2009 Ford Fiesta Steals Europe's Top Spot as Golf's Crown Slips

AUTO CENTRAL – April 17, 2009: JATO Dynamics’ monthly analysis of the European new car market is showing, for the first time in a year, the hugely popular Volkswagen Golf has lost its strangle hold as Europe’s most popular model, handing the accolade to Ford’s well received new Fiesta. The Fiesta’s success is set against an overall European new car market which fell 9.0% (or 147,965 units) in March 2009 compared to March 2008, to a total of 1,488,386 units. Year-to-Date the market fell 16.9% (or 691,350 units) compared to the same period last year, to a total of 3,401,473 units.

Crucial to the success of the new Fiesta has been its increased sales in Germany and Italy, and a sustained performance in the otherwise depressed UK market. The Fiesta recorded a 15.5% increase in volumes in March with 52,805 vehicles sold.

“It’s interesting to see the continued affect that the government scrapping incentives have had in certain markets. Germany and Italy are big markets for new cars, and we’re really seeing the commercial benefits brought about by the new incentives”, says David Di Girolamo, Head of JATO Consult. “We will track the markets with interest as it will be important to understand if this is a short term reaction by consumers or if it will have a prolonged effect on the market.”

Several small models have also risen to greater prominence in the top ten, including the VW Polo and Fiat Punto. Much of this can be attributed to Italy where the inclusion of CNG and LPG vehicles in the incentive scheme has provided a boost. Particularly worthy of note is the performance of Fiat’s evergreen Panda, which posted significant sales growth in March, up 62% on last year, over 25% from the additional fuel types in Italy alone. Punto sales in Italy for CNG/LPG versions were more than the total growth for this model.

“The Panda is a perfect example of a car that can benefit from today’s market conditions”, continues Di Girolamo. “It’s a very affordable car to buy new and has become more fashionable recently, cheap to run with low CO2 emissions, and available with diesel, CNG and LPG variants. It’s an easy step-up into the new car market for those who have been encouraged to scrap their old cars.”

Behind the Fiesta, the top ten places were rounded off by the VW Golf, Opel/Vauxhall Corsa, Peugeot 207, VW Polo, Fiat Punto, Ford Focus, Fiat Panda, Renault Clio and Opel/Vauxhall Astra.

Overall in the first quarter of the year, the total market fell by 16.9%. The Golf still leads Year-to-Date, from the Fiesta, 207, Corsa, Focus, Polo, Punto, Panda, Clio and Astra.