Sales of new cars decreased by 209 thousand in April compared to last year
In the first four months of the year, the decline reached 13% yoy
Iceland performed relatively the best (up 79.6% yoy) while sales in Lithuania showed the weakest change compared to the last year (down 35.0% yoy)
Sales of new passenger cars reached 830 thousand in April 2022 in the enlarged Europe (EU plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland), according to ACEA. This is 20.1%, or 209 thousand less than in the previous year. In the first four months of 2022, some 3,584 thousand cars were sold in Europe, down 13.0% yoy.
In April, new passenger car registrations in the EU saw a significant drop (-21%), as supply chain issues continued to weigh heavily on car production. With the exception of the pandemic year in 2020, this was the weakest April result in terms of volumes sold since records began.
Historically, between 1990 and 2022, sales of passenger cars in Europe reached a high of 1,937 thousand in March 2017 and a low of 292 thousand in April 2020.
In April, most vehicles (180 thousand) were sold in Germany (down 21.5% yoy), followed by the United Kingdom (119 thousand, down 15.8%), France with 109 thousand cars (down 22.6%), 97.3 thousand new vehicles were registered in Italy (down 32.9%) and 69.1 thousand in Spain (down 12.1%). The five largest countries accounted for 60.9% of total new vehicles registered in April 2022.
In absolute terms, the best performance in sales of new cars has been seen in Romania (up 1.61 thousand cars) and Ireland (up 0.699 thousand cars). At the other end of the scale, Germany and Italy showed the weakest change in registration of new cars in April when compared to last year (down 49.4 thousand and down 47.7 thousand cars, respectively).
In relative terms, sales in Iceland (+79.6%) and Romania (+23.4%) performed the best compared to a year ago, whereas registration in Lithuania and Italy the worst (-35.0% and -32.9% yoy), in April 2022, according to ACEA:
In the first four months of the year, some 3,584 thousand cars were sold in Europe, down 13.0% yoy. The table below shows details of the sales for each of the European country:
| Country | April 2022 | April 2021 | YOY Change % | 1-4/2022 | 1-4/2021 | YOY Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 16.4 | 22.3 | -26.6 | 68.7 | 85.8 | -19.9 |
| Belgium | 28.4 | 37.2 | -23.6 | 132 | 156 | -15.9 |
| Bulgaria | 2.36 | 2.40 | -1.79 | 9.03 | 7.98 | 13.1 |
| Croatia | 4.26 | 4.15 | 2.68 | 13.9 | 14.6 | -4.95 |
| Cyprus | 0.747 | 0.925 | -19.2 | 3.81 | 3.62 | 5.02 |
| Czechia | 14.7 | 19.0 | -22.5 | 62.1 | 68.5 | -9.35 |
| Denmark | 11.0 | 15.5 | -29.0 | 45.2 | 59.4 | -23.9 |
| Estonia | 1.78 | 2.40 | -25.8 | 6.97 | 8.12 | -14.2 |
| Finland | 6.43 | 8.84 | -27.3 | 28.2 | 36.8 | -23.5 |
| France | 109 | 140 | -22.6 | 474 | 582 | -18.6 |
| Germany | 180 | 230 | -21.5 | 806 | 886 | -9.02 |
| Greece | 9.29 | 10.2 | -8.91 | 31.8 | 33.6 | -5.55 |
| Hungary | 9.09 | 10.5 | -13.6 | 37.8 | 42.7 | -11.6 |
| Iceland | 1.40 | 0.781 | 79.6 | 4.55 | 2.96 | 54.1 |
| Ireland | 7.86 | 7.16 | 9.76 | 57.8 | 55.3 | 4.45 |
| Italy | 97.3 | 145 | -32.9 | 436 | 592 | -26.4 |
| Latvia | 1.29 | 1.40 | -7.31 | 4.97 | 4.84 | 2.81 |
| Lithuania | 2.35 | 3.61 | -35.0 | 8.85 | 11.2 | -21.2 |
| Luxembourg | 3.34 | 4.33 | -22.8 | 14.7 | 16.8 | -12.5 |
| Netherlands | 22.1 | 23.8 | -7.38 | 101 | 105 | -3.99 |
| Norway | 9.73 | 13.2 | -26.1 | 42.1 | 49.5 | -15.0 |
| Poland | 34.9 | 40.1 | -13.1 | 137 | 158 | -13.3 |
| Portugal | 12.4 | 14.8 | -16.1 | 47.2 | 45.8 | 2.93 |
| Romania | 8.47 | 6.86 | 23.4 | 37.4 | 27.6 | 35.6 |
| Slovakia | 6.06 | 6.79 | -10.7 | 25.3 | 22.2 | 13.9 |
| Slovenia | 3.92 | 4.28 | -8.48 | 16.7 | 20.6 | -19.0 |
| Spain | 69.1 | 78.6 | -12.1 | 234 | 265 | -11.8 |
| Sweden | 21.9 | 21.9 | 0.315 | 91.7 | 113 | -18.7 |
| Switzerland | 15.6 | 22.1 | -29.1 | 69.9 | 78.6 | -11.0 |
| United Kingdom | 119 | 142 | -15.8 | 537 | 567 | -5.36 |
| EU + EFTA | 830 | 1,040 | -20.1 | 3,584 | 4,121 | -13.0 |
Volkswagen Group sold the most cars in April 2022 in Europe, some 200 thousand vehicles representing 24.1% of the European market. Sales of PSA Group amounted to 110 thousand vehicles (or 13.3% of the market) while Hyundai Group and Renault Group held 10.7% and 8.50% of the European market in April. Overall, the five largest manufacturers sold 64.2% of all new cars in April:
