While the European new car market did not have a good year, there were some interesting surprises in the overall model rankings for 2022. According to data released by JATO, the top-selling new car in the region was the Peugeot 208 with 206,816 units. . Its volume increased by 5% compared to 2021, allowing Peugeot to take the lead in this ranking for the first time since 2007, when the 207 reigned supreme.
Indeed, the 208 dethroned the Volkswagen Golf, which has continued to dominate the European car market since 2008. This major change is explained by the continued decline in sales of the German sedan across Europe following problems software, availability, and increased competition within the Volkswagen Group. . The Golf thus slips to fifth place in the ranking, far behind the Dacia Sandero, the Volkswagen T-Roc and the Fiat / Abarth 500.
Citroen C3 and Peugeot 2008 out of the top 10
Among the other strong performances in the top 10 is that of the Fiat 500, which rose from ninth position in 2021 to fourth last year. The Volkswagen T-Roc rose from sixth to third position, becoming the best-selling SUV in Europe and ousting the Peugeot 2008.
The 2008 dropped out of the top ten as its volume dropped 28%, but it remained Peugeot’s second best-selling SUV and Stellantis’ most popular. The Citroën C3 fell from tenth position in 2021 to eleventh in 2022. These two models were replaced in the top 10 by the Hyundai Tucson, in eighth place, and the Dacia Duster in ninth, both surpassing sales of another traditional hot-seller, the Renault Clio, which rose from fourth to tenth position in 2022.
Tesla Model Y: the best-selling electric
Further down the chart, the Tesla Model Y did very well with 138,128 units. It managed to surpass the Model 3 and become the best-selling electric vehicle in Europe. The Model Y failed to surpass the 141,952 units registered by the Model 3 in 2021. However, with 233,307 registered units, Tesla was the 18th best-selling brand in Europe, ahead of other major automakers such as Seat, Mini, Mazda or Suzuki. .
The Toyota Yaris Cross has also seen a sharp increase in registrations: the volume increased from 27,272 units in 2021 to 136,986 units last year. Although Toyota is a latecomer in the B-SUV sector, the Yaris Cross turns out to be the right bet, as it was the fourth best-selling B-SUV.
The Kia Sportage is also making significant progress, thanks to the arrival of the latest generation: it is the second best-selling C-SUV, ceding first place to its cousin the Hyundai Tucson. These two SUVs were able to surpass big bestsellers like the Nissan Qashqai, the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Ford Kuga and the Peugeot 3008.
Other Notable Performances
The Opel/Vauxhall Mokka, in 32nd place, registered 97,547 units, up 34%. Likewise, thanks to a new generation model, the Peugeot 308 also achieved a significant increase of 80% to 90,160 units. But it is still far from the leaders – the Volkswagen Golf with more than 177,000 units and the Toyota Corolla with almost 130,000 units.
Cupra did a great job with the Formentor: 87,175 units, up 68%, outperforming any Seat. Additionally, the Renault Arkana, Mercedes C-Class, Volkswagen Taigo, Dacia Jogger, Dacia Spring, MG ZS, BMW 4 Series, Hyundai IONIQ 5, MG HS, Cupra Born, Polestar 2, Kia EV6 and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross performed very well. . Good.
The author of the article, Felipe Munoz, is an automotive industry specialist at JATO Dynamics.
