The Fiat Group's summer sales slowdown is continuing into the
autumn: it was the
worst performing major car making group in Europe last month and its year-on-year slump of
21.4 percent was more than double the overall market's overall fall of 9.2
percent. A year ago the Fiat Group was riding high on the back of government 'scrappage'
subsidies as customers turned in droves to smaller, 'eco-friendly' cars but this year has
seen a pay-back as the ending of these schemes has seen European consumers
shunning the Italian group's products, particularly in its key Italian and
German markets, according to data released by automotive
manufacturer body ACEA today.
Across the EU September
registrations of new cars decreased by 9.6 percent
(European total: -9.6 percent) compared to the same
month of last year, marking the sixth consecutive month
of decline in demand for new cars this year. In absolute
numbers, registrations amounted to 1,227,645 units
(European total: 1,389,211). Over the three first
quarters of 2010, registrations were 4.3 percent lower
compared to the same period of 2009, totaling 10,251,140
vehicles.
In
September, all major markets contracted, from -8.2
percent in France to -8.9 percent in the UK, -17.8
percent in Germany, -18.9 percent in Italy and -27.3
percent in Spain. In contrast, markets such as Ireland
(+93.9 percent) or Latvia (+79.6 percent) expanded
considerably, posting growth from very low levels in
2009 and 2008.
From
January to September, results in the major markets were
more diverse. While the French market remained stable
(+0.8 percent) compared to the three first quarters of
2009, registrations in the UK (+7.8 percent) and Spain
(+16.2 percent) were higher than in the previous year.
Italy (-4.4 percent) and Germany (-27.5 percent),
however, saw numbers decline. The steepest fall was
recorded in Bulgaria (-37.8 percent) and the most
important increase in Ireland (+52.3 percent).
The
Fiat Group was the worst performing carmaking group in
Europe last month, down by more than a fifth (-21.4
percent) year-on-year, with only Toyota (-20.9 percent)
and Ford (-19.5 percent) coming anywhere close, and the
Italian firm, which recorded sales of 86,773 units in
September versus 110,359 units during the same month a
year ago, also lost major ground to its previous closest
rivals for sales, the Italian carmaker accounting for
more than twenty thousand registrations less that
Renault for the month just gone and was a whopping
thirty-five thousand units adrift of GM's Vauxhall/Opel
divisions. The Fiat Group's market share for the month
thus tumbled a percentage point from 7.9 to 6.9 percent.
Splitting up the Fiat Group Automobiles' (FGA) brands,
the Fiat brand saw sales its slump by more than twenty
thousand units year-on-year to 68,007 units during the
month just gone, a year-on-year fall of 23.3 percent and
that added up to a reduction of its market share by a
full percentage point to 5.4 percent. Lancia also fell,
it was FGA's big loser in year-on-year term down by more
than a third (-35.8 percent) as it dropped from
10,822 units in September 2009 to 6,953 for the month
just gone. Lancia's market share for the month therefore
fell by 0.2 percent year-on-year to lodge on 0.6
percent. Alfa Romeo, buoyed by demand for the new
C-segment Giulietta, provided a more rosy picture though
and was the only FGA winner for September, it's 11,258
units was a thousand up on the same month last year and
added up to a market-trouncing year-on-year rise of 9.4
percent and its European market share thus rose by 0.2
percent to 0.9 percent. The Fiat Group's niche
performance/luxury brands, Ferrari and Maserati, are
virtually unchanged a combined total of 555 units for
September (533 units in September 2009), up 4.1 percent.
For
the year-to-date the decline in European sales at the
Fiat Group sees it with a total of 822,855 units sold,
leaving it down almost one hundred and forty thousand
units adrift of the same nine month period last year, a
decline of 14.5 percent (comparing unfavourably to the
overall market which is down 3.7 percent), and a decline
that leaves it as the worst performing major automotive
group bar Toyota, which is down 15.2 percent
year-on-year for the first three quarters of 2010. The
Fiat Group's slide represents a year-on-year market
share contraction for the year-to-date on a full
percentage point to 7.8 percent. All three FGA brands
have contributed to this steep fall: the Fiat brand is
on 657,622 units for the year-to-date, down 15.6 percent
and with its market share for the period thus down from
7.1 to 6.2 percent; Lancia's decline from 91,209 units
to 79,904 units year-on-year for the year so far is a
drop of 12.4 percent, while Alfa Romeo has slipped from
86,274 to 79,966 units and it drops 7.3 percent. It
means though that Lancia and Alfa Romeo both stay steady
on an 0.8 percent share of the market. Ferrari and
Maserati have sold a combined total of 5,363 units for
the year-to-date, that's around one hundred and fifty
units above the first three quarters of last year and
equates to a 3.1 percent year-on-year rise.
The
Chrysler Group, 20 percent owned by the Fiat Group,
simply cannot find a bottom to the market as its brands
vanish from the new car data lists: with a total of just
2,836 units registered during September combined across
its three brands (Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep) it was
easily the worst performing car company in Europe, down
38.9 percent, and its market share correspondingly slid
from 0.3 to 0.2 percent. For the year-to-date the
picture is just as dismal at the Chrysler Group: a total
of 29,481 units is down ten thousand units on the first
nine months of last year and falls by exactly a quarter
meaning it is also the worst performer on the European
market, albeit holding onto the wooden spoon equally
with Honda. Chrysler's market share for the year-to-date
has shrunk from 0.4 to 0.3 percent year-on-year.
