class is like that, it has style that doesn't date. The E-Type is a permanent exhibit in New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Enzo Ferrari stated it was “the most beautiful car in the world.” Says it all really.


Production figures I have found at

Top Brands In Europe By Country: 2010

These are the European markets that various brands are top in. A number in brackets after the country indicates the position in 2009. No number means no change.

VW - 7:
Austria
Germany
Litchtenstein
Lithuania (3)
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway (2)
Switzeraland



Toyota - 5:
Bulgaria
Estonia
Finland
Greece
Iceland
Latvia





Renault - 5:
Belgium
France
Portugal
Slovenia
Turkey



Ford - 4:

Car Production Japan: 2010

Generally Japanese car making is stable and therefore predictable. Of course, the economic downturn upset the apple cart in Japan as elsewhere. To show this point, Japanese car production peaked in 2006, when 9,750,000 cars were made. It hit a very low point in 2009, when it fell to 6,850,000. Things improved in 2010 as production rebounded to 8,300,000.

The problem Japanese car brands have is

Honda Retreats On The Sales Front

Honda was the fifth largest car maker in the world in 2009. However, the company is clearly moving away from volume. Honda made 3.9 million cars in 2008, and 3.0 million in 2010, by my reckoning, a drop from 5.9 to 4.5% world share. I haven't got 2010 figures yet, but 2011 may see a big slide.
In Korea, Honda was the leading import brand for 2008, in January '11 it was 7th! A sampling of

Jaguar's Future: 2013 Forward

I wanted to write about Jaguar's future plans. I don't know how sure Jaguar themselves are on some details, but the media contradict each other on this subject. If Jaguar want confusion about its future model lineup and timing of new model releases, it is a case of job well done.

So what is planned? In 2012 the XF will have an update of with new front end treatment updated rear, with some

Car Sales Bentley: 2010

Bentley car production meandered along until 2004, when the Continental GT was released. 6,900 GTs were made in that year. When the Flying Spur was added in 2005, a total of 9,000 FS and GTs were made. Heady numbers indeed for such an exclusive brand. The economic meltdown cooled things off somewhat, but they still prove to be a popular choice amongst the well heeled.

Below are sales for

Car Sales Aston Martin By Country : 2010

Getting Aston Martin sales is not easy, and the company even declines to give worldwide sales figures. So what I have gleaned, I will share and I'm sure deep down CEO Dr Bez will smile with approval.
Aston Martin were selling 600-700 vehicles in the 1990's, then moved over the 1,000 mark as the new century commenced. Sales increased quickly after 2003, until a peak of 7,000 in 2007. The

UK's Net Car Production: 2010

Many nations do not make cars, but simply import them. That makes them a 100% net importer. Of the car making nations, they vary as to whether they are a net importer or exporter of cars.

Taking the UK as an example, it imports more cars than it makes, thereby becoming a net importer. On average for the last ten years, the UK has imported about 35% more than what it has exported. It could have

Car Sales Korea: 2010

Local brand Korean sales are not that easy to get, and can have some variance as to how they are read. Statistics I have managed to put together, for the Korean market in total, indicate a modest 5.9% increase in 2010. Hyundai took a bad hit, with many models such as the Santa Fe, Genesis and Grandeur well down. Kia had a good year with the new K5, K7 and Sportage all hot. I’ve put together a

Car Sales Uruguay: 2010

In 2003, just over 4,000 cars were sold in Uruguay, in 2010 nearly 43,000! This is by far the best sales figure for the last decade I have records of.