When compared to last year, Hyundai Motor Company has gained the most in terms of market share rising its market position by 2.71 bp, followed by Toyota Motor Corporation (up 0.949 bp) and Honda Motor Company (up 0.246 bp). PSA Peugeot Citroen were on the other end of the market spectrum dropping 1.94 bp on the market alongside with Volkswagen Group (down 1.72 bp) and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (-0.823 bp):
In terms of particular brands, Volkswagen stands out as the most favorite brand accounting for 349 thousand sold vehicles, or 9.74% of all new passenger cars sold on the European market in April 2022.
In terms of momentum, Kia gained the most in terms of market share in the first month of the year 2022 (up 1.59 bp) followed by Hyundai and Toyota. Volkswagen and Peugeot were on the other end of the market spectrum losing -1.27 bp and -1.10 bp respectively:
Volkswagen Group sold 200 thousand new passenger cars representing a 24.1% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in April 2022. This is 28.7% fewer vehicles and a 2.88 pp decrease in market share when compared to last year. Looking back three years, VW's market share was 24.2%.
The Group sold 81.4 thousand of Volkswagen brand cars in April, followed by 47.1 thousand of Audis and 38.0 thousand of Skodas. Seat sold 27.6 thousand vehicles and Porsche some 5.43 thousand cars in April 2022:
PSA Group sold 110 thousand new passenger cars representing a 13.3% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in April 2022. This is 31.7% fewer vehicles and a 2.25 pp decrease in market share when compared to last year. By comparison, the market share three years ago stood at 16.3% and is down by 2.99 pp now.
The Group sold 45.7 thousand of Peugeots cars, followed by 30.6 thousand of Opels and 30.0 thousand of Citroens in April 2022:
BMW Group sold 63.5 thousand new passenger cars representing a 7.65% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in April 2022. This is 17.3% fewer vehicles and a 0.265 pp increase in market share when compared to last year. Compared to three years ago, BMW Group's market share is now 1.34 pp higher.
The group sold 51.9 thousand of BMW brand cars, followed by 11.5 thousand of Minis in April 2022:
Hyundai Group sold 89.0 thousand new passenger cars representing a 10.7% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in April 2022. This is 13.3% more vehicles and a 3.16 pp increase in market share when compared to last year. Compared to three years ago, Hyundai Group's market share is now 3.95 pp higher.
The group sold 47.7 thousand of Kia brand cars, followed by of s in April 2022:
Renault Group sold 70.3 thousand new passenger cars representing a 8.46% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in April 2022. This is 16.3% fewer vehicles and a 0.390 pp increase in market share when compared to last year. By comparison, three years ago, Renault Group's market share was 10.4%.
The group sold 39.1 thousand of Renault brand cars in April, followed by 30.8 thousand of Dacias and 0.063 thousand of Ladas:
FCA Group sold 45.6 thousand new passenger cars representing a 5.49% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in April 2022. This is 29.3% fewer vehicles and a 0.713 pp decrease in market share when compared to last year. By comparison, three years ago FCA Group's market share stood at 6.63%.
The group sold 32.0 thousand of Fiat brand cars in April, followed by 8.43 thousand of Jeeps and 2.06 thousand of Alfa-Romeos:
Toyota Group sold 59.6 thousand new passenger cars representing a 7.18% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in April 2022. This is 8.02% fewer vehicles and a 0.945 pp increase in market share when compared to last year. Toyota Group's market share three years ago, by comparison, stood at 4.86%.
The group sold 57.2 thousand of Toyota brand cars in April, with Lexus following at 2.47 thousand cars:
Jaguar Land Rover Group sold 13.3 thousand new passenger cars representing a 1.60% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in April 2022. This is 27.7% fewer vehicles and a 0.168 pp decrease in market share when compared to last year. Three years ago however, the market share of Jaguar Land Rover Group was 1.42%.
