Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) missed out on a positive Italian new car market during November, its registrations slipping by 5.16% to 39,262 units. The picture was mixed amongst the FCA brands, Fiat recorded its worst ever share of its home market while Alfa Romeo provided a positive, it’s sales were up by a fifth.
The total Italian market for the month of November came in at 156,332 units, up by ten thousand units and 6.79% year-on-year. FCA was down by just over two thousand units, dragged lower by the Fiat brand which lost 13.6% as its sales as it fell by four thousand units to 26,081 to take a 16.68% share of registrations for the month – the lowest share it has ever recorded at home.
Alfa Romeo provided a much better picture though, it was up 21.49% to 4,008 units to claim a 2.56% share of total November sales, it’s fifth best month of the year in volume terms, while Lancia continues to prove highly resilient, narrowly following its sister niche brand home, with 3,917 sales last month and a 2.51% share of the market, albeit down 10.63% year-on-year and its worst month of the year in overall volume terms. FCA’s Jeep brand also had a strong month, up by 48.85% to 5,256 units while Maserati dipped 7.24% to 205 units.
Elsewhere Ferrari was down 16% last month after delivering 21 cars while Lamborghini sold 6 cars. DR Motor, which assembles Chinese vehicles in Italy was up by nearly a half year-on-year to 33 units during November.
For the year-to-date the Italian new car market is up 8.71% year-on-year and FCA, with 525,510 registrations, mirrors that trend, up 6.95%. That adds up to a 28.42% share of sales for the year-to-date and is thirty five thousand units down on last year but in share terms it's almost flat.
The Fiat brand, with 380,530 registrations, accounts for the bulk of FCA volumes for the first eleven months of the year and is up twenty thousand units and 5.95% year-on-year. Alfa Romeo is the best year-on-year performer from FCA for the year-to-date, up 27.09% to 42,440 units and a 2.3% share of the market.
Lancia is down around four thousand units for the first eleven month, a fall of 6.8%, but it comes it on a very healthy 57,196 units registered so far in 2017 which gives it a 3.09% share of year-to-date sales.
Elsewhere FCA’s Jeep brand is up 21.13% for the year-to-date and is on 45,344 units, a 2.45% share of registrations so far this year while Maserati is on 2,766 units, up by a half on the same eleven months of 2016. Ferrari has 336 sales for the year-to-date, down slightly, while Lamborghini has seen its sales rise by a third to 123 units. DR Motor, meanwhile, has made 394 sales so far this year.
During November the Fiat Panda found another 10,655 buyers to remain far clear at the top of the best seller charts with Lancia’s Ypsilon occupying second spot with 3,916 sales. The Fiat 500X was fifth, off the back of 3,547 sales, while the 500 was ninth after shifting 3,185 units. The 500's sales don’t include the sporty Abarth versions, which, if added in, would put the 500 into seventh place. Making it five FCA models in the top ten was Jeep’s Renegade with 3,335 units registered.
