The French, as we know, favor French cars. But what about Germany, Spain, Italy or the UK? Are buyers from these countries so attached to their national brand(s)?
French buyers love cars… French. Is it still necessary to recall it? The 2022 hit parade of the best-selling cars in France is further proof of this. Last year, 8 of the 10 most popular vehicles were badged Citroën, Peugeot or Renault. As for the remaining two, the Dacia Sandero and Duster, they are closely derived from Renault and therefore almost French. But do you know what is happening elsewhere in Europe? We decided to compare the French top 10 with that of 4 other main European markets (Germany, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom) in order to see if, there too, consumers gave priority to national manufacturers. Here are the results.
A logically lower proportion in Spain and the United Kingdom
Quite logically, because there are very few Spanish brands (Seat, Cupra and that’s it), it’s our neighbors located on the other side of the Pyrenees who are the least chauvinistic. A Seat model did well on the podium last year, it was the Arona, but it lost two places in the general classification and its sales fell by 20%. Above all, today it is the only manufacturer to appear in the top 10. Last year, the Leon was also in the game. One wonders if at this rate, given the lack of interest that the VW group has vis-à-vis this brand at the moment, there will still be the slightest Seat model in the Spanish top 10 in 2023…
As far as the British are concerned, there too, the low proportion of English models in the top 10 is hardly surprising. Logically, the country is best known for its chic models… and expensive. It would be hard to see Jaguar vehicles or even, crazier still, Bentley or Rolls Royce landing on the podium. But there are some patriotic impulses in this ranking. On the one hand, the local Mini-pride – still relatively accessible – is very well placed. The very good result of the Corsa can also be explained by the interest they have in general for the Vauxhall brand, attached to Opel for a long time, but which is against all odds a brand of British origin. And what about the national n°1, the Japanese Qashqai? Well, it can’t be invented, it’s produced on site at the Sunderland factory.
The Italian case
If only 3 of the 10 most popular models in Italy in 2022 are Italian, note that the vehicles in question are all on the podium. And the sales figures are quite impressive. Not so much those of the Fiat 500 which is very successful all over Europe, but especially those of the Lancia Ypsilon and Fiat Panda. It must be said that both were launched the same year in their current configuration, in 2011! And yet, even if they show some slight signs of slowing down, it remains really measured (-6% in both cases). If you doubted that the Fiat Panda was a local institution, take a good look at its sales figures, more than 100,000 copies in 2022! It’s simple, even in Germany, yet a larger car market still, the Golf, eternal No. 1, does not do better.
Ah, one last thing about this country, don’t you find the presence of the Jeep Renegade rather surprising? In fact no, since the American manufacturer approached Fiat, the Italians are tearing them apart. Note also that the Renegade is assembled alongside its cousin, the 500X, and its big brother the Compass at the Melfi plant in the south of the country.
The Germans and the French are clearly the most patriotic
The fact that the Germans buy mostly German cars and the French mostly French cars no longer surprises anyone. Logical insofar as these are two great automotive countries, each offering a wide range of brands and models, for all budgets. But, in this little game, it is the French who are the most chauvinistic. In Germany, “only” 7 of the top 10 sales of 2022 are of Germanic origin. But we especially notice that our neighbors across the Rhine are particularly attached to Volkswagen. There are 4 in total in the top 10, just that!
