RR Evoque Sales By Country: 2011

I wondered whether to bother about sharing Evoque's sales as it was released not long ago, so they cover only a short duration of the year. This also means that some countries got the car sooner than others, so that skews the figures against some nations. So taking that into account, here are the 2011 Evoque sales from certain nations only.

1 UK 4,839
2 USA 2,244
3 France 1,500
4 Russia 1,123

The Rover 800

I did a blog on the Rover 600 recently and thought I would add a piece about the 800. It arrived in 1986 as a replacement for the SD1, a car it didn't quite match in my opinion. Still, based on the Honda Legend as it was, it proved not a bad car. A friend of mine had an 800 from new in NZ. He gave it a pretty hard life and it went well for just about 225,000 kms, by which time it was somewhat

Jaguar XJ Sales By Country: 2011

The XJ is a fabulous car competing in a shrinking segment, that is of premium saloon cars. Traditional buyers have moved steadily over to premium SUVs. In Asia, they still have a strong following, but I do not have data for that area. I'm sure the likes of Singapore, Japan and Korea would do quite well in this list.

Obviously, the USA is where many XJs find a home. However, too many markets do

Range Rover/Sport Sales By Country: 2011

There are three lists in this entry, RR Sort, Range Rover and combined sales. They give an indication of how the model sells in various countries and as more figures come to light, they will be added.

The Range Rover Sport has been a winner since its introduction in 2005. Combining luxury, SUV capabilities with good handling is clearly a popular combination. The RR Sport is very popular in Italy

Renault Group Sales In Africa By Nation: 2011

Access to car sales data for Africa, with a few exceptions, is impossible. Renault release their own in great detail. Oh that other car makers were as transparent. All the competitors already know what other manufacturers are doing anyway, so keeping the interested public in the dark is pointless. Full marks to Renault.In 2011, Renault had a solid increase on the continent. It relies mainly on

Jaguar XF Sales By Country: 2011

The XF is a fine car, both in style and driving pleasure. Jaguar do not chase volume, but are more interested in being profitable so some of the figures below are not that large. However the model makes money for the brand, which then can be used to expand its limited range of vehicles. I think a few long suffering dealers want a wider range of models...now! In the meantime, the XF is doing what

Australia / NZ Sales By Brand Comparison: 2011

Australia and New Zealand (ANZACs) are very close nations, like Canada and the USA. Accents and culture also have a strong similarity. How about car buying preferences by brand?

To start, Australia has 92.3% of sales and NZ 7.7%. The figure after the brand name below is the percentage the brand achieves over or under the average, NZ being the reference country. For example Suzuki makes 16.9% of

LR Discovery Sales By Country: 2011

Some say the Discovery (LR4) is the best SUV, with good road manners and excellent off road capability. It is hard to argue with that. It certainly sells well in places where rough roads and off roading are common. The list is by no means comprehensive, but will be added to as data comes in.


1 USA 7,983

2 UK 7,861

3 Brazil 3,067

4 Russia 2,920

5 South Africa 2,553

6 Australia 2,086

7

Toyota GT 86 & Subaru BRZ

I am one who is critical of the lack of imagination Japanese car makers have shown for some time now. Design is never revolutionary and halo models simply don't exist anymore. Well Toyota and Subaru have finally decided to create a model that will never sell in big numbers but show it still has a little soul. The car in question the GT 86, made in collaboration with Subaru. Subaru, which is now

LR Freelander Sales By Country: 2011

The Freelander has been a success for LR from day one. It should have been released even sooner but LR couldn't afford to. How times have changed. The current Freelander (LR2) hasn't sold as well as it deserves, partly due to conservative styling (which still looks good in my eyes) and increasing competition in the segment. It is a fine all round vehicle.

Below are sales for some countries in

Lotus Car Sales: 2011

Lotus is a small sports car producer that did well with the Elise model, and got to make a decent amount of cars. It’s been around a while now and sales are declining each year. A whole raft of models are going to be coming out over the next few years that should give a real boost to production and profits.