The group sold 10.7 thousand of Land Rovers in April, followed by 2.58 thousand of Jaguars:
Mercedes-Benz sold 50.4 thousand new passenger cars representing a 6.07% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in April 2022. This is 23.8% fewer vehicles and a 0.295 pp decrease in market share when compared to last year. By comparison, three years ago, Mercedes-Benz's market share was 6.38%.
The group sold 48.3 thousand of Mercedes in April, followed by 2.14 thousand of Smart cars:
Ford sold 40.7 thousand new passenger cars representing a 4.90% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in April 2022. This is 19.7% fewer vehicles and a 0.024 pp increase in market share when compared to last year. Compared to three years ago, Ford's market share is now 1.38 pp lower.
Volvo sold 19.0 thousand new passenger cars representing a 2.29% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in April 2022. This is 23.1% fewer vehicles and a 0.087 pp decrease in market share when compared to last year. Compared to three years ago, Volvo's market share is now 0.174 pp higher.
Nissan sold 19.1 thousand new passenger cars representing a 2.31% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in April 2022. This is 2.32% fewer vehicles and a 0.420 pp increase in market share when compared to last year. Compared to three years ago, Nissan's market share is now 0.046 pp lower.
Mazda sold 10.1 thousand new passenger cars representing a 1.21% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in April 2022. This is 27.4% fewer vehicles and a 0.121 pp decrease in market share when compared to last year. Compared to three years ago, Mazda's market share is now 0.126 pp lower.
Mitsubishi sold 5.92 thousand new passenger cars representing a 0.713% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in April 2022. This is 4.88% fewer vehicles and a 0.114 pp increase in market share when compared to last year. Compared to three years ago, Mitsubishi's market share is now 0.221 pp lower.
Honda sold 7.16 thousand new passenger cars representing a 0.863% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in April 2022. This is 29.5% more vehicles and a 0.331 pp increase in market share when compared to last year. Compared to three years ago, Honda's market share is now 0.177 pp higher.
Based on a comparison of 64 countries, China ranked the highest with 20,178 thousand passenger cars sold in 2020 followed by Japan and the USA. Total sales of passenger cars reached 53,599 thousand in 2020 in the world, according to ACEA. This is 15.9% less than in the previous year and 3.98% less than 10 years ago. Historically, total sales of passenger cars reached an all time high of 70,695 thousand in 2017 and an all time low of 11,000 thousand in 1961. The average annual growth stands at 2.39% since 1960.
The top ranked country, China, accounted for 37.6% of all passenger cars sold in the world. The top 3 countries held a 51.1% share while the ten largest countries some 75.9% in 2020.
China was the largest car producer in 2020 with 19,994 thousand followed by Japan and Germany. Total production of passenger cars reached 55,834 thousand in 2020 in the world, according to ACEA. China accounted for 35.8% of the world's production, while the top 3 countries held a 54.6% share and the ten largest countries some 79.3% in 2020:
Based on a comparison of 29 countries, Germany ranked the highest in sales of electric cars with 395 thousand followed by France and United Kingdom in 2020. When looking at the ratio of electric to total new cars sold, Norway ranked the highest with 74.8% followed by Iceland and Sweden:
By contrast, Bulgaria ranked the highest in the number of petrol-fuelled as a proportion of new cars sold with 84.7%, followed by Cyprus and Slovenia. In terms of diesel-fuelled vehicles, Ireland ranked the highest with 33.5% followed by Croatia and Luxembourg:
In 2016, Switzerland ranked the highest in 4x4 drive cars as a share of new cars sold with 42.1% followed by Norway and Sweden. Switzerland ranked the highest in the average power of new cars sold with 122 kW followed by Luxembourg and Sweden:
Based on the latest available data, Lithuania, Estonia and Romania were the countries with the oldest average age of passenger cars. The average age was an ancient 16.8 years in Lithuania, 16.7 years years for Estonia and 16.5 years years in Romania. On the other end of the scale was Austria with 8.30 years years, the United Kingdom with 8.00 years years and Luxembourg with 6.50 years years.
Based on a comparison of 27 firms among Global Car Producers, Volkswagen Group generated the highest sales in 2019 followed by Toyota Motor Corporation and Daimler Group. At the same time, Toyota Motor Corporation had the highest market value followed by Volkswagen Group and Tesla Inc.:
Volkswagen Group generated the highest earnings before interest costs, taxes and depreciation (so called EBITDA) in 2019 followed by Toyota Motor Corporation and General Motors. At the same time, Ferrari generated the highest EBITDA Margin followed by Porsche AG and BMW Group.
Ferrari produced the highest net profit per car sold in 2019 followed by Porsche AG and Toyota Motor Corporation. Ferrari made a net profit of USD 77,831 for each car sold, down 21.7% compared to the previous year.
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