Chevrolet is easily the top brand here, with a 92% increase…until you notice China’s Chery brand going from 13th to 5th with a 340% increase. Chinese brands are really making a mark here. Are the Uruguayans unaware how bad Chinese brand cars are

Vehicle Sales Colombia: 2010

Colombia had strong vehicle sales for 2010. Several years ago, sales were under the 100,000 mark, but now they are over 250,000, with a 42.8% increase on the preceding year. The top three have been so for many years now, with almost 60% of the market between them. This despite the fact they all lost market share during the year. Chrysler and Ssangyong both climbed five places in the rankings,

Car Sales Romania: 2010

Car sales in Romania were 315,000 in 2007, but in 2010 were a comparatively miserable 106,000. Local brand Dacia dominates but European brands are strong also. Neither Japanese nor premium brands are in the top ten, although BMW had a strong year. Hyundai managed a -59% and Kia -89% for an annus horribilis for the Korean duo. Many small brands are not included in the sales total it seems, not

Car Sales Thailand: 2010

The figures below are for cars only, not even SUVs. Including commercial vehicles and SUVs bring total sales to 800,000. Either way, what they show is the domination of Japanese, especially Toyota and Honda with over 70% market share between them. Nissan and Mazda bring the top four share to nearly 90%, the rest feeding on crumbs.

As for the car market as a whole, it has grown very fast. Only

Car Sales India: 2010

One brand that has stood out in the Indian market for so long is Suzuki (Maruti). Hyundai and Tata have been following in 2nd and 3rd for about as long. Those three marques have 80% of the total sales. Below that it is quite volatile, as new makes enter the market and jostle for position. This country has huge potential and is growing quickly. Suzuki got in early and has a massive advantage and

Vehicle Sales Venezuela: 2010

In 2007, nearly half a million cars were sold in Venezuela, in 2010 only 125,000. The reasons are debatable but the fact is the market there has fallen greatly in the last few years. Some brands have gone altogether off the sales chart since the sales fall, others might as well have.

GM has done really well in its overall share of the market. The top four brands have over 80% of the market,

Car/Light Truck Sales USA By Nameplate: 2010

I earlier published sales by company for the US, but this is by the nameplate, or the brand they sell as. This way we see that Ford is the best selling brand in America and that the Toyota nameplate dropped two places in 2010. The two Korean brands continued their rise while GM’s Buick and Cadillac both did very well too. It's nice to see Land Rover doing well Stateside.

This year also saw the

Car Sales Land Rover: 2010

Land Rover doesn’t give out this sort of data so this list is not representative of everyone of the top 30, but rather of the ones I could obtain. Most are here though, the most notable absentee is the UAE. Total sales are well up and with the new Evoque coming this year, 2011 should see another good sales total posted. UK share of LR was its best since 2006 but well down on 2004's 29%. China was

Car Sales Bulgaria: 2010

In the last two years, sales have dropped from 55,000 to less than 19,000 in Bulgaria. No brand really dominates, although Toyota was the favourite for 2010. Ford and Skoda both lifted three places whilst Opel dropped four. The figures below do not quite represent all brands sold in Bulgaria, such as Hyundai.

In the chart, italicised figures at the end of each line indicates a drop in market

Car Sales Latvia: 2010

The 21st century saw massive growth in car sales in Latvia, which exceeded 32,000 in 2007. Then the economic downturn set in and they then plunged to just 3,700 by 2009. However, 2010 showed a glimmer of hope with a 32.9% increase.
Toyota achieved a 17% share of the market in ’10, a record I think. VW lost the number one rank in ’01 and cannot seem to regain it. Some of the other brands have

Car Sales Serbia: 2010

Serbia had its own car called the Zastava, which has now morphed into a company called FAS, which makes Fiat cars - FAS stands for Fiat Automobile Serbia (picture above shows the factory). It is the dominant presence in the car market and after that comes a Central European duo. Neither Japanese nor premium brands are strong in this Balkan state. Both Korean brands had good gains though.

