Cars and Drivers

Ford, Chrysler European Sales Rose Sharply in 2015

Paul Ausick

Published: January 15, 2016 7:35 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 3:00 pm

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) reported that new vehicle registrations in the European Union rose 9.3% in 2015 and were up 16.6% year over year in December. For the month, Germany led with 247,355 new registrations, followed by France with 183,720 and the United Kingdom with 180,077.

New car registrations have now posted year-over-year monthly increases for 28 consecutive months. Among the 27 members of the EU, consumers purchased 1.11 million new vehicles in December and 13.71 million in 2015.

The top-selling maker in the EU is Volkswagen, which sold 235,170 vehicles in December and 3.38 million in 2015. VW’s market share for 2015 came to 24.6%, down from 25.4% in 2014. The decline is likely due in part to the cheating scandal that surfaced in October.

PSA Group, makers of Peugeot and Citroen, among other brands, was the second-leading company in terms of market share in 2015 with 10.6% of the EU market. Renault Group, with 9.7% of the market was third.

Of the Detroit Three, Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) sold 78,076 units in December, up 24.6% for the month. The company’s 2015 market share came to 7.3%, flat with the prior year, and Ford sold just under a million units in 2015, up 8.6% compared with 2014.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (NYSE: FCAU) increased its market share in the EU last year to 6.2%, up from 6.0% in 2014. Sales of the company’s Jeep brand more than doubled to 84,261 units for the year. Total sales volume rose 14.1% in 2015.

Opel Group, the General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) subsidiary in Europe, posted a 2015 market share of 6.8%, down from 7.2% in 2014. The decline is entirely due to the company’s decision to stop selling Chevrolet-branded vehicles in Europe. Sales of the Opel/Vauxhall brands rose 6.3% in 2015. Total sales rose 2.4% in 2015.

Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) posted market share of 4.2% in 2015, down from 4.3% in 2014. Sales volume rose 7.3% for the year to 574,652 units, and December sales rose nearly 14% year over year.

BMW Group’s market share in 2015 rose from 6.4% in 2014 to 6.5%, and the company sold 896,390 units last year. Daimler posted a market share gain as well, rising from 5.4% in 2014 to 5.8% last year.

Of the major automakers on the ACEA’s list, only one, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMC), posted a year-over-year decline in volume, dropping from unit sales of 126,713 in 2014 to 125,834 in 2015.