While the European new car market hasn’t had a great year, there have been some interesting surprises in the overall model rankings for 2022. According to data released by JATO, the best-selling new car in the region is the Peugeot 208 with 206,816 units. . Volume is up 5 percent compared to 2021, allowing Peugeot to lead the rankings for the first time since 2007, when the year 207 was the highest.
Indeed, the 208 dethroned the Volkswagen Golf, which has continued to lead the European car market since 2008. This major change can be explained by the continued decline in German hatchback sales across Europe following software, availability and increased competition within the Volkswagen group. . The Golf has thus slipped to fifth in the standings, far behind the Dacia Sandero, Volkswagen T-Roc and Fiat/Abarth 500.
Citroen C3 And Peugeot 2008 Of Top 10
Among other great performances of the top 10 is the Fiat 500, which rose from ninth in 2021 to fourth last year. The Volkswagen T-Roc rose from sixth to third place, becoming Europe’s best-selling SUV and ousting the 2008 Peugeot.
2008 dropped out of the top ten, as it lost 28 percent in volume, but it remains Peugeot’s second best-selling SUV and Stellantis’ most popular. The Citroën C3 moves from tenth place in 2021 to eleventh in 2022. Both models are replaced in the top 10 by the Hyundai Tucson, in eighth, and the Dacia Duster, in ninth, both of which surpassed another traditional hot-seller, the Renault Clio. which drops from fourth to tenth place in 2022.
Tesla Model Y: Best Selling Electric
Further down the chart, the Tesla Model Y did very well with 138,128 units. It managed to outsell the Model 3 and become the best-selling electric vehicle in Europe. The Model Y failed to surpass the 141,952 units registered by Model 3 in 2021. However, with 233,307 registered units, Tesla is the 18th best-selling brand in Europe, ahead of other major automakers such as Seat, Mini, Mazda or Suzuki. .
The Toyota Yaris Cross has also seen a spike in registrations: its volume rose from 27,272 units in 2021 to 136,986 units last year. Even though Toyota is a relative newcomer to the B-SUV sector, the Yaris Cross is proving to be the right bet, as it is the fourth best-selling B-SUV.
The Kia Sportage also registers a notable upgrade, thanks to the arrival of the latest generation: it’s the second best-selling C-SUV, beating out its cousin, the Hyundai Tucson. These two SUVs were able to outsell the likes of the Nissan Qashqai, Volkswagen Tiguan, Ford Kuga and Peugeot 3008.
Other Notable Shows
Opel/Vauxhall Mokka, in 32nd place, recorded 97,547 units, up 34 percent. Likewise, thanks to the new generation model, the Peugeot 308 also achieved a significant increase of 80 percent to 90,160 units. But it’s still far from the leaders – the Volkswagen Golf with more than 177,000 units and the Toyota Corolla with almost 130,000 units.
The Cupra has done a great job with the Formentor: 87,175 units, up 68 percent, outperforming any single Seat. Also, Renault Arkana, Mercedes C-Class, Volkswagen Taigo, Dacia Jogger, Dacia Spring, MG ZS, BMW 4 Series, Hyundai IONIQ 5, MG HS, Cupra Born, Polestar 2, Kia EV6, and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross perform very well. .
The author of the article, Felipe Munoz, is an Automotive Industry Specialist at JATO dynamics.
