The VW Golf is no longer Europe's favourite car
Monday, 13 February 2023
Volkswagen’s Golf hatchback has, since 2007, been the best-selling vehicle in Europe. Sadly, when you’re at the top, the only way to go is down, and as of the end of 2022, the Golf has been dethroned.
According to data from JATO, which analyses the European car market as well as global trends, car sales across all 26 members of the European Union as well as the UK, Norway, Switzerland and Iceland dropped by 4.1% to 11,309,310, the lowest number recorded since 1985.
The Golf didn’t just drop off the top spot, it went down to fifth overall. Software and useability issues hurt the Golf’s popularity, as did the ever-popular crossover SUV segment.
Taking over the top spot for 2022 was Peugeot’s 208 hatchback, followed by the Dacia Sandero, then the Volkswagen T-Roc and the Fiat 500, which JATO says performed well thanks to its electric version. Presumably the same applies to the Peugeot with the e-208.
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In fact, the largest vehicle in the European top-ten list is the Hyundai Tucson, which saw 150,803 sales over the year, compared to the 208’s 206,816 registrations. Volkswagen shifted 177,203 Golfs.
To offer some perspective, Peugeot notched 539 sales of the 208 in New Zealand, including both electric and petrol versions. Interestingly, the e-208 is by far the most popular, with 343 registrations over 2022. Across all four locally offered Golf variants (Life, R-Line, GTI and R), Volkswagen sold 398 units.
Both of those models pale in comparison with the Kiwi love for utes – the Ford Ranger notched 11,577 registrations last year and the Toyota Hilux managed 9,787 registrations.
If you’re curious, the best-selling electric cars in Europe were the Tesla Model Y (13th overall with 138,128 units), Tesla Model 3 (33rd with 91,684), and Volkswagen ID.4 (50th with 67,655). The Model Y sold 4,226 units in New Zealand, while the 3 sold 2761 units.
You can see why folks like the MIA are constantly saying New Zealand doesn’t have the swaying power to push car manufacturers to build more hybrids or EVs. Our yearly sales simply don’t compare.
As for brands in Europe, Volkswagen is still number one, with 1,198,926 total sales for 2022, followed by Toyota with 766,227 sales, then Mercedes-Benz with 647,880. The rest of the list is populated by BMW, Peugeot, Audi, Renault, Ford, Skoda and Kia.
Outside the top ten, MG showed strong year-on-year growth, up 116% to 113,672 total units sold and 24th place. Cupra went up 93% to 141,470 and 21st place, and Tesla improved 38% to 233,307 and 18th place.