Only Three of Europe's Best Selling Cars Had Sales Increases in January

As we reported yesterday, EU auto sales fell to their lowest levels since 1990 in January. Now, the numbers for the top selling models in January have been released, and only three models had sales increases over last January.

The Volkswagen GolfVolkswagen Volkswagen Golf Gen.7 [VII]Germany, 2012 > present363 versions
458 photos
is still the best selling car in Europe, but sales are falling rapidly. In December 2012, sales were down 31.7% compared to the previous December. The first numbers for 2013 have been released, and Golf sales were down 17.8% in January to 30,338 cars.

Things were not much better on the rest of the list. Only three models in the top 10 of EU car sales had a sales increase. The Renault ClioRenault Clio Gen.4France, 2012 > present92 versions
164 photos
sold 20,580 units, 11.3% better than last January. The Opel/Vauxhall AstraOpel Astra Gen.4 [J/D]Germany, 2010 > 2015194 versions
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sold 16,898 cars, a 0.7% increase. Finally, Opel/Vauxhall CorsaOpel Corsa Gen.4 [D]Germany, 2006 > present222 versions
379 photos
sold 15,923 cars, a 1.7% increase.

The outlier on the list was the Peugeot 208Peugeot 208 Gen.1France, 2012 > present103 versions
198 photos
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, which was the fifth bestselling car in the EU. It was not on sale last January; so there were no data to compare its sales to. 

The B-segment is now the most popular in Europe, other than the Golf. The FiestaFord Fiesta Gen.6United States of America, 2008 > 2017204 versions
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, PoloVolkswagen Polo Gen.5Germany, 2009 > present247 versions
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, Clio and 208 held the second through fifth spots on the bestsellers list.

There is no indication that the falling sales will end any time soon. Analytics firm Jato found that every model in the sales top 10 for 2012 had sales lower than the year before. To make things even worse, other than one model, every car on the list had its sales decrease by 11% or more.

You can view all of the best selling cars in Europe for January in our top ten below. 

1. Volkswagen Golf

The Volkswagen Golf continues to be the best-seller by a nice margin in Europe. The new generation is being a hit, yet again, however sales have dropped compared with last year's month of January. The Golf sold a total of 30,338 units claiming top spot in the preferences of European drivers.

2. Ford Fiesta

The restyled version of the Ford Fiesta started 2013 in good shape grabbing second spot in Europe's most sold car ranking. In January Ford sold 20,909 units of the Fiesta, a number very close to both the VW Polo and the Renault Clio

3. Volkswagen Polo

The Volkswagen Polo continues to be one of the most popular models amongst European drivers and in the first month of 2013 grabbed a place on the podium. In January 20,628 units of the Polo were sold.

4. Renault Clio

The new Clio generation brought new life to the sales of Renault's compact model. Last month the Clio was the fourth most sold model in Europe with a total of 20,580. Comparing with last year's performance, with the previous generation, Renault sold more 11.3% Clios.

5. Peugeot 208

The Peugeot 208 was launched last and imediatly became one of the favourite models of European buyers and brought more competition to a segment packed with novelties. In January the French model sold 19,260 units catching fifth position in the European drivers preferences.

6. Ford Focus

The Ford Focus crosses the line in sixth position with a total of 17,596 sold in the first month of 2013. The american compact model definetly continues to be amongst one of the favourite cars in the segment, although sales have dropped 21.3% compared to last year.

7. Nissan Qashqai

The urban crossover Qashqai continues to be a solid performer for Nissan in Europe. The model continues to sell solidly in the old continent and in January sold further 17,047 units, claiming seventh spot in our top 10 ranking.

8. Opel Astra

Opel gets another model on the top 10 most sold list in Europe with the Astra. In January this model sold 16,898 units, helping Opel to increase sales for the first time in several months.

9. Opel Corsa

In ninth position we have the Opel Corsa, a model with a best-selling tradition because of its size and city driveability. The Corsa continues to be amongst the favourite models in Europe and last month it sold a total of 15,923 units.
 

10. Fiat Panda

The Fiat Panda is a newcomer to our list, as we aren't used to seeing it here. This month it takes 10th place in the most sold models in Europe. In January it sold a total of 14.307 units.

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