Fiat's
best-selling and most important model, the B-segment Punto,
has enjoyed an impressive year-on-year sales rise in Europe
during February, up by 42.2 percent, thanks to the arrival
on most major markets now of the mid-life comprehensively
facelifted version, the Punto Evo.
This
latest version of the Punto was launched last autumn in
Italy and has since been rolled out across Europe. According
to automotive research body JATO Dynamics, the Punto
(including the Grande Punto, Punto Classic and Punto Evo
combined) saw 26,413 units sold last month compared to
18,577 units for the same month a year ago to make it the
continent's fourth best-selling car for the month of
February. For the year-to-date meanwhile the Punto has
amassed 54,272 sales versus 35,699 for the first two months
of last year and this means its sales have more than doubled
(+52.0 percent).
The Panda made it two Fiat Automobiles brand models in the
European top-ten last month: it was the seventh best-seller
and topped its class as usual. The Panda accounted for
21,854 units in February compared to 21,024 during the same
period a year ago which meant it too saw its sales rise
year-on-year (+3.9 percent). This month the Panda name tag
celebrated its thirtieth anniversary and the current model,
a former Car of the Year award-winner has comfortably
followed in the footsteps of the famous first-generation
model.
Meanwhile
for the year-to-date the Panda has notched up 44,110 sales
compared to 38,556 units during the opening two months last
year and this means it is up 14.4 percent year-on-year. The
performance of the Punto and Panda helped Fiat to be the
fifth best-selling brand in Europe last month.
Volkswagen’s Golf continues to dominate the sales charts
through February but its reliance on German car buyers, just
as this market shrinks due to the end of its scrappage
scheme, puts this position in doubt for the first time in
over a year. It all meant the Golf's lead over Ford’s Fiesta
for the month was cut to 4,737 sales (in February last year
the gap was 9,764 units). Overall, the Golf's sales were
down 4.0 percent across Europe last month, mainly due to a
9.4 percent drop in Germany, its largest market, and
responsible for approximately almost half of its European
sales: in February it stood at 45.2 percent.
The
Fiesta, which is a much stronger seller in UK, Spain and
Italy, has benefitted from the German market's decline and
more than halved the sales gap when compared with February
2009. These two remain clear of other top sellers, but the
Renault Clio, Punto and Volkswagen Polo all posted
double-digit sales gains last month. The Clio was Europe's
third with 27,334 units sold last month, the biggest winner
in the top-ten as it was up by 54.6 percent, although it
ended up less than 1,000 units ahead of the Punto. In fifth,
the VW Polo (26,026 units in February) was just under 400
units shy of the Punto, meaning the Clio, Punto and Polo
were covered by a difference of just over 1,300 units.
Splitting the Polo and Panda last month was the Peugeot 207
(25,295 units) which was the only other model beside the
Golf to see its sales fall year-on-year (-2.1 percent).
Rounding out the top ten was the Opel/Vauxhall Corsa (21,144
units, + 2.8 percent), Renault Megane (20,726 units, +40.1
percent) and finally the Opel/Vauxhall Astra (19,917 units,
+17.5 percent), a performance from the new GM model that
edged the Ford Focus out of the European top ten.