In

Car Sales Slovenia: 2010

The Slovenian market was quite strong for 2010, in fact sales each year are surprisingly stable. Even individual brands don’t move around too much either.
Renault is top but its dominance earlier in the decade has slowly diminished. Skoda moved up three places to enter the top 10 for the first time this decade at least, if not ever. Both Fiat and Mazda dropped four places. The top Japanese

Car Sales RSA: 2010

The RSA (South Africa) has Naamsa that reports car sales by its members and AMH (Associated Motor Holdings) that doesn’t bother. Thankfully most brands are under Naamsa and I must say they are a fine organisation to deal with. AMH in contrast are secretive and not very communicative either. Of the 360,150 passenger cars registered in the RSA in 2010, 279,250 odd were by Naamsa. So the sales by

Car Sales Ukraine: 2010

The Ukrainian car market exploded over the decade just past. In 2001, 70,000 units were sold but by 2008, that figure had reached over 620,000! Unfortunately bubbles tend to burst and so did this one, with a –74% decrease in 2009. 2010 recovered a measly 4.5% of that but at least a move in the right direction.

Lada is the best seller here but fell to possibly its lowest ever market share of

Car Sales Mexico: 2010

Total car sales may have been up 8.7% in 2010, but that only made it the second worst year of the century. In other words, the market is still quite depressed. An unusual feature of Mexico is that there are not many brands and many of the makes listed only came on board over the last decade.

In 2009, Nissan took the lead from long time leader GM, and not only held it for 2010, but increased the

Car Sales Switzerland: 2010

The total sales in Switzerland for cars were the best since 2002 and perennial leader VW achieved its best market share since ’01. The Swiss prefer to buy European cars, the one exception was Toyota. However, that brand has fallen from 3rd in 2007 to its current 9th.
Mercedes fell out of the top 10 for the first time this century, Nissan moved up five places in the past year and Dacia improved

Car Sales Chile: 2010

Car sales in Chile were very good for '10, up a whopping 63% on last year and easily the best year of the preceding decade. GM is always top and increased it's share for the year just passed. (Pictured above are Chinese made Chevy's heading to Chile). Renault's Korean brand Samsumg has moved up from 18th to 8th since 2008, which surprises. Chinese brands are making good progress too. On the

Car Sales Austria: 2010

VW had nearly 20% of the Austrian car market in 2001, now fewer than 17%, but it still is easily the most popular brand. GM’s Opel, always the bridesmaid at #2, can’t get near it. Hyundai moved up the rankings four places, while Toyota’s slide continued. It has fallen from 7th to 16th in three years. With no Japanese makes in the top thirteen places, it’s a market for European brands.
In the

Car Sales Slovakia: 2010

The Slovakian car market held up pretty well over the economic downturn, however, it may have caught up with the country in 2010 as sales fell 21.5%. Leading brand Skoda only fell 10%, so increased market share from 16.7% to 19.2%. Second place Renault had a year to forget, while VW jumped three places to third. Inexpensive makes Chevrolet and Dacia both dropped substantially but it was a good

Car Sales Japan: 2010

Car sales were quite good in the land of the rising sun. Toyota’s sales increased at twice the market rate, helped in part by government initiatives. Lexus did well too, and is now the best selling premium brand in Japan. Mazda and Mitsubishi had quite a good year too but as minnow brands, they hardly created a splash. Likewise, overseas brands have a very small share of the market, and

Car Sales Turkey: 2010

The Turkish market had its best year all decade for car sales, so things are buoyant economically there. Renault took back its top spot from Hyundai, which fell to third behind Ford. Dacia climbed five places, while Mazda dropped four. Chinese brands are settling in, but Chery's sales drop in a strong market shows making progress into the top tier will take time.

