Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) ended June with its sales across the twenty-eight countries of the European Union almost flat year-on-year, at 102,183 units, but it missed the market solid rise and both the Fiat and Alfa Romeo brands suffered as they lost almost ten percent of their sales.
During June EU passenger car registrations posted a robust increase, up +5.2%, totalling almost 1.6 million new cars. In volume terms, this result marked the highest June total on record to date.
Results were diverse among the five major EU markets. The United Kingdom (-3.5%) and Italy (-7.3%) both posted declines, while demand for cars increased in France (+9.2%), Spain (+8.0%) and Germany (+4.2%).
FCA was nearly three thousand units and 2.6% down on the same month last year and that meant its share of all EU passenger car sales for June came in at 6.5%, a year-on-year fall of half a percentage point. It's big rivals ahead – namely PSA and Renault – were all in positive territory during June and gained ground but behind FCA there were falls for Ford, BMW and Daimler although Toyota next up also made gains.
The Fiat brand was the big loser in the FCA portfolio as usual, it was down 9.4% and more than six thousand units down on the same month last year and as a result its market share declined from 5.5% to 4.7% year-on-year.
It was bleak too for Alfa Romeo as its relaunch stutters and the ‘sports’ brand’s sales fell by nearly one thousand units and 9.6% to 7,963 units. Its share of the EU market for June came in at 0.5%.
Meanwhile, Lancia’s sales were down 14% to 3,998 units, luxury brands, Ferrari and Maserati, combined, lost 19.7% to 682 units, while, finally, Jeep provided a better note as it was up 72.8% to 15,672 units.
Over the first half of the year the European new passenger car market grew by 2.9% to reach 8,449,247 units.
There has been a strong performance of the new EU member states with registrations increasing by 11.4% so far this year. On the major markets, demand after six months is up in Spain by 10.1%, France by 4.7% and Germany by 2.9%, although sales contracted in the United Kingdom, down 6.3%, and in FCA’s home market Italy, by 1.4%.
For the year-to-date the European outlook is slightly dull for FCA and 586,723 units is a small fall of thirteen thousand units and 2.2% on the first half of last year and its market share so far this year rests on 6.9%, down from 7.3% during the same period last year.
FCA’s three bigger volume rivals in Europe – VW, PSA and Renault – have each recorded single digit positive year-on-year gains for the first six months, although just below FCA in the sales charts, Ford, BMW and Daimler, are also all negative while the eighth biggest carmaking group in Europe, Toyota, is in positive territory.
The Fiat brand continues to suffer from neglect and a chronic lack of investment in new models and has shed more than forty thousand units and 9% so far this year, when compared to January to June 2017, to take a reduced 5% share of total EU new car sales.
Despite a slump last month, Alfa Romeo is still in positive territory after six months and has amassed 48,079 sales, up 8.1%, for a 0.6% share of the total market.
Lancia is down ten thousand units and 27.4% to 27,244 units after the first half of the year; its flagging sales coming from a single ageing model sold on a single market, namely the B-segment Ypsilon hatchback in Italy.
Luxury brands Ferrari and Maserati have sold a combined 4,658 cars this year, which is down 10.1% of the same period last year, while, finally, FCA's American brand Jeep has shifted 87,792 units in Europe this year which is up 68.1% when compared to the first six months of 2017.
