While the Fiat 500 continues to be a key seller for Fiat in the main European markets and the only model in its range to sell in greqater numbers outside of Italy than within, the award-winning supermini has in recent weeks been launched in Brazil (above).

With 110,619 registrations Fiat Group outperformed a rising European new car market by more than 50 percent last month, with the Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo brands all posting double-digit gains. Europe (counting the all the EU members plus the EFTA signatories) saw total sales of 1,388,136 units, meaning the market rose by 6.3 percent compared to September 2009, while Fiat Group posted a year-on-year gain of 13.7 percent.

The September results were boosted in markets with government incentives to support fleet renewal in place, and especially in those countries where these schemes come to an end soon. Nine months into the year, registrations of new cars were lower though than over the same period of 2008, noting a decrease of 6.6 percent.

The West European market increased by +9.6 percent in September compared to the same month last year, recording the largest jump since 1999. In absolute figures, however, the September registrations stayed below the levels reached since 2002. Germany remained the best performer with +21.0 percent. Spain also posted a marked double digit growth (+18.0 percent) in light of the country’s incentive scheme nearing its end, and after sixteen months of severe downturn. Austria (+17.9 percent), France (+14.0 percent), Norway (+12.7 percent), the UK (+11.4 percent), Italy (+6.8 percent) and Switzerland (+2.9 percent) also recorded positive results. Nine months into the year, only three countries – Germany (+26.1 percent), Austria (+6.7 percent) and France (+2.4 percent) – saw their markets expand. The downturn ranged elsewhere from 5.9 percent in Italy to -79.5 percent in Iceland. The Spanish and British markets shrunk by 28.6 percent and 15.5 percent respectively. In total, 10,310,038 new cars were registered in Western Europe, or 4.8 percent less than in the same period a year ago.

In the new EU Member States, the downturn prevailed, reflecting the still challenging market conditions. In September, markets contracted by 36.4 percent in the region. Poland (+7.9 percent) and the Czech Republic (+0.5 percent), the two largest markets, were the only ones posting growth. From January to September, new car registrations were down 28.7 percent. The vast majority of markets declined sharply, ranging from -22.3 percent in Slovenia to -80.2 percent in Latvia. Slovakia (+19.7 percent), the Czech Republic (+8.0 percent) and Poland (+1.7 percent) were the only expanding markets.

The Fiat Group's 110,619 vehicles sold last month was 13.7 percent up on the same month a year ago, when 97,308 units were recorded, and raised the carmaker's share of the whole European market from 7.4 to 8.0 percent year-on-year. The Fiat brand accounted for 88,858 sales last month, putting it up by 12.6 percent, Lancia with 10,827 units was up 16.5 percent, while the biggest year-on-year gainer in the Fiat Group Automobiles portfolio was Alfa Romeo, its 10,441 units was up 20.9 percent. Of the Group's luxury/performance brands, Ferrari and Maserati, combined sales came in at 493 units which left it fractionally up on last year at 1.2 percent. It all meant that the Fiat brand raised its share of all September sales year-on-year from 6.0 to 6.4 percent, while Lancia and Alfa Romeo stood firm, unchanged on 0.8 and 0.7 percent respectively.

After the first nine months of the year Fiat Group is on 962,246 units sold in all of Europe which is up just under twenty five thousand units on the same period last year and equates to a 2.5 percent year-on-year increase, while market share for the year-to-date has jumped from 8.0 to 8.8 percent year-on-year. This 2.5 percent increase makes it the only one of the big carmaking groups in Europe to be in positive territory year-on-year after 9 months, and in fact only one other firm is also up year-on-year, Hyundai, although it is off the back of a quarter of the sales total that Fiat has managed. The Fiat brand accounts for 779,499 units after nine months, up 1.8 percent year-on-year, while its share of the market is up from 6.5 to 7.1 percent. Lancia, with 91,186 registrations so far this year is up 1.9 percent, while Alfa Romeo weighs in with just under ten thousand less sales than its FGA niche stable mate, its 78,502 units however make it the best year-on-year performer of the trio, up 10.1 percent, although this is distorted by the temporary closure of its key Naples factory at the beginning of last year. Lancia and Alfa Romeo have taken 0.8 and 0.7 percent of the market so far this year respectively. Ferrari and Maserati account for 5,151 sales in Europe after the first nine months of the year, which puts the pair down 5.1 percent on the same period in 2008.

Chrysler Group had a much better month than recently, and it posted 5,739 sales combined across its three brands (Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep) which was 23.7 percent down on last year's September total of 7,521 units, giving it a much softer landing than it has seen for sometime. It's market share for September contracted from 0.6 to 0.4 percent year-on-year. For the year-to-date Chrysler is on 43,302 units sold, which is 44.4 percent down on the same period last year when it saw sales of 77,815 units, and the U.S. carmaker thus sees its market share slip from 0.7 to 0.4 percent year-on-year.