The markets posted a mixed bag of results last month: the French and British markets performed similarly, posting 2.4 percent and 2.6 percent growth respectively. Demand in Germany, the largest European market, remained stable (+0.6 percent), while results in Italy (-5.5 percent) and Spain (-6.7 percent) were negative.

The Fiat Group's October sales (EU15+EFTA) were down seven thousand units on the same period last year and that meant its market share for the month fell by 0.6 percent. As usual the Italian carmaker was one of the worst performers and in fact amongst its peers - the so called big nine - only Toyota fared worst, down 11.7 percent. The market's dominant carmaking group, VW, was up 4.5 percent for the month just going but was followed by three losers: PSA Peugeot-Citroën (-5.9 percent), Renault (-2.5 percent) and GM (-3.0 percent). The final carmaker to sit above Fiat in sales terms last month, Ford, was up 6.2 percent. Below Fiat came BMW (+1.7 percent), Daimler (-9.4 percent) and finally Toyota.

As has been the case so far this year the Fiat brand has been the rotten apple in the Fiat Group Automobiles (FGA) barrel, its 47,061 sales in October when compared to 53,481 during the same period last year was down 12 percent. That dropped Fiat's market share from 5.4 percent (2010) to 4.8 percent (2011).

Lancia provided some very positive news as its 8,046 sales during October was up 15.1 percent on the same month last year when it shifted 6,908 cars. That bumped Lancia's October market share up by 0.1 percent to 0.8 percent. Unfortunately Alfa Romeo proceeded to more than undo that good work and its 8,319 sales last month compared to 10,630 units in October 2010 was down 21.7 percent. Jeep weighed in positively though and 2,036 sales was up 150.7 percent year-on-year. The Fiat Group's two luxury/performance brands, Ferrari and Maserati, suffered in October, their combined total of 442 units was down 53.2 percent year-on-year.

After the first ten months of the years total of 10,882,968 new cars have been sold in Western Europe which leaves the market almost flat (-0.9 percent). From January to October, Germany is the only major market to have posted significant growth (+9.8 percent). France has seen demand slightly increase by 0.4 percent, while the UK (-4.5 percent), Italy (-10.8 percent) and Spain (-19.7 percent) have all faced a downturn.

The Fiat Group has had a year to forget so far, and it is down 11.4 percent after selling 791,102 cars to the end of October. That compares unfavorably with 892,594 units during the same period last year. It leaves Fiat Group as comfortably the worst performer amongst all the big carmaking groups in Europe; the other major losers for the year-to-date are Toyota (-9.5 percent), Renault (-8.6 percent) and PSA Peugeot-Citroën (-7.6 percent).

In volume terms the Fiat brand continues to drag FGA down as consumers shun its ageing model portfolio and 567,369 sales for the year-to-date is down a massive one hundred and fourteen thousand units on the same period last year. As a result the Fiat brand's Western European market share for the first ten months of the year slides from 6.2 to 5.2 percent year-on-year.

Lancia is down 8.6 percent and eight thousand units for the year-to-date. It has recorded 86,069 sales so far this year. Lancia hasn't been helped by sales of the Delta slipping away in Italy, the only market it ever made an impact in, while the robust selling Musa has now reached the end of its life. Lancia however has been boosted by the arrival of the new-generation Ypsilon in the summer to help it narrow the deficit while the addition to the range this month of two rebadged Chrysler models may lend some extra future traction in Italy at least. Lancia's year-to-date market share is down from 0.9 to 0.8 percent year-on-year.

Alfa Romeo has received a huge boost to its sales this year from the new Giulietta although this effect has reversed in recent months. However that demand has helped make Alfa Romeo the golden performer from the FGA stable and it is up by a quarter year-on-year (+25.2 percent) to 111,684 units. That is more than twenty thousand more than the same period last year and means the 'sports' bran's year-to-date market share climbs from 0.8 percent (2010) to 1.0 percent (2011).

Amongst the niche brands, Jeep has 7,162 registrations for the year-to-date, that is up a healthy 64.3 percent year-on-year ,while Ferrari and Maserati have a combined 7,162 sales for the ten month period, down by more than a half on the same period last year (-55.7 percent).