While it may be doom and gloom for GM’s Opel brand in Europe, the same can’t be said of Chevrolet. From January through September 2012, Chevrolet sold 157,000 cars in Western and Central Europe — a 2.3 percent increase (or 3,500 cars) compared to the same time frame in 2011, when Chevy sold 153,500 vehicles. The news comes at a time when the auto industry is experiencing an 8 percent downturn.
Most of the sales came from Western Europe, where The Bow Tie brand sold 122,300 units, up 3,650 cars or 3.1 percent. The total results elevated Chevy’s total European market share by 0.13 points to 1.34 percent, with gains in share across 19 European countries.
In five European countries, GM’s core mainstream brand attained an all-time sales record during the first nine months of 2012:
- France – 19,490 cars
- The Netherlands – 8,390 cars
- Poland 8,340 cars
- Austria – 3,790 cars
- Switzerland – 2,940 cars
The popularity of Chevy vehicles sold in Europe is as follows (in descending order):
- Aveo – 45,650 cars (known as the Sonic in the United States)
- Spark – 40,370 cars
- Cruze line (sedan, hatchback, and wagon) – 29,620 cars
- Captiva – 18,950 cars
- Orlando – 18,780
- Camaro – 1,800
In the last year-and-a-half, Chevy launched ten new models in Europe — a factor that has likely contributed to the results were see here.
In addition, Chevy sold 7,200 vehicles in Israel for a market share of 4.26 percent during the January-September period. Israel is organizationally part of Chevrolet Europe but Israel-market sales are not included in the overall sales figured of Chevrolet Europe.
| Country | Sales in units | Variance to 2011 in units | Variance to 2011 in percent | Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 24,960 | +420 | +1.7% | 2.10% |
| Germany | 23,230 | +300 | +1.3% | 0.90% |
| France | 19,490 | +1670 | +9.4% | 1.11% |
The GM Authority Take
Talk about a silver lining! As the automotive industry at large is facing sizable downturns in Europe, Chevy’s Cinderella story may be just what The General needs to bring its European operations to profitability. Of course, a 0.13 percent increase doesn’t result in a significant positive financial impact, but just think about what may come of Chevy’s sales when the Euro-zone financial crisis comes to an end. Now, how about bringing the Cruze hatch and wagon Stateside?
Comments
Don’t forget Uzbekistan where GM has a 95% market share.
Agreed on the Cruze Wagon/Hatch. I’d be in a dealership tomorrow for a hatchback if they had em.
Any model breakdown? where are these cars built?
Euro-spec Chevys are built in Korea:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/guides/manufacturing
GM’s European operations don’t disclose model-specific sales info, unfortunately.
I would like to be able to buy a Cruze wagon or hatchback. Instead, I find myself shopping for Ford Focus hatch. And, the dealer tells me they will get a $4,000 markup for the ST.
That’s usually the way it is, although it should drop after a few months of the car being on the market.
Is it that much of a problem to import the wagon/hatch to US for a test to see demand?
Sorry guys to dissapoint you:
1) I am a GM / Chevrolet / Opel / gmauthority fan
2) This post is based on wrong assumtions and poor investigations
Almost two third (>60%!!) of the cars were first registrations done by chevrolet itself. There are various sources (google “händlerzulassung auf rekordniveau”).
Alex, you should better update your Authority Take:
It is complete nonsense to assume that chevrolet is performing well in europe and performing superior compared to Opel. Both are suffering in Europe, Chevrolet even worse (65% compared to 47% own registrations).
I am a big fan of GM authority, but I have never read such bad post. Come on-you can do better than this.