The Fiat
brand had a better month than has been the case recently
on the UK market during January, its sales jumping
year-on-year, although Alfa Romeo continued to drop off,
its sales fell and underperformed the flat overall
market.
In total 128,853 new cars were sold in the UK during the
first month of 2012, which when compared to 128,811
during the same month of last year, meant the overall
market remained flat, up 0.03 percent year-on-year.
The Fiat brand enjoyed some welcome respite during
January and was up 16 percent year-on-year, comfortably
outperforming the overall market, although that rise
added up to only an extra 398 sales, Fiat having sold
2,488 units in January 2011 compared to 2,886 last
month. Outperforming the market did help raise its
market share from 1.93 percent in January 2011 to 2.24
percent for the month just gone. However in overall
terms, Fiat has faded from being a volume brand in the
UK and now enjoys only a niche status falling behind
brands such as the two Koreans, Hyundai and Kia, which
posted 3.16 and 3.32 percent market shares for January
respectively, while other imported volume brands that
Fiat couldn't match last month included Land Rover (2.71
percent), Nissan (4.88 percent), Peugeot (5.65 percent),
Skoda (2.89 percent) and Toyota (4.47 percent) while the
three Geman brands are a long way out of reach: Audi
(6.65 percent), BMW (4.85 percent) and Mercedes (4.87
percent). Volume brand Renault is also suffering in the
UK and it was narrowly outsold by Fiat last month, by 84
units, to drop below the Italian firm after ending on a
2.17 percent share of sales for the month.
Alfa Romeo's recent downturn continues as it is reduced
to just two models coupled with a surprisingly early
peak in Giulietta demand right across Europe. It sold
538 cars last month in the UK, and when compared to 595
during the same month last year, that is a drop of 9.58
percent. As a result Alfa Romeo's January UK market
share narrowed slightly from 0.46 percent in 2011 to
0.42 percent in 2012.
Abarth suffered a bad start to the year with just 49
sales in January compared to 78 during the same month a
year ago and that was a steep year-on-year sales fall of
37.18 percent. As a result the Scorpion's market share
for January dropped from 0.06 percent last year to 0.04
percent this year.
The two Chrysler Group brands that remain in the UK and
come under the control of Fiat Group Automobiles (FGA),
Chrysler and Jeep, are only really nominal entrants on
this market. In year-on-year terms both performed well
as they have newer models in their respective ranges,
although in volume terms they actually barely
registered. The former sold 98 cars last month, that was
up 75 percent year-on-year, while Jeep sold 158 of its
trademark off roaders, up 97.50 percent.
Finally Maserati sold 36 cars in the UK and that means
the Trident brand was almost flat on last January (-0.02
percent) when it shifted one extra car.
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