Below are some sales figures from around the world. The total sales figure is an

Volvo Sales: 2011

Just as Tata's purchase of JLR has been a success, Geely's ownership of Volvo is doing something similar for Volvo. So how did it go for the Swedish car maker in 2011?

Total sales: 449,255 (373525 2010, +20.3% increase).

Top 10 markets
(2010 in brackets):

USA 67,300 (54,000)
Sweden 58,500 (52,900)
China 47,100 (30,500)
Germany 33,200 (25,200)
UK 32,300 (37,900)
Belgium 20,300 (17,600)
Russia

Car Subsidies

I just read this headline regarding a financial package given by the Welsh Government to secure the future of a car parts factory: 300 jobs saved in £12.4m boost for Llanelli factory. The article said: "The £3.4 million package has in turn led to its parent company investing a further £9 million, safeguarding a total of 302 jobs, including an increased number of permanent positions at the plant.

USA / Canada Sales By Brand Comparison: 2011

Canucks like their Dodge Rams...

The USA and Canada are very close nations. Accents and culture have a strong similarity. How about car buying preferences by brand?

To start, the US has 89% of North American sales and Canada 11%. The figure after the brand name below is the percentage the brand achieves over or under the average, Canada being the reference country. For example Ram makes 20.4%

Aston Martin Sales By Country: 2011

Getting Aston sales is not easy. The US figure is from a reputable source, but an estimate only. China? My estimate there. Canada? I wouldn't even have a stab at that one. What is there gives an indication, but if anyone can shed light on it, please let me know. Ax I get more data, I will add it to the list.

The top three have their share of AM sales in brackets, which represents just over half

Bentley Sales By Country: 2011

Bentley was up by over a third in 2011, still short of the 2005-08 period when the world economy was in 'super greed' mode. So for the more restrained times we now live in, a good result.

Three markets dominate, and I have put the share they took of total Bentley sales in brackets - 70% in total between them.

1 USA 2,021 +32% (28.9%)
2 China 1,839 +96% (26.3%)
3 UK 1,037 +4% (14.8%)
4 Germany

Top Brands Worldwide By Country: 2011

The leading brand by country in 2011 didn't show much change around the world (excluding Europe). Toyota is the big one, closely followed by GM. VW's aspirations at being the biggest in the world is hampered by its lack of strength in so many markets outside of Europe and China.

The number shown after the car brand is the amount of top spots they got. A number after country is what ranking they

Vehicle Production Japan: 2011

We all know that the Japanese car industry did it tough in 2011. That is reflected in production the figures below, especially car making. I looked back to 1990 to see how bad it was. Both Toyota and Honda had their lowest car production in 2011 for that twenty two year period. Considering the recent slump of a few years ago - and to go under that - shows how bad it was for those two

Top Brands In Europe By Country: 2011

As to which manufacturer is top in a given country can be influenced by various factors. For example, a local brand is usually top where it is made. German speaking countries and northern Europe favour VW, Renault is most popular in southern Europe, while Skoda and Lada are strong in eastern parts.

Below shows which make was most popular in the listed country. A number in brackets by the brand

Vehicle Sales Thailand: 2011

The floods that devastated Thailand dented vehicle sales rather badly, yet the strong sales before that meant that the market proved stable for the total year.

To sell cars in numbers in Thailand, you have to make cars locally to avoid steep import duty. Toyota provide the sales for the country, and they dominate the market. The three top makes were hurt by the floods most it seems. Other

Nedcar Production History: 1995-2010

Below is an article about Dutch car plant Nedcar in Born. To see the problem, production figures give it away. When the plant was shared, production volume made it viable. Now down to one brand and possibly one model, it would never pay. To show what I mean, production figures for the plant when Mitsubishi joined production:





Yr
Total
Mitsub
Volvo
smart


95
100,400

Car Plant For One Euro

Mitsubishi operate a car plant in the southeast of the Netherlands called Nedcar, which they took over fully from Volvo in 2001. Prior to that it was joint owned. Mitsubishi now want to end its production there and are asking a token 1 Euro for its purchase. Production is down to only 50,000 cars, the 1,500 workers making the Colt and Outlander models. Mitsubishi's European sales have dropped