In the chart below, italicised

Car Sales Europe: 2010

Sales for Europe (minus Russia) were the lowest level all decade. With the largest market - Germany - down nearly a quarter you could expect a poor year. VW who enjoyed its 6th consecutive year top, did well to take a small market share fall with the low sales in its home market. BMW moved up two places, Dacia and Volvo three, while Toyota fell three and out of the top ten for the first time in

Car Sales Ireland: 2010

In Eire 2010 may have been up a massive 53.8%, but it was still an eye watering 100,000 sales below 2007. Nearly 2% of all sales are private imports, I presume from the UK. Ford and Toyota have had a dogfight over top spot all decade and for the last two years Ford has come out on top. Both lost share for the year while VW closed in so 2011 could be interesting. Renault had a monstrous increase

Car Sales Brazil: 2010

Recession? What recession? Sales are booming in Brazil, with double-digit increases year after year. Getting sales figures by brand for Brazil is difficult, because there is no one body that collates the sales data. An organisation will do some brands and not others. When there is overlap, the sales don't usually quite tally, which makes it frustrating.

From what I have been able to glean,

Car Sales MINI: 2010

When BMW launched a pricey and rather large MINi on the world in 2001, their target of 100,000 sales looked optimistic. 2010 witnessed 234,175 MINIs find new homes around the world, the highest yet and just eclipsing the 2008 record by about 2,000 units. Of course, without the new countryman coming on stream in late 2010, the new sales record would not have been set, but a meritorious result

Car/LCV Sales Australia: 2010

Vehicle sales in Australia were strong for 2010 in the 'Land Down Under'. The economic woes of other nations passed largely unnoticed. Toyota took the lead in 2003 and now has a very large buffer back to GM's Holden brand. Third placed Ford is at its lowest point since before my time. The Falcon model isn't doing it anymore for the blue oval brand as big car sales are hurting. European marques

Car Sales New Zealand: 2010

Toyota has been the top selling passenger car brand in NZ since 2002. The marque improved its share for 2010 and the distance with second placed Ford. As for Ford, it is at its lowest market share for a long time. Mitsubishi gained three places, Land Rover climbed five, while Honda continued its slide by dropping another two places.

In the chart below, italicised figures at the end of each line

Car Sales Nissan Europe: 2010

Nissan Europe is having a good time of it. Sales for the region were 555,000, a 13% increase in a market that was sightly down (-0,5%). Therefore, market share was up .3% to 3.1% as compared with 2009.

Markets:

1 UK 96,419 14%
2 Russia 84,288 22%
3 Germany 61,250 -4%
4 Italy 60,820 2%
5 France 59,850 24%
6 Spain 48,535 20%
7 Belgium/Lux 19,246 23%
8 Poland 13,507 10%
9 Holland 13,252 27%
10

Car Sales Jaguar: 2010

Jaguar people are modest when it comes to crowing about their success. They are doing well but it isn't that easy to find out about it. I have only just found out the figure for China (26.01.11). How many Jaguars were sold in India for 2010? Who knows but it wouldn't be big as the brand is only being established there, but probably good enough to publicise. Anyway, sales were up by my reckoning

Car Sales Israel: 2010

Mazda entered the Israeli market in 1992 and by 1996 was the largest selling brand. It has remained there ever since. Now I have owned Mazdas and they are reasonably good cars, but their success there is amazing. I've heard it said they dominate the leasing market in Israel. Whatever the reason, it's the only market that I know where the make is top. The downside for Mazda is that it only grew 1%

Car/LCV Sales Czech Rep: 2010

Sales for 2010 were the same as last year, and up on average sales for the decade, so the economy in the Republic must be quite good. The big brand is always Skoda and the marque even increased market share for the year, now nearly 30%. Not many markets have such dominance from one make but obviously the Czechs like to support their car maker. Conversely, Japanese brands are not popular here.
In

Car Sales Greece: 2010

To say that Greece is in big economic trouble is like saying the pope is a Catholic. Car sales in 2010 were about half of what they have been through most of the previous decade. There is no improvement in sight either.

