Fiat Group was the best performer amongst all of Europe's big carmaking groups last month up 11.7 percent year-on-year, equating to four times the rise of overall market which finally made it into positive territory during June. All three of the key Fiat Group Automobiles (FGA) brands - Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia - enjoyed a rosy month, their sales up 11.7, 7.9 and 16.8 percent respectively.

The market for new passenger cars in Europe (EU27 +EFTA) arrived at a modest plus (+2.4 percent) or 1,461,859 units in June, carried by the effects of fleet renewal schemes in more than ten EU Member States, according to data released by automotive industry trade body ACEA today. It is the first market increase in 14 months, against the backdrop of a steep downward trend that commenced in May 2008. In June last year, the market was down 7.9 percent compared to 2007. June 2009, 2008 and 2007 all had a similar number of working days. Accumulative figures for the first half of 2009 show an 11 percent drop in European new car registrations compared to the same period in 2008, with a total of 7,425,762 new cars registered compared to 8,346,828 the year before.

New registrations in Western Europe rose by 4.6 percent in June, totalling 1,382,189 units. Countries with an incentive scheme mostly posted growth, with particularly strong demand in Germany (+40.5 percent), which is the largest market in Europe. Italy (+12.4 percent), France (+7.0 percent) and Austria (+4.0 percent) saw registrations increase as well, while the downturn in Spain (-15.9 percent) and the UK (-15.7 percent) was cushioned by more recently introduced support measures. In the first six months, only Germany (+26.1 percent) and France (+0.2 percent) performed better than in 2008. Overall, the West European market declined by 9.8 percent. Italy (-10.7 percent), the UK (-25.9 percent) and Spain (-38.3 percent) all recorded a double-digit decrease.

In the new EU Member States, new car registrations fell by 25.3 percent in June, with only the Czech Republic (+18.0 percent) and Slovakia (+57.4 percent) posting growth. The sharpest downturn was recorded by Latvia (-72.6 percent). In absolute figures, Poland remained the largest market despite a 2.5 percent decline. Six months into the year, Slovakia (+18.4 percent), the Czech Republic (+7.9 percent) and Poland (+0.2 percent) saw their markets expand while the overall market in the region decreased by -27.1 percent.

With 125,640 registrations during June, compared to 112,437 in the same month a year ago, Fiat Group was up 11.7 percent year-on-year and in the process extended its share of the total European new car market from 7.9 to 8.6 percent. The Italian carmaker's 11.7 percent year-on-year rise was better than that managed by any of the groups that sold more new cars that it last month: VW Group (+9.5 percent), PSA Peugeot-Citroën (+4.4 percent) and Ford Europe (+2.2 percent), GM Europe (-8.4 percent) and Renault (+3.4 percent). Below Fiat, Toyota (-4.0 percent), BMW (-10.9 percent) and Daimler (-2.7 percent) all failed to follow the market upwards in June. The only carmaker to beat Fiat's rise was Hyundai, which was up 27.4 percent on the back of 35,194 sales. Further down the sales rankings Fiat Group's new alliance partner Chrysler saw its sales continue to fall off a cliff: with a total of 4,491 units combined between its three brands its sales more than halved year-on-year during June (-52.9 percent).

Splitting up the FGA brands, the Fiat brand (including Abarth) was up 11.7 percent year-on-year in June after amassing 125,640 sales versus 112,437 during the same month a year ago, and this raised its European market share from 6.3 to 6.9 percent. Lancia continued to defy expectations and the lack of exposure to right hand drive markets by adding 12,531 sales last month, up 16.8 percent year-on-year which comfortably made it the best performer in the FGA portfolio and helped it raise its share of the European market from 0.8 to 0.9 percent. The Lancia brand was also a thousand units clear of Alfa Romeo which added 11,541 car sales in Europe during June, a 7.9 percent year-on-year rise that raised its share of the European market from 0.7 to 0.8 percent. The Fiat Group's Ferrari and Maserati specialist luxury/performance brands saw a combined total of 556 sales that put up them up 1.3 percent year-on-year and completed the rosy picture for Fiat Group.

After the first half of the year the Fiat Group has 672,312 sales, versus 680,069 during the first six months of last year, and is down just 1.1 percent year-on-year meaning that its recent sales surge thanks to the scrappage schemes in effect on major European markets has all but wiped away the effects of the steep falls in sales seen earlier this year. With the overall market still down 11.0 percent after six months it means the Fiat Group has raised its market share by a full percentage point from 8.1 to 9.1 percent. The Fiat brand is down 1.8 percent after selling 547,338 cars during the first six months, while Lancia is also down, by 4.4 percent with 62,012 sales. Alfa Romeo however is well up, its 59,283 sales equating to a healthy 10.4 percent rise although its first half performance last year was distorted by the temporary closure of its key Pomigliano d'Arco factory near Naples for upgrading work. Ferrari and Maserati have a combined total of 3,679 sales after the first half of the year which is down 5.8 percent on the corresponding period of 2008. Elsewhere Chrysler Group has had a torrid first half of 2009, its combined total of 29,129 units leaves it down 49.1 percent year-on-year.