Fiat Auto kept its domestic market share virtually unchanged year-on-year at 30.77 pct last month as the Italian new car market shrank, although the sharp discrepancy compared to last July is mainly down to a strike by Italian car transporter drivers in May 2005 which had a knock-on effect during the following months as delayed deliveries finally caught up. Fiat Auto's total share was also actually up 0.03 pct on May 2006's figures, and it is now the seventh consecutive month that share has been above the key 30 pct threshold, and although all the Fiat brands, except Alfa Romeo, experienced slower sales than in July 2005, they all outperformed the market and all increased their respective market shares.

The Italian market saw a total of 189,404 new vehicles being registered last month, down 11.53 pct on July 2006 when the total sold was 214,083 units. The foreign brands suffered most though in July, they were down 15.48 pct, while the national carmakers shed just 1.44 pct. Big losers on the market included Peugeot down 31.54 pct; Citroën (-25.37 pct); Renault (-23.23 pct); BMW (-22.61 pct); Smart (-26.45 pct); (-22.61 pct); SEAT (-21.95 pct); Suzuki (-21.00 pct); Audi (-16.27 pct) and Opel (-16.64).

Against this difficult overall market picture Fiat performed extremely well to shed just 1.14 pct year-on-year as its strong array of new models continued to entice buyers. The Fiat brand (including the Light Commercial Vehicle division) saw 44,248 vehicles registered in July to given them an increased market share of 23.36 pct, although total sales were down slightly by 0.75 pct on July 2005 (44,548 new vehicles, 20.83 pct of the market). Alfa Romeo, with an ever-growing order book for the new Alfa 159 saloon, bucked the falling market conditions to increase its sales and overall market share year-on-year. Of all the car manufacturers present in Italy only Toyota/Lexus, Maserati and Mazda joined Alfa Romeo recording actual year-on-year unit sales rises last month. Alfa Romeo in fact sold 5,983 cars last month, up 6.12 pct on July 2005 when they sold 5,638 units. This allowed them to significantly increase their market share from 2.63 to 3.16 pct.

Like the Fiat brand Lancia also saw total sales drop but its market share increase as it comfortably rode out the domestic market fall. 7,892 new Lancia vehicles registered last month gave the "luxury" marque a market share of 4.17 pct, up from the 3.99 pct it held in July 2005 when 8,546 vehicles were shifted. Total unit sales were down 7.65 pct year-on-year. Of the specialist Fiat-owned brands Maserati was up 7.04 pct (76 cars last month, up from 71 in July 2005) while Ferrari slipped 4.29 pct (67 last month as opposed to 70 in July 2005). Audi-owned Lamborghini lost 31.25 pct after selling 11 of its sportscars in July, down from 16 units year-on-year.
 

For the year to date Fiat have now sold 465,718 vehicles, up 16.61 pct year-on-year. Of these, Fiat branded vehicles account for 352,091 of sales, up by 20.78 pct on Jan-Jul 2005 when 291,513 vehicles were sold. Alfa Romeo is up a healthy 15.40 pct year-on-year with 47,258 new cars sold this year compared to 40,952 during the equivalent period last year. Lancia are virtually unchanged with 65,579 vehicles sold this year as opposed to 65, 968 during Jan-Jul 2005. For the year to date Fiat has a 23.23 pct share of the Italian market (20.22 pct last year), Alfa Romeo 3.12 pct (2.84 pct Jan-Jul 2005) and Lancia 4.33 pct (4.55 pct Jan-Jul 2005).

The Fiat Punto continues to be Italy's far away best-selling car with 17,699 sales last month (including the new Grande Punto and outgoing Punto model combined) to push total sales for the year to 154,060. The Fiat Panda keeps a very firm hold of second place in the top sellers list, with 12,505 sales last month adding up to give it 93,473 units for the year, up more than 12,000 on the same period last year. The Lancia Ypsilon was also up year-on-year with 5,184 units shifted to give it a year total of 43,607. The Fiat Croma continues to top the large estate car class, the 2,195 examples sold last month adding up to a year total of 17,196 units. In the small "monovolume" segment the Opel Meriva (2,903) outsold the Lancia Musa (2,349) and Fiat Idea (2,011) last month. For the year to date 19,093 Musas have been sold (18,578 in Jan-Jul 2005) while the Idea has sold 17,353 YTD (21,451 in Jan-Jul 2005). In the large "monovolume" segment the Lancia Phedra shifted 265 units last month (1,914 YTD) putting it just ahead of the Fiat Ulysse 256 (2,124 YTD).

In the coupé segment the stylish and sporty Alfa GT continues to hold sway with 357 units sales in July (2,529 YTD), placing it well ahead of the Mercedes-Benz CLS (268) and its newer sister the Brera 196 (1,626 YTD). Also firmly at the top of the light van segment last month was the Doblò with 948 sales (6,190 YTD), almost triple that which was managed by its closest marketplace rival, the Renault Kangoo. Other major sellers from the Fiat Auto stable included the Fiat Stilo 1,377 (10,565 YTD), Multipla 1,821 (15,373 YTD), the new four wheel drive "offroad" Sedici 1,090 (3,690 YTD), and also the new Alfa 159 which sold 1,266 units last month.