Sales of new cars decreased by 303 thousand in July compared to last year
In the first seven months of the year, the growth reached 16.9% yoy
Ireland performed relatively the best (up 24.8% yoy) while sales in Belgium showed the weakest change compared to the last year (down 38.0% yoy)
Sales of new passenger cars reached 979 thousand in July 2021 in the enlarged Europe (EU plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland), according to ACEA. This is 23.6%, or 303 thousand less than in the previous year. In the first seven months of 2021, some 7,466 thousand cars were sold in Europe, up 16.9% yoy.
In July 2021, the European passenger car market suffered a significant setback after four months of accelerated growth, with new registrations down 23.2% to 823,949 units. The four major markets showed similar trends, all posting strong losses.
Historically, between 1990 and 2021, 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 July, most vehicles (236 thousand) were sold in Germany (down 24.9% yoy), followed by the United Kingdom (123 thousand, down 29.5%), France with 116 thousand cars (down 35.3%), 110 thousand new vehicles were registered in Italy (down 19.2%) and 83.9 thousand in Spain (down 28.9%). The five largest countries accounted for 59.8% of total new vehicles registered in July 2021.
In absolute terms, the best performance in sales of new cars has been seen in Ireland (up 5.25 thousand cars) and Romania (up 2.54 thousand cars). At the other end of the scale, Germany and France showed the weakest change in registration of new cars in July when compared to last year (down 78.5 thousand and down 63.3 thousand cars, respectively).
In relative terms, sales in Ireland (+24.8%) and Romania (+19.6%) performed the best compared to a year ago, whereas registration in Belgium and France the worst (-38.0% and -35.3% yoy), in July 2021, according to ACEA:
In the first seven months of the year, some 7,466 thousand cars were sold in Europe, up 16.9% yoy. The table below shows details of the sales for each of the European country:
| Country | July 2021 | July 2020 | YOY Change % | 1-7/2021 | 1-7/2020 | YOY Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 19.9 | 24.8 | -19.7 | 154 | 138 | 12.2 |
| Belgium | 27.6 | 44.5 | -38.0 | 260 | 261 | -0.440 |
| Bulgaria | 2.76 | 3.13 | -11.6 | 15.7 | 13.3 | 17.9 |
| Croatia | 5.60 | 5.13 | 9.21 | 31.6 | 22.6 | 40.0 |
| Cyprus | 1.19 | 1.06 | 12.6 | 6.94 | 5.97 | 16.2 |
| Czech Republic | 18.4 | 19.8 | -6.90 | 131 | 115 | 14.3 |
| Denmark | 13.4 | 19.0 | -29.3 | 110 | 107 | 2.37 |
| Estonia | 2.31 | 2.01 | 15.0 | 15.3 | 11.1 | 36.9 |
| Finland | 7.49 | 9.10 | -17.8 | 64.2 | 56.5 | 13.7 |
| France | 116 | 179 | -35.3 | 1,038 | 895 | 16.1 |
| Germany | 236 | 315 | -24.9 | 1,627 | 1,526 | 6.67 |
| Greece | 10.6 | 9.52 | 11.2 | 68.9 | 46.1 | 49.6 |
| Hungary | 10.6 | 12.0 | -12.3 | 75.3 | 67.7 | 11.3 |
| Iceland | 1.74 | 1.48 | 17.8 | 7.87 | 5.67 | 38.8 |
| Ireland | 26.4 | 21.2 | 24.8 | 90.5 | 75.5 | 19.8 |
| Italy | 110 | 137 | -19.2 | 994 | 720 | 38.2 |
| Latvia | 1.56 | 1.50 | 4.07 | 9.24 | 8.07 | 14.6 |
| Lithuania | 3.25 | 3.36 | -3.21 | 21.9 | 20.2 | 8.52 |
| Luxembourg | 3.98 | 5.51 | -27.7 | 29.3 | 26.3 | 11.3 |
| Netherlands | 26.9 | 34.9 | -22.9 | 191 | 194 | -1.49 |
| Norway | 10.5 | 9.77 | 7.52 | 94.4 | 69.0 | 36.9 |
| Poland | 38.8 | 42.4 | -8.43 | 282 | 222 | 26.9 |
| Portugal | 12.3 | 15.2 | -19.0 | 93.8 | 80.1 | 17.1 |
| Romania | 15.5 | 13.0 | 19.6 | 63.2 | 62.6 | 0.999 |
| Slovakia | 7.70 | 8.26 | -6.86 | 46.1 | 42.3 | 9.15 |
| Slovenia | 4.43 | 6.43 | -31.2 | 35.4 | 34.2 | 3.48 |
| Spain | 83.9 | 118 | -28.9 | 541 | 458 | 18.1 |
| Sweden | 16.8 | 22.7 | -26.1 | 190 | 148 | 28.0 |
| Switzerland | 19.4 | 22.6 | -14.2 | 144 | 126 | 14.4 |
| United Kingdom | 123 | 175 | -29.5 | 1,033 | 828 | 24.7 |
| EU + EFTA | 979 | 1,282 | -23.6 | 7,466 | 6,385 | 16.9 |
Volkswagen Group sold the most cars in July 2021 in Europe, some 270 thousand vehicles representing 27.6% of the European market. Sales of PSA Group amounted to 129 thousand vehicles (or 13.1% of the market) while Hyundai Group and Renault Group held 9.80% and 8.30% of the European market in July. Overall, the five largest manufacturers sold 66.1% of all new cars in July:
Volkswagen Group sold 270 thousand new passenger cars representing a 27.6% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in July 2021. This is 20.2% fewer vehicles and a 1.19 pp increase in market share when compared to last year. Looking back three years, VW's market share was 26.8%.
