That weak result leaves the Fiat Group still undisputed as the worst performing major carmaker in Europe for the year-to-date according to data released by automotive manufacturer body ACEA. The picture for the Fiat Group is even worse if it compared to the same month in 2010 when its sales plummeted by 21.4 percent, double the overall market's fall at the time.

A total of 1,249,646 new passenger vehicles were sold in Europe (EU27+EFTA) last month, a figure that was virtually flat year-on-year (+1 percent). The Fiat Group's 7.8 percent sales fall (82,115 registrations last month versus 89,102 during the same period last year) left it as the third worst performer amongst its major peers: ahead of Toyota (-9.2 percent) and September's biggest loser, PSA Peugeot-Citroën (-13.3 percent).

During the same month last year the Fiat Group held onto a 7.1 percent market share so last month's decline was more than half a percentage point. The Fiat Group in fact only managed to sell just over two thousand units more than BMW/Mini, which took a 6.3 percent share for the month. The Fiat Group's sales problems stem from a sharp lack of investment in new models and a continuing failure to remove its overreliance on its domestic market.

The Fiat brand, as ever, was the loser and its 58,928 sales in September compared to 67,537 units during the same month a year ago was down 12.7 percent and meant its market share for the month slid from 5.4 to 4.6 percent year-on-year. Lancia (which now counts Chrysler's handful of UK and Irish sales within its sales total) has been boosted by the showroom arrival of the new B-segment Ypsilon and its September sales rose by 16.9 percent to 9,029 units while its European market share for the month just gone was up by 0.1 percent to 0.7 percent. Lancia may also get some further sales traction in coming months from two rebadged Chrysler brand models which went on sale in Italy today.

Alfa Romeo, however, has seen the positive effect of the new C-segment Giulietta wearing off and its sales last month were down 2.6 percent to 10,792 as it now tries to survive on a diet of just two models. It's European market share was flat at 0.9 percent. Jeep now comes under the umbrella of Fiat Group Automobiles (FGA) in Europe and its September sales were up 132.5 percent to 2,730 units to give it a 0.2 percent share of the market. Finally, the Fiat Group's two niche luxury/performance brands, Ferrari and Maserati, continued to suffer dramatic drops in their European sales and just 636 units - combined between the two - sold last month was down by 59.9 percent.

After the first three quarters of the year the sales picture looks bleak for the Fiat Group: 749,417 registrations is more than one hundred thousand units less than the same nine month period last year. That adds up to a 12 percent year-on-year fall and makes Fiat comfortably the worst performer amongst its peers - and in fact the only one to have posted a double-digit loss for the year-to-date. Market share for the period slips thus from 8.1 to 7.2 percent year-on-year. It also comes on the back of a dismal September 2010 when sales had slumped by 14.2 percent - and means that in two years the Group's sales collapse for the first nine months stands at nearly a quarter of a million units.

The Fiat brand is the main loser for FGA for the year-to-date: 540,925 units is down eighty five thousand units and 17.6 percent year-on-year and means market share slips by 1 point to 5.2 percent for the nine month period in year-on-year terms. Alfa Romeo is up by almost a third (+32.1 percent) for the year-to-date to 105,434 units to see its overall share of sales up from 0.8 to 1.0 percent year-on-year while Lancia (including Chrysler) is down 10.7 percent to 78,675 units to keep its share steady at 0.8 percent. Jeep is up by more than a half (+54.8 percent) for the year-to-date to 17,432 units while Ferrari and Maserati go the opposite way, their sales have more than halved (-55.9 percent) to 6,951 units combined.