Volkswagen, Opel, Ford, Renault, Peugeot, and Fiat were the top selling car brands in the European Union and EFTA in 2007. Mini, Dacia, and Honda increased sales most.

The European car market in 2007 was relatively flat with sales increasing by only 1.1% in the European Union and European Free Trade Association countries. In comparison to 2006, there were no changes in the relative positions of the top nine manufacturers while Volkswagen and Opel/Vauxhall remained the best selling car brands.

• The best selling car models in Europe in 2007, as calculated by Jato, were the Peugeot 207, which just edged out the VW Golf and Ford Focus.

Top Selling Cars in Europe in 2007 by Manufacturing Groups

The Volkswagen Group (VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti & Lamborghini) comfortably maintained its lead as best selling car manufacturer in Europe by capturing 19.7% (20.2% in 2006) of the total market. Second biggest manufacturer was the French PSA Group (Peugeot & Citroen) with 12.8% (12.9%) of the European market followed by Ford with 10.5% (10.4%), GM with 10.2% (10.2%), and Renault with 8.7% (9.2%).

• Full data by manufacturers with more than 1% market share for the year 2007 was as follows:

Manufacturer … % Market Share …No of Cars Sold … % Change in Volume from 2006 … (Top Brands if Different from Manufacturer Name)

1. Volkswagen … 19.7 … 3,150,933 … -1.1 … (Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Seat)
2. PSA … 12.8 … 2,050,708 … +0.6 … (Peugeot, Citroen)
3. Ford … 10.5 … 1,667,915 … +1.7 … (Ford, Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar)
4. GM … 10.2 … 1,635,040 … +1.6 … (Opel/Vauxhall, Chevrolet, Saab)
5. Renault … 8.7 … 1,380,952 … -4.4 … (Renault, Dacia)
6. Fiat … 7.8 … 1,249,092 … +7.1 … (Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia)
7. Toyota … 5.8 … 929,585 … +2.5 … (Toyota, Lexus)
8. BMW … 5.3 … 848,080 … +6.7 … (BMW, Mini)
9. Daimler … 5.2 … 826,150 … -0.2 … (Mercedes, Smart)
10. Honda … 2.0 … 313,898 … +12.0
11. Nissan … 1.9 … 310,698 … -5.6
12. Hyundai … 1.9 … 308,687 … -5.4
13. Suzuki … 1.8 … 287,793 … +9.3
14. Kia … 1.6 … 252,590 … +5.0
15. Mazda … 1.5 … 240,354 … -6.0

Honda, with a 12% increase in sales, saw the biggest gain of manufacturing groups while Fiat’s leap of 7.1% translated into over 80,000 more cars sold in 2007 than in 2006. Mazda, Nissan, and Hyundai saw sales decline by more than 5% each while French manufacturer Renault also struggled.

Top Selling Cars in Europe in 2007 by Brand Name

VW’s Volkswagen remained the best selling car brand in Europe with 10.2% (10.7% in 2006) of the market. GM’s Opel/Vauxhall brand maintained its second position with 8.4% (8.5%), while Ford with 8.0% (8.0%) overtook Renault’s 7.6% (8.3%) to regain third position in Europe.

• Full data by car brand name with more than 2% market share for the year 2007 was as follows:

Car Brand … % Market Share …No of Cars Sold … % Change in Volume from 2006

1. Volkswagen … 10.2 … 1,630,638 … -3.4
2. Opel/Vauxhall … 8.4 … 1,344,402 … +0.8
3. Ford … 8.0 … 1,276,651 … +0.5
4. Renault … 7.6 … 1,208,118 … -7.5
5. Peugeot … 6.9 … 1,107,251 … -1.2
6. Fiat … 6.1 … 976,981 … +8.6
7. Citroen … 5.9 … 943,457 … +2.9
8. Toyota … 5.6 … 890,126 … +2.6
9. Mercedes … 4.6 … 729,950 … +0.6
10. BMW … 4.4 … 703,201 … +3.3
11. Audi … 4.1 … 660,151 … +3.0
12. Skoda … 2.9 … 468,628 … +1.3
13. Seat … 2.4 … 386,981 … -0.5
14. Honda … 2.0 … 313,898 … +12.0

Most improved brands in terms of relative increase in cars sold was BMW’s Mini (+26.8%) and Renault’s Dacia (+24.7%). However, Fiat’s increase of 77,000 cars (+8.6%) sold was the highest change in the actual number of cars sold.

Worst performers in 2007 were Ford’s troubled Jaguar brand (-19.1%) and Renault (-7.5% - almost 100,000 cars less than in 2006).