UK Top 50 Models : 2018

Sales were down in the UK so it stands to reason that many of the models also fell. The Ford Fiesta did manage to hold up well and cemented its top ranking. Ford got three in the top nine models, a result it has been achieving for many decades.

Vauxhall was listed as a US brand but with its purchase by PSA and the fact the name is British had me switching it to a European brand. The Opel

UK Premium Sales Comparison : 2016-18

The UK is a happy hunting ground for German car manufacturers. perhaps excessively so. Even Audi's heavy sales drop in 2018 didn't allow JLR to get within a bulls roar of them. Or course, Land Rover in particular have been blighted by an almost total reliance on diesel engines, which are are increasingly vilified. In that, I was surprised that LR sales held up as well as they did.

A trend in

Russia / UK / Germany JLR Comparison : 2010-16

These three countries are the biggest in Europe so an obvious mix. The Russian average 2010 to 2016 registrations of some 2,260,000 includes light commercial sales. Both the UK (2,300,000) and Germany (3,100,000) do not. However, I did slip in Land Rover lcv sales for the latter two countries. This makes the totals comparable but it does distort slightly the market share figure.

Russia:

Lies, Damned Lies & Statistics

If it wasn't for Johnny Foreigner, they wouldn't have a job


I like statistics. I also realise that misinterpreted or twisted, they are the worst kind of lie. The reason being figures indicate there is concrete evidence for an argument, so a wrong conclusion presented beguiles. It can be done by only emphasising the statistics that add weight to the opinion and ignoring those that would

Toyota UK Sales 2010-16 (by model)

Toyota had a good decade previously in the UK, yet it's share slipped during the six years of this period under discussion. To find the problem isn't obvious at first. Only the medium large Avensis model fell substantially. However, the overall market in the UK was very strong for sales and while Toyota didn't lose sales, they didn't grow fully with the market.

I think Toyota was simply not

Toyota UK Sales 2000-09 (by model)

Toyota UK finished the 90's with 3.5% share of the UK market. Could it improve from there? Changes came and fast. The Carina became the Avensis in 1997, the Yaris came from the Starlet in 1999, while the Corolla changed to the Auris in 2006. Later in the decade, the number of models were reduced but the ones coming in were higher volume. So the 3.5% became 5.1% ten years later.

Of the new

Toyota UK Sales 1980-89 (by model)

The Toyota Camry folks


The 1980's were an unusual period. The 70's had seen consistent growth and 1980 heralded continued increase with a strong 2.3% market share. However, that proved a false dawn as 1981 witnessed a 31.5% drop in sales and share down to 1.6%. Things picked up from there but so did total sales so by 1989, 1.8% was the market penetration.

The Corolla was the main model,

Vested Interest

It's understandable that what affects you is important. That could include something that will raise challenges to your business or cost you financially. However, painting a picture that is misleading or false to achieve what is desired is dishonest. Yet that is the modus operandi of many today and the media are part of the misinformation propaganda.

Take the UK. When the Commonwealth was losing

UK Vehicle Sales - Brand / 2016

UK car sales are nearly 2.7 million units and by adding commercial vehicle (CVs) registrations of just over 437,000 one comes to a grand total in excess of  3.1 million. Cars sales were up 2.3% and CVs 1.3%. In 2015, CVs grew much faster.

Obviously adding CV sales benefits some brands and not others. Ford goes from 11.8% to 16.3%, GM Vauxhall from 9.3% to 10.7%, VW 7.7% /  9.4%, Mercedes 6.3%

UK Premium Comparison : 2010-16

Premium cars are proving popular in many nations. They are often outselling cheaper mainstream brand while at the same time making more profit. More recently the most aggressive attack on this segment have been the BAM marques, BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz. However other car makers are striking back and the competition is heating up. So a look at sales in this decade would be interesting.

First

UK Car Sales - Brand / 2016

Five years of consecutive increase and record sales. When is this market going to take a break? It's over achieving and surely 2017 will see some sort of retrenchment? No, not because of any political dramas, though surely they will be blamed if sales do fall in any way.

Ford have led since 1977 but it seems that another brand could take that one day. It's just hard to say which one could.

Britain's Biggest Private Car Collection For Sale

 Britain's biggest private car collection is for sale for £100m.

James Hull has filled a number of warehouses with cars from the past 80 years. Due to health issues the owner James Hull has decided to move them on. It seems he would like to keep the collection intact if possible. I would imagine he would get more individually but for sentiment I can see why he wants it that way.

The 450 car

UK Top Four Brands : 2001-2013

The Ford Fiesta shines in the UK, unlike the weather


In the late 90's, Peugeot and Renault got into the top four UK brands. However, it wasn't long before German makes elbowed them out. First VW came in, then BMW. BMW has now given way to Audi. Both Ford and GM Vauxhall has lost market share over the decades and that continued here. The extreme right column is the percentage share the top

UK Top Four Brands : 1985-2000

The British loved the Escort.


Having considered the top four makes from 1965-84, we move on to the mid eighties. Ford took over from BL in 1977 and has stayed there since. BL became the Rover Group in 1986 as it tried to regroup. GM's Vauxhall had mixed results but settled down in the late eighties. Nissan enjoyed nine years at fourth until Peugeot - using the Rootes (Hillman) factory to make

UK Top Four Brands : 1965-84

Considering it came out in 1962, a stylish car in its day.


The only benefit of history is if you can learn something from it. That's my philosophy, although history teachers may say there is more to the subject than that. Anyway, the figures below reveal much about an important part of UK car sales.

After World War II, the UK quickly built up it's peacetime industries such as vehicle

Customer Satisfaction Survey UK: 2012

I prefer customer satisfaction surveys as they cover a broader field than just a reliability one. If customers feel satisfied with the car they bought, they will more likely return to the brand next time.

The J.D. Power & Associates/What Car? 2012 UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study according to the jdpower.com website "is based on owner evaluations of their vehicle and dealer across 67