Toyota retained its top spot without bother from VW. Citroen, Renault and Chevrolet all moved up the rankings with haste, while German premium marque's sales fell

Car/LCV Sales Russia: 2010

Some details of the Russian car market: Lada had 76% of the Russian market in 2001. That slid to 21.5% in 2008, but has now come back to 27%. It is still the dominant brand in the country however, just not as much so. Kia has climbed ten places in rank in the last two years to 3rd, while Mitsubishi has fallen six to 14th in the same period. As for Honda, well they have slumped from 12th to 23rd

Car Sales Luxembourg: 2010

Car sales in the Grand-Duché de Luxembourg were about average compared to the last decade. Renault used to be top dog but of late, that has been the preserve of VW. Premium brands do well here so I assume the inhabitants are quite well heeled. Generally nothing too dramatic occurs here on the sales chart, although Dacia did move up four places and Ford dropped a couple. The top Japanese brand

Car Sales Croatia: 2010

Opel is top dog here and it was so again in 2010, even increasing the lead slightly in the course of the year. Chevrolet jumped from 8th to 4th, and Dacia from 19th to 14th. Negatively, Fiat fell from 14th to 20th and Honda from 16th to 21st. As for total sales, they were about half the decade average. In other words, the economy looks in poor shape. Premium brands do not sell that strongly.

Car Sales Norway: 2010

The Norwegian car market has been dominated by Toyota for so long. Not anymore. VW has now well and truly established itself on top of the pile in the land of the midnight sun. Skoda has been steadily improving over the years while GM Opel has been steadily doing quite the opposite. Renault no longer even makes the top 20! The overall sales were the second best of the decade, so quite strong.

Car Sales Estonia: 2010

Total sales in this Baltic state were up on 2009, but well down on the years earlier in the decade. Toyota remained in top spot, as it has for several years now. Otherwise, there was quite some movement in rankings, as you would expect with a small market. Dacia jumped thirteen places while VW dropped from 3rd to 7th. Mazda was a strong marque here but has fallen away of late, dropping five

Car/LCV Sales Poland: 2010

Poland sales were good for 2010 and about average for the previous decade, so the market is quite strong. This is something many European markets would love to emulate. Skoda dethroned Fiat from its long time top spot, although that was achieved by Fiat's poor sales. Dacia improved five places and Seat lost four. These were momentous moves as on the whole Poland isn't a market for change in rank

Car Sales Germany: 2010

For 2010, the German car sales were a good third of a million down on recent figures, so this was another poor year at the dealer's forecourt. Perennial number one VW's sales were down nearly 200,000 on last year but about the same as years before that. The reason is that VW market share is usually in the high teens but the last two years over 20%. Mercedes and BMW took back 2nd and 3rd

Car/LCV Sales Argentina: 2010

The market in Argentina doesn't change much when it comes to sales. Renault, who are now benefiting greatly by selling Dacias under it's marque, passed Ford to take 3rd. Nissan jumped two places but not much else to note. What is impressive is the total sales. In 2002, sales were under 100,000 units but now well over 600,000. Boom and bust scenarios are common in Latin America.

In the chart

Car/LCV Sales France: 2010

The fact that the French are Francophiles becomes clearly evident when you look at car sales within the country. The figures below show French Renault and PSA (Peugeot & Citroen) having 56.3% of the market. If you add the Renault owned Romanian Dacia, it passes 60%! I respect their loyalty but I think it goes a bit too far. The Dacia brand has only been in France since 2005 and is already the

The Triumph Car Company

A car company I really liked was Triumph. It started life in the 1920s as an offshoot of the motorbike firm of the same name. It went into receivership and was bought by Standard Motor Company in 1944. From 1953, Triumph made some great sports cars. And in 1959, the Triumph Herald car came out. It was a lightweight car with independent suspension, good for going over speed bumps I recall. Leyland

Car Sales UK: 2010

Things are moving in the UK. Ford retained #1 position, but is looking increasingly precarious. It's market share is the lowest for several decades, while both Vauxhall and VW consolidate their places on 2nd and 3rd. BMW jumped two places to 4th and Renault was up 5 to 7th. Mind you Renault's upward move benefited by a shocker in 2009. Toyota slumped from 4th to 9th and Honda dropped three rungs

