Cocorico (or almost). Two “French” cars topped the ranking of the best new car sales in Europe last year according to data from the Jato firm. peugeot 208 it became the best-selling car in Europe last year.
The end of 14 years of domination of Golf
The small compact, therefore a French brand but produced in Slovakia, takes this first place in the ranking thanks to the sale of 206,816 units last year in an area of ”enlarged Europe” (an area that includes the 26 countries of the Union , by adding the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland and Iceland).
This performance marks the end of a long domination of the Volkswagen Golf, which has dominated this ranking since 2009, that is, 14 consecutive titles. Even the compact star of the German brand is far behind, in fifth place in the ranking, with 177,203 units sold. In particular, it is surpassed by its SUV equivalent at Volkswagen, the T-Roc, in third place (181,153 sales).
The great rival of the 208 in the French market, the Renault Clio, falls for its part to 10th place. She was still fourth last year.
The Sandero follows second
It is in the second place of the ranking that we find our second “French” car – the Dacia Sandero. The Romanian brand has belonged to the Renault group since 1999. The vehicle is assembled at the Dacia plant in Pitesti, Romania, as well as in Morocco.
Bestseller in all segments in France in January, the Sandero thus confirms its good moment. This third generation had already finished second in the European ranking last year.
In the rest of the top 10, the fourth place of the Fiat 500 stands out, with 179,863 copies sold in 2022. Like the Peugeot 208, it continues to offer thermal motorization (gasoline/diesel for the 208, hybrid for the 500) and a 100% electric version. . An asset in the current transition period.
We also find a cousin of the 208, the Opel Corsa, which is based on the same platform from the Stellantis group, in seventh place.
Where are the “made in France” models?
It is in sixth place that we find the first model assembled (in part) in France, the Yaris. In fact, the Onnaing factory, near Valenciennes, is now focusing more on the crossover variant, the Yaris Cross. The latter was also established in 2002 as the most produced car in France. The Yaris Cross is also having a good first full year at European level, finishing in fifteenth place.
Unsurprisingly, the first car to be offered in a 100% electric-only version of the ranking is the Model Y. Tesla’s SUV ranks 13th. It’s still mostly produced in China, but the Performance versions are assembled at the factory. from Berlin since last year.
Source: BFM TV
