Fiat
followed the slight rise in the UK market last month,
it's sales were up 2.60 percent year-on-year, while Alfa
Romeo continued its retreat losing a third of its sales
compared to last March; both brand's rounded out the
first quarter in similar fashion.
March is a key registration month in the UK, accounting
for around 18 percent of yearly sales, and 372,835 units
was up 1.84 percent on the same month last year.
The Fiat brand added 8,730 sales last month in the UK
which was up 221 units on March 2011, a rise of 2.32
percent which just beat the relatively flat overall
market. Fiat's share of the UK market's total sales for
March thus rose slightly from 2.32 percent in 2011 to
2.34 percent in 2012.
Alfa Romeo is quickly giving up its 2011 gains, its
1,540 units last month when compared to 2,269 in March
2011, represented a slump of 32.13 percent and as a
result its market share for the month just gone dropped
from 0.62 percent last year to 0.41 percent in 2012.
Other March losers included Lotus (-81.82 percent),
Renault (-49.96 percent), Mitsubishi (-43.39 percent)
and Proton (-39.80 percent).
The niche brands had a mixed month, Jeep was up 32.54
percent to 444 units while the Chrysler brand was up
407.20 percent to 634 units. That actually made the
Chrysler brand the market's third best performer in
year-on-year terms for March, behind SsangYong which
rose 4,175 percent to 171 units and MG which was up
2,850 percent to 236 units. In reality Jeep and Chrysler
though are only nominally represented on the UK market
and for March took a 0.12 and 0.17 percent share of the
market respectively. Volume winners for March in the UK
included Skoda (+32.49 percent), Nissan (+21.44
percent), Suzuki (+19.59 percent), BMW (+14.34 percent),
Land Rover (+13.95 percent) and Audi (+12.92 percent).
Abarth was relatively unchanged, losing just 6 units
year-on-year to finish March of 282 sales, down 2.08
percent; that kept its market share for the month
unchanged on 0.08 percent. Maserati is struggling to
find buyers in recession-hit Europe and in the UK last
month it was the same story, the Trident down 21.31
percent to 48 units.
After the first quarter of 2012, 563,556 new cars have
been sold in the UK, up five thousand units and just
under one percent on the same period last year. The Fiat
brand has 13,059 registrations for the first quarter and
when compared to 12,340 units during the same period
last year that is a rise of 5.83 percent which also
outperforms the overall market. Fiat's first quarter
market share rises from 2.21 percent in 2011 to 2.32
percent this year.
Alfa Romeo however has lost a quarter of its UK sales
over the first quarter, its 2,309 sales so far this year
versus 3,148 during the first three months of 2011 adds
up to a decline of 26.65 percent. As a result its
year-to-date share of the UK market drops from 0.56
percent in 2011 to 0.41 percent in 2012.
The Chrysler and Jeep brands are amongst the market's
best performers for the first quarter, Chrysler is on
782 sales, up 292.95 percent on the same period last
year to take a 0.14 percent market share, while Jeep is
on 682 sales and up 48.48 percent. The off road brand
has captured an 0.12 percent market share over the first
quarter.
Abarth has 362 sales for the year-to-date, down 39 units
and 9.73 percent on the same period last year. It's
market share drops by 0.01 percent to 0.06 percent for
the quarter. Finally, Maserati is on 99 units after
three months, down 10 units and 9.17 percent on the same
period last year.
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