The Group sold 120 thousand of Volkswagen brand cars in July, followed by 54.0 thousand of Audis and 53.0 thousand of Skodas. Seat sold 36.3 thousand vehicles and Porsche some 6.34 thousand cars in July 2021:
PSA Group sold 129 thousand new passenger cars representing a 13.1% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in July 2021. This is 27.8% fewer vehicles and a 0.756 pp decrease in market share when compared to last year. By comparison, the market share three years ago stood at 15.2% and is down by 2.06 pp now.
The Group sold 53.8 thousand of Peugeots cars, followed by 39.1 thousand of Opels and 32.3 thousand of Citroens in July 2021:
BMW Group sold 71.1 thousand new passenger cars representing a 7.26% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in July 2021. This is 22.7% fewer vehicles and a 0.090 pp increase in market share when compared to last year. Compared to three years ago, BMW Group's market share is now 1.95 pp higher.
The group sold 56.5 thousand of BMW brand cars, followed by 14.6 thousand of Minis in July 2021:
Hyundai Group sold 95.6 thousand new passenger cars representing a 9.76% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in July 2021. This is 3.14% more vehicles and a 2.53 pp increase in market share when compared to last year. Compared to three years ago, Hyundai Group's market share is now 2.87 pp higher.
The group sold 45.5 thousand of Kia brand cars, followed by of s in July 2021:
Renault Group sold 81.0 thousand new passenger cars representing a 8.27% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in July 2021. This is 41.1% fewer vehicles and a 2.46 pp decrease in market share when compared to last year. By comparison, three years ago, Renault Group's market share was 10.4%.
The group sold 41.8 thousand of Renault brand cars in July, followed by 38.9 thousand of Dacias and 0.118 thousand of Ladas:
FCA Group sold 55.3 thousand new passenger cars representing a 5.65% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in July 2021. This is 22.0% fewer vehicles and a 0.118 pp increase in market share when compared to last year. By comparison, three years ago FCA Group's market share stood at 7.09%.
The group sold 37.5 thousand of Fiat brand cars in July, followed by 12.1 thousand of Jeeps and 2.08 thousand of Alfa-Romeos:
Toyota Group sold 71.0 thousand new passenger cars representing a 7.25% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in July 2021. This is 0.038% fewer vehicles and a 1.71 pp increase in market share when compared to last year. Toyota Group's market share three years ago, by comparison, stood at 4.73%.
The group sold 66.9 thousand of Toyota brand cars in July, with Lexus following at 4.05 thousand cars:
Jaguar Land Rover Group sold 10.7 thousand new passenger cars representing a 1.09% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in July 2021. This is 31.3% fewer vehicles and a 0.123 pp decrease in market share when compared to last year. Three years ago however, the market share of Jaguar Land Rover Group was 1.11%.
The group sold 7.80 thousand of Land Rovers in July, followed by 2.92 thousand of Jaguars:
Daimler Group sold 56.5 thousand new passenger cars representing a 5.77% share of all new passenger cars sold in Europe in July 2021. This is 31.9% fewer vehicles and a 0.696 pp decrease in market share when compared to last year. By comparison, three years ago, Daimler Group's market share was 5.63%.
The group sold 54.4 thousand of Mercedes in July, followed by 2.05 thousand of Smart cars:
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, the Czech Republic ranked the highest in the number of petrol-fuelled as a proportion of new cars sold with 64.6%, followed by Poland and Slovakia. In terms of diesel-fuelled vehicles, Estonia ranked the highest with 44.8% followed by Ireland 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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