21.10.2012 FIAT GROUP STRUGGLES FOR EUROPEAN SALES DURING SEPTEMBER

FIAT 500L

Fiat Group suffered another torrid month in Europe during September as its sales shrank 18.5 percent to 66,991 units, outpaced by the overall market which lost 11 percent as all its brands recorded double digit losses. In total 1,132,034 new cars were sold in Europe (EU27+EFTA) last month according to European auto manufacturer body ACEA.

In total Fiat Group dropped more than fifteen thousand units over the same month last year which depressed its market share by 0.6 percent to 5.9 percent. That left Fiat Group as the second worst performer amongst the main European auto groups, only Renault fared worse, dropping 29.0 percent. Fiat Group was also outsold by BMW Group by a margin of more that sixteen thousand units.

Amongst the company's brands, Fiat dropped by 15.5 percent and nine thousand units to 50,137 units during September, shrinking its market share for the month by 0.3 percent to 4.4 percent. Lancia (which includes Chrysler brand sales in its total) dropped 17.8 percent to 7,428 units although that kept its market share steady on 0.7 percent.

Alfa Romeo continued to be the biggest year-on-year loser amongst the Fiat Group Automobiles (FGA) brands, falling 35.6 percent to to just 6,941 units and which dropped its market share by 0.2 percent to 0.6 percent.

The Fiat Group's niche brands were also on the losing end during September, Jeep was down 18.8 percent to 2,194 units, but kept its market share unchanged of 0.2 percent, while the luxury/performance brands, Ferrari and Maserati, taken combined, sold 291 cars, a fall of 21.6 percent.

After the first nine months of the year, 9,724,423 new cars have been sold in Europe, down 7.2 percent on the same period last year. Fiat Group is on 623,791 sales for the year-to-date, a decline of 16.8 percent which adds up to a loss of one hundred and twenty five thousand units. As a consequence, its share of European sales for the year-to-date drops by 0.8 percent to 6.4 percent. It leaves Fiat Group as the second worst performer amongst the big nine groups (Renault is down 17.5 percent) and in fact the third worst of every carmaker in Europe, behind the French group and Mitsubishi (-33.6 percent).

The Fiat brand has 451,877 sales for the year-to-date and is down ninety thousand units and 16.7 percent on the same period last year. Its market share for the first three quarters of the year stands at 4.6 percent, down 0.6 percent on the same nine months of 2011.

Lancia is the softest faller of the year so far for FGA, and with 74,464 units sold, it is down 5.4 percent which outperforms the overall market and that helps to keep its market share steady at 0.8 percent.

There is no soft landing for Alfa Romeo however; its 72,172 units sold means it has fallen more than thirty eight thousand units on the same period last year and that is a fall of 31.6 percent which leaves it as the second worst performing brand in Europe for the year so far, marginally better than Mitsubishi.

Jeep is FGA's best performer for the year-to-date thanks to a very strong start to the year; it is up 21.9 percent on the same period last year after selling 21,233 units. That equates to a 0.2 percent share of the market for the year-to-date. It also makes Jeep Europe's second best performing brand for the first three quarters of the year, behind Land Rover which is up 42.3 percent.

 

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