Top 10 car sales…
…in Germany
- Volkswagen Golf: 84,300 units, -8%
- Volkswagen T-Roc: 59,000 units, +3%
- Fiat/Abarth 500: 50,600 units, +55%
- Opel Corsa: 50,200 units, +1%
- Volkswagen Tiguan: 43,400 units, +3%
- Volkswagen Passat: 39,300 units, -14%
- Ford Kuga: 38,500 units, +32%
- BMW 3 Series: 36,400 units, -13%
- Tesla Model Y: 35,400 units, +705%
- Audi A3: 35,100 units, +23%
…in Spain
- Hyundai Tucson: 22,000 units, +4%
- Dacia Sandero: 20,800 units, +2%
- Seat Arona: 17,500 units, -20%
- Toyota Corolla: 17,000 units, /
- Volkswagen T-Roc: 16,600 units, +4%
- Fiat/Abarth 500: 16,000 units, /
- Toyota CH-R: 16,000 units: +7%
- Peugeot 2008: 15,600 units, +7%
- Kia Sportage: 15,300 units, +49%
- Citroën C3: 14,200 units, +49%
…in France
- Peugeot 208: 88,800 units, +1%
- Dacia Sandero: 64,300 units, -17%
- Renault Clio: 64,000 units, -25%
- Citroën C3: 58,900 units, -10%
- Peugeot 2008: 51,500 units, -32%
- Renault Captur: 45,600 units, -13%
- Peugeot 308: 41,700 units, +94%
- Peugeot 3008: 36,300 units, -28%
- Renault Mégane: 33,400 units, +19%
- Dacia Duster: 31,700 units, +2%
…in Italy
- Fiat Panda: 104,300 units, -6%
- Lancia Ypsilon: 41,000 units, -6%
- Fiat/Abarth 500: 36,000 units, -25%
- Dacia Sandero: 33,900 units, +17%
- Citroën C3: 30,400 units, +3%
- Jeep Renegade: 29,300 units, -16%
- Ford Puma: 29,200 units, +3%
- Toyota Yaris: 27,700 units, -15%
- Toyota Yaris Cross: 25,800 units, +243%
- Peugeot 208: 25,600 units, +9%
…UK
- Nissan Qashqai: 42,700 units, +43%
- Vauxhall Corsa: 35,900 units, -12%
- Tesla Model Y: 35,600 units, /
- Ford Puma: 35,100 units, +22%
- Mini Hatch: 32,400 units, +2%
- Kia Sportage: 29,700 units, +7%
- Hyundai Tucson: 27,800 units, +24%
- Volkswagen Golf: 26,600 units, -12%
- Ford Kuga: 26,500 units, +19%
- Ford Fiesta: 25,100 units, -8%
Source : Car Industry Analysis
Also read on Auto-Moto.com:
Car sales in Europe in 2022: the big winners and the big losers
Dacia’s success in Europe should cause concern in the face of the desired rise in electric power
Electric cars: towards a two-speed Europe?
The French, as we know, favor French cars. But what about Germany, Spain, Italy or the UK? Are buyers from these countries so attached to their national brand(s)?
French buyers love cars… French. Is it still necessary to recall it? The 2022 hit parade of the best-selling cars in France is further proof of this. Last year, 8 of the 10 most popular vehicles were badged Citroën, Peugeot or Renault. As for the remaining two, the Dacia Sandero and Duster, they are closely derived from Renault and therefore almost French. But do you know what is happening elsewhere in Europe? We decided to compare the French top 10 with that of 4 other main European markets (Germany, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom) in order to see if, there too, consumers gave priority to national manufacturers. Here are the results.
A logically lower proportion in Spain and the United Kingdom
Quite logically, because there are very few Spanish brands (Seat, Cupra and that’s it), it’s our neighbors located on the other side of the Pyrenees who are the least chauvinistic. A Seat model did well on the podium last year, it was the Arona, but it lost two places in the general classification and its sales fell by 20%. Above all, today it is the only manufacturer to appear in the top 10. Last year, the Leon was also in the game. One wonders if at this rate, given the lack of interest that the VW group has vis-à-vis this brand at the moment, there will still be the slightest Seat model in the Spanish top 10 in 2023…
As far as the British are concerned, there too, the low proportion of English models in the top 10 is hardly surprising. Logically, the country is best known for its chic models… and expensive. It would be hard to see Jaguar vehicles or even, crazier still, Bentley or Rolls Royce landing on the podium. But there are some patriotic impulses in this ranking. On the one hand, the local Mini-pride – still relatively accessible – is very well placed. The very good result of the Corsa can also be explained by the interest they have in general for the Vauxhall brand, attached to Opel for a long time, but which is against all odds a brand of British origin. And what about the national n°1, the Japanese Qashqai? Well, it can’t be invented, it’s produced on site at the Sunderland factory.
