Car Stats And What It May Tell Us

When looking around the world for car sales statistics, it is amazing how varied the quality of data that is freely available to the public. Western countries are the most open whereas emerging nations not so, and this tells us about the thinking of those areas. However, even within regions, variance is very much in evidence.

As an example, I'll give my experiences with Scandinavian countries

The Rover 200: 2000-05

This is one of four articles about the Rover 200/25 model.




The facelifted 200 was named the 25 and certainly the new look was attractive. Within a year, BMW sold Rover to the Phoenix consortium, a group that didn’t have the resources to revive the company from the state BMW had left it in. A new vehicle was needed, but it would never eventuate.


The new owners tried to leverage all they

The Rover 200: 1996-99

This is one of four articles about the Rover 200/25 model.

The final version of the 200 series (R3) was the most British of them all. It was the best looking in my opinion, but not the best packaged. By the time it was released the sad divorce between Honda and Rover was complete. BMW was the new owner and Honda didn’t want to remain in the alliance if that was the case. It was a reasonable

The Rover 200: 1990-95

This is one of four articles about the Rover 200/25 model.


The second generation Rover 200 (R8) was a model that came as a 3-door, 5-door, 2-door coupe, 2-door cabriolet and 5-door estate (wagon). It also had several engine options, both petrol and diesel. The variations were a big lift from the previous model. Rover were serious about this car. The 4-door version was called the 400 and was

The Rover 200: 1984-89

This is one of four articles about the Rover 200/25 model.


The Rover Group was formed out the mess that BL had become. It needed to get its act together and quickly if it was to survive. It started collaborating with Honda, which was very successful for both parties but especially Rover. Rover had done well with the first attempt the Triumph Acclaim, a rebadged Honda Ballade. They then replaced

Ford vs GM Opel

These two brands are well established European brands, despite their US origin and ownership. Many years ago Ford had separate units in the UK and Germany, as did GM under the brands Opel and Vauxhall. Ford still develops its Euro offerings in both countries, whereas Opel now runs GM Europe. Historically Ford has been strongest in the UK, but GM outperformed Ford on the mainland. In more recent

The New 2013 Range Rover

I like to see changes in the look of a car from one model to another. That can be difficult if the current model is a winner in that department, or if management is too risk averse. BMW has a problem with the former with the iconic MINI, and most Japanese firms now have the latter problem. Which brings us to the the new Range Rover. It is a classic car, in style and the change it brought about in

Mercedes Benz CLS Shooting Brake 2013

Is this the ugliest car to be released this year? I cannot believe all the money MB would have spent on this, and this is the prettiest they could make it. They are trying to make a wagon shape look sporty. What they created was this bizarre monstrosity. The even more amazing thing is that some people will buy it because of the badge and the fact that it will be a quality vehicle. Why can't you

Honda vs Peugeot

Comparing Honda and Peugeot may seem an unusual choice. However, many of their models go head to head, so why not? One way they are similar is that neither has been doing much to broaden the range of vehicles they sell. Peugeot have recently gone to Mitsubishi for a SUV vehicle model to sell under its brand, something you would think it would have done for itself years ago. Meanwhile Honda have

BMW & PR Spin

Putting a positive spin on a negative is the way of business today. BMW is very good at it. Take the second quarter of 2012 for example. Revenue was up 7% on increased sales, but net profit was down 28%. When I see those figures a bell goes off in my head saying 'warning'! How can sales and therefore revenue be climbing, while profits tumble?

Here is where the spin comes in. BMW said increased

The European Car Crisis: VW / Fiat 2012

Not to labour the point for too long, the final installment in this series compares VW and Fiat in Western Europe. Fiat was the darling of the region many moons ago, with models such as the 125, 127 and 128. Ah, those were the days. VW has been more consistent, in fact consolidating its position of late. Going back as far as I have data, VW was third in 1990 (10.4% share) and Fiat fourth (9.9%)

The European Car Crisis: PSA/Renault 2012

The three main car producers in France, Peugeot / Citroen (PSA) and Renault are doing it tough. Sales are falling because of too much reliance on Europe which is doing badly. Also, they have been not very aggressive expanding into new niche areas like you would expect French brands to be doing. They once produced fine cars as you see pictured, however now they don't. In a word, they have become