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