The Italian case
If only 3 of the 10 most popular models in Italy in 2022 are Italian, note that the vehicles in question are all on the podium. And the sales figures are quite impressive. Not so much those of the Fiat 500 which is very successful all over Europe, but especially those of the Lancia Ypsilon and Fiat Panda. It must be said that both were launched the same year in their current configuration, in 2011! And yet, even if they show some slight signs of slowing down, it remains really measured (-6% in both cases). If you doubted that the Fiat Panda was a local institution, take a good look at its sales figures, more than 100,000 copies in 2022! It’s simple, even in Germany, yet a larger car market still, the Golf, eternal No. 1, does not do better.
Ah, one last thing about this country, don’t you find the presence of the Jeep Renegade rather surprising? In fact no, since the American manufacturer approached Fiat, the Italians are tearing them apart. Note also that the Renegade is assembled alongside its cousin, the 500X, and its big brother the Compass at the Melfi plant in the south of the country.
The Germans and the French are clearly the most patriotic
The fact that the Germans buy mostly German cars and the French mostly French cars no longer surprises anyone. Logical insofar as these are two great automotive countries, each offering a wide range of brands and models, for all budgets. But, in this little game, it is the French who are the most chauvinistic. In Germany, “only” 7 of the top 10 sales of 2022 are of Germanic origin. But we especially notice that our neighbors across the Rhine are particularly attached to Volkswagen. There are 4 in total in the top 10, just that!
Top 10 car sales…
…in Germany
- Volkswagen Golf: 84,300 units, -8%
- Volkswagen T-Roc: 59,000 units, +3%
- Fiat/Abarth 500: 50,600 units, +55%
- Opel Corsa: 50,200 units, +1%
- Volkswagen Tiguan: 43,400 units, +3%
- Volkswagen Passat: 39,300 units, -14%
- Ford Kuga: 38,500 units, +32%
- BMW 3 Series: 36,400 units, -13%
- Tesla Model Y: 35,400 units, +705%
- Audi A3: 35,100 units, +23%
…in Spain
- Hyundai Tucson: 22,000 units, +4%
- Dacia Sandero: 20,800 units, +2%
- Seat Arona: 17,500 units, -20%
- Toyota Corolla: 17,000 units, /
- Volkswagen T-Roc: 16,600 units, +4%
- Fiat/Abarth 500: 16,000 units, /
- Toyota CH-R: 16,000 units: +7%
- Peugeot 2008: 15,600 units, +7%
- Kia Sportage: 15,300 units, +49%
- Citroën C3: 14,200 units, +49%
…in France
- Peugeot 208: 88,800 units, +1%
- Dacia Sandero: 64,300 units, -17%
- Renault Clio: 64,000 units, -25%
- Citroën C3: 58,900 units, -10%
- Peugeot 2008: 51,500 units, -32%
- Renault Captur: 45,600 units, -13%
- Peugeot 308: 41,700 units, +94%
- Peugeot 3008: 36,300 units, -28%
- Renault Mégane: 33,400 units, +19%
- Dacia Duster: 31,700 units, +2%
…in Italy
- Fiat Panda: 104,300 units, -6%
- Lancia Ypsilon: 41,000 units, -6%
- Fiat/Abarth 500: 36,000 units, -25%
- Dacia Sandero: 33,900 units, +17%
- Citroën C3: 30,400 units, +3%
- Jeep Renegade: 29,300 units, -16%
- Ford Puma: 29,200 units, +3%
- Toyota Yaris: 27,700 units, -15%
- Toyota Yaris Cross: 25,800 units, +243%
- Peugeot 208: 25,600 units, +9%
…UK
- Nissan Qashqai: 42,700 units, +43%
- Vauxhall Corsa: 35,900 units, -12%
- Tesla Model Y: 35,600 units, /
- Ford Puma: 35,100 units, +22%
- Mini Hatch: 32,400 units, +2%
- Kia Sportage: 29,700 units, +7%
- Hyundai Tucson: 27,800 units, +24%
- Volkswagen Golf: 26,600 units, -12%
- Ford Kuga: 26,500 units, +19%
- Ford Fiesta: 25,100 units, -8%
Source : Car Industry Analysis
Also read on Auto-Moto.com:
Car sales in Europe in 2022: the big winners and the big losers
Dacia’s success in Europe should cause concern in the face of the desired rise in electric power
Electric cars: towards a two-speed Europe?