Car Sales Finland: 2010

It looked for all money that VW was going to take top spot off Toyota, as it has dome in other Euro nations. However, a late rally by the Japanese giant saved the day, notably the Auris model. I assume the hybrid version in particular was very popular as such cars are in Scandinavia. Nissan, Opel and Kia all had a good year in the land of a thousand lakes. Honda had a shocker as it has been in

Car/Light Truck Sales USA: 2010

GM in the US has been top for many decades and stayed so even up to 2010, despite its market share being down to 19%. Ford/Linc/Mer got past Toyota/Lex into second spot, Mercedes passed BMW, Mitsubishi ditto over Volvo, Land Rover and Porsche got ahead of Suzuki and Jaguar surged past a imploding smart. Surely smart's days in the land of the free are numbered. Overall, the US market was up 11%

Car Sales Spain: 2010

Spain had a very poor year in 2009 for car sales and 2010 was not good either. Both years are well down on usual and 2011 will be another bad one. Sorry for the gloomy report.

On the positive side, Seat became the number one brand, something it hasn't achieved for this century at least. VW leaped four places to second, while Renault fell from 1st to 4th, Citroen 2nd to 5th and Ford 3rd to 6th.

Car Sales Canada: 2010

The Canadian market to me has always been boring. Nothing much happens. Well things did happen in 2010. GM has been top for so long, but Ford is now top! Chrysler bumped Toyota out of third too. In fact Toyota went from 13% share to 10% in one year. BMW dropped two places and the smart car has lost its novelty too, it seems.

In the chart below, italicised figures at the end of each line

Car Sales Belgium: 2010

The Belgians certainly like cars as they buy them in great quantities. The market itself was the best of the decade which proves my point. Not only that, but even exotic marques are well supported. For example 106 Aston Martins, 99 Ferrari, 68 Lotus and 29 Morgans. All this in a tiny country.
For the bigger players, Renault not only held on to top spot, but also improved its share. VW could

Car Sales Italy: 2010

The Italian car market can be quite volatile with sudden and rapid changes. Renault climbed four places but unusually not much change. The 9.2% drop in sales overall made this the lowest sales year for the whole decade. It was also Fiat's lowest sales for that time too, although not its lowest market share. Apparently Fiat doesn't make money out of making cars in Italy, it's the overseas plants

Car Sales The Netherlands: 2010

For decades, GM's Opel was a sales leader in the low country, but is now back on 5th. VW is currently ensconced on top spot, with Toyota in attendance in second position. Both Hyundai and Kia were strong movers for the year, as was Skoda. Sales rebounded from last year but are still rather ordinary.
In the chart below, italicised figures at the end of each line indicates a drop in market share.

Car & LCV Sales Portugal: 2010

Renault has been easily number one in Portugal for some time now and it continued for 2010. Ford fell four places to 6th but overall it is not a market for sudden changes. French marques do well here, but not so much Japanese ones. Premium brands tended to lose market share but with sales on the up, it was hard not to increase.

In the chart below, italicised figures at the end of each line

Car Sales Sweden: 2010

According to BIL Sweden, sales of cars increased 35.7% in 2010 which was the best year for total sales since 2007. Noticeable was top marque Volvo having its worst year of the decade for market penetration, whereas second placed VW had its best. Will VW take top spot in a few years to come?

Another feature was the improvement of Saab sales toward the end of the year. Traditionally always in

BMW 535d M-Sport vs Jaguar XF 3-litre Diesel S

When journalists put cars head to head in a test, it goes without saying that personal opinion can sway the decision. The best way to find out is do a test yourself. However, we often enjoy the comparison, even if we are not ever going to buy either vehicle. So what of the BMW 535d M-Sport vs. Jaguar XF 3.0-litre Diesel S comparison in Auto Express (UK) in December 2010?

The BMW:Winning points