Helped by their popularity in national scrappage schemes, the latest generation VW Golf and Ford Fiesta models are leading the way in the European sales chart boasting a 21.3% and 40.2% increase in sales respectively in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2008, according to data released by Jato Dynamics.The Golf VI, which is the market leader, recorded sales of 59,552 units in September representing a 56% increase over the 2008. VW's Polo and Passat models didn't fare as well in the month and are down YtD (Year to Date - January to September) by 3.3% and 15.8% respectively.
Ford's new Fiesta that will soon be available in the States found 51,291 new owners in September, 63.9% more than a year ago and over 12,000 more new registrations than the third-placed Opel/ Vauxhall Corsa that was up 17.1% in September but down 6.8% YtD.
Fiat's best selling models, the Punto supermini and the Panda mini enjoyed another jaunty sales period, with both cars featured in the top ten list. The Punto recording a 66.2% rise in sales for the month (+10.1% YtD) while the Panda was up by 14.4% in September (+30.6% YtD).
Finally, Renault's new Megane rounded off the top ten list in September with a whopping 90.4% increase in sales over the same month last year (+29.0% YtD).
As for brand performance, Volkswagen continues to hold on to first place with 1,241,755 sales YtD (+3.7%). In September, the German automaker sold 155,770 new cars in Europe which represents a significant increase of 16.3%.
In second place we find Ford that saw a healthy 3.7% YtD sales rise (+18.0% in September). The only other car manufacturer in the top ten list to record an increase in YtD sales is Fiat (+2.5%).
Overall, the European car market was up 7.5 per cent in September (1,379,610 units sold) compared to last year (1,283,537 units), but 5.7 per cent down in YtD sales ( 10,857,605 vs 11,517,910 cars )
Data: Jato Dynamics