Car Sales Philippines: 2011

The local car market is heavily protected by import duties. For the size of the population, sales are modest, due to low incomes for many. If commercial vehicle sales were taken out, personal car sales would be very low. Some brands such as Land Rover and Jaguar are sold but the importer does not release sales figures. Such secrecy is so last century, and not proactive.1 Toyota 54,600 -4%2

Global Sales Renault Group: 2011

In 2011, Renault achieved record global sales of 2,722,000 units, up 3.6%. Growth was driven by sales outside Europe, representing 43% of group sales, against 37% in 2010. Last year, the group's main markets (excluding Lada) are below. The percentage figure represents market share for that country:France 689,000 26.1% Brazil 194,300 5.7% Germany 181,200 5.3%Russia 154,700 5.8%Turkey 140,800 16.3%

Car Sales India: 2011

This is an increasingly important market in size and potential. A car maker has to assemble cars locally to achieve any penetration due to stiff tariffs. Suzuki had supply problems which show below in the sales slump. The Land Rover and Jaguar sales are estimates, due to Tata steadfastly refusing to elaborate in any way other than to say they are doing fine.

1 Suzuki 685,000 -36%
2 Hyundai

Car Sales Morocco: 2011

Data from this North African country are as rare as hens teeth, so we take what we can get. The top ten as below:

1 Dacia 22,356
2 Renault 19,145
3 Peugeot 11,244
4 Ford 7,351
5 Hyundai 6,950
6 VW 5,947
7 Citroen 5,770
8 Toyota 4,726
9 Kia 4,683
10 Fiat 4,027

Premium brand sales:

BMW 1,336
Mercedes 1,320
Audi 1,289
Alfa Romeo 379
Land Rover 374
Volvo 320
MINI 205
Jaguar 100
Porsche 98

Car Sales Paraguay: 2011

Local importing association Cadam used to give out reasonable data, but lately has got a bit stingy. They give out enough to allow this summary, so that is a positive. Paraguay is a poor country, so these sales figures are strong, with a healthy increase too. The Koreans are successful here, while the Chinese brands are quieter than I thought they might be.

1 Kia 4,300 38%
2 Chevrolet 4,000 24%

Car/LCV Sales Brazil: 2011

Fiat has been the best performing brand for many years here. To sell in any numbers in Brazil, you have to manufacture in the country, and the government seems to be heading even more down that route. This ensures the market will be dominated by the big car makers in the country. The top three brands took over 60% of the market!

Getting accurate data can be a challenge too. It varies from place

Car Sales Cyprus: 2011

It is hard to get car sales figures for Cyprus, but super sleuth here has managed to put something together. Between 2004-2008, sales boomed but were pegged back by the recession, but still remain quite strong.

In 2008, Nissan took the lead for the first time and are now running away with it. Ford, leader in 2006-2007, are the only brand really keeping in touch. Front runners prior to 2006

Jaguar Sales By Country: 2011

Jaguar sales were modest in 2011, but they were profitable. Much of its recent history has featured red ink, so that itself is an achievement. Think of what an SUV would have done for the brand. Jaguar is a case of missed opportunities, but they are remedying that. Some bright spots were China, Korea, Russia and Singapore. The brand is definitely heading easterly for future growth, as the west

BMW M5 vs Jaguar XFR

Two ultimate driving machines went head to head in an Auto Express test. How did they fare? The M5 first:


Plus: Agile, direct steering, excellent body control, limpet-like grip, gearbox smooth and relaxing shifts (at speed).

Minus: A little detached and clinical, gearbox slightly jerky around town, quite a bit more expensive.

Plus: Blisteringly quick, sleek style, engaging driving dynamics,

Car Market Japan (Local Brands): 2011

Toyota has always been at the forefront of the Japanese market, and probably always will. However, 2011 will not go down as one to remember fondly for the car making giant. Its market share was the worst since 2001, when it had a bit of a rough time also. The 40% plus of the late 80's is now a distant memory.

Nissan had its best penetration since 2005, Lexus its best share since it became a