According to domestic automotive trade body UNRAE, 163,700 new cars were registered in Italy during the month of May, and this was just over 26,000 units down on the same month last year, the market's continuing decline being a primary result of the phasing out of the government's raft of "scrappage" incentives that rewarded customers purchasing more efficient vehicles.

The Fiat Group saw a total of 48,985 registrations in Italy during May, that was almost a quarter (-24.99 percent) down on the same month last year when it accounted for 65,301 units. It meant that the domestic giant's market share slipped by almost four-and-a-half percentage points from 34.39 percent a year ago to 29.92 percent last month.

The Fiat brand (including the niche Abarth sports division) saw 36,789 units registered last month, down almost 14,000 units on the same month a year ago, a steep drop of 27.23 percent, while its market share went down from 26.63 to 22.47 percent year-on-year. Lancia's 7,798 registrations amassed in May was a fraction over 1,000 units shy of the same period last year, but it had the most cushioned fall from the Fiat Group Automobiles (FGA) brand portfolio, down 13.43 percent, which also meant it outperformed the overall market and thus its share climbed from 4.74 to 4.76 percent year-on-year. Alfa Romeo's sales continued to slump, 4,262 registrations in May was down a quarter (-24.19 percent) compared to the same month a year ago and its overall market share declined from 2.96 to 2.60 percent year-on-year. However with the Italian order book for the Giulietta topping 5,000 already this new C-segment model should soon provide much needed volumes for the brand. Of the Fiat Group's niche luxury/performance brands, Ferrari sold 88 of its cars last month (the 458 Italia was the top-seller on 42 units while the California was close behind on 39) and that put it up 46.67 percent year-on-year, while Maserati's 48 units left it heading south by 11.11 percent.

For the year-to-date Italy has seen a total of 992,087 new car registrations which is up 7.68 percent year-on-year while the Fiat Group is on 308,367 units, just under 300 units up on the same five month period of last year meaning it is still in positive territory, just (-0.57 percent), although its overall market share for the period has slipped from 33.34 to 31.08 percent year-on-year. Lancia is on 45,750 units for the year-to-date, 5,000 units up on the same period of 2009, equating to a year-on-year market-beating rise of 11.68 while its share of all sales for the year-to-date is up from 4.45 to 4.61 percent year-on-year. Alfa Romeo is on 22,475 units year-to-date, a decline of 13.02 percent, mainly down to sales of the D-segment Alfa 159 drying up, and consequently its market share has slid from 2.81 to 2.27 percent. Of the niche brands Ferrari is the better performer for the year-to-date and is on 375 sales for the period (its best-seller is the California on 218 units while the 458 Italia is now up to 119), down just 2.85 percent, while Maserati is on 239 units sold after the five months of this year, down 28.44 percent, the GranTurismo being the Trident's its best-seller so far this year with 123 units.

The Fiat Panda, which last month wrested the title of Italy's top-selling car back off the Fiat Punto by a margin of 400 units, was again the number one choice this month, and with 11,877 units of the A-segment car sold it was just over 200 units ahead of the Punto (including Punto Classic, Grande Punto and Punto EVO combined) which ended the month on 11,630 units. The Fiat 500 was fourth, with 5,779 units sold, while the only none Fiat brand interloper into the top-four was Ford's Fiesta (6,929) in third place. The Lancia Ypsilon (3,876) rounded out FGA interest in the top-ten, in ninth place. For the year-to-date the Punto (83,835), Panda (71,305), 500 (34,035) and Ypsilon (21,686) fill the first, second, fourth and tenth places in the Italian best-seller lists respectively. The Fiesta was comfortably the best-selling LPG car last month with 1,838 units registered compared to the second-place Punto (1,254) while the Panda (727) was in seventh place. Amongst methane-powered cars the Panda (685), Punto (470) and Multipla (272) locked out the top-three slots for the Fiat brand last month while the Fiat Qubo (93) was seventh to make it four Fiat's in the top-ten.

By segment the Panda and 500 were the top-two sellers in A-segment last month while in B-segment the Punto ruled the roost with the Ypsilon coming home in sixth place and the Alfa Romeo MiTo (2,733) in ninth. The MiTo was also Italy's best-selling coupé car last month, a category in which it is counted by UNRAE. In C-segment the Fiat Bravo (2,324) was down in fifth place for another straight month while the Lancia Delta (1,484) was ninth. For the year-to-date the Bravo is the fifth best-seller in the category with 13,673 units, less than half though that has been managed by the C-segment leader, VW's Golf, while steady demand for the Delta (9,169) means it is in a solid eighth place. In D-segment the Fiat Croma (790) squeezed into the final slot in the top-ten for May although there was no place again amongst the best-sellers for the Alfa 159 and neither model has cracked the category's top-ten for the year-to-date. The Croma was also Italy's fifth best-selling "station wagon" class car for the month while its year-to-date sales now stand at 3,309 units. In "compact" MPV class the Multipla (651) was seventh and it now has 4,888 sales for the year-to-date while amongst the small MPVs the Lancia Musa continued to be the runaway class leader (2,332) and for the year-to-date it is on 14,410 units, more than double that of its closest rival, Opel's Meriva. In "Multispace" the Qubo (853) and Fiat Doblò (787) dominated the class as usual and for the year-to-date they also command the top-two positions with 10,684 and 3,397 registrations respectively.