Madagascar Q2 2010: JAC Tojoy among best-sellers

JAC Tojoy

Still very limited, the new car market in Madagascar is dominated by Asian brands: Toyota is in the lead in Q2 2010 at 11.8% (down from 17.9% in Q4 ’09), ahead of Nissan and Mitsubishi. However the big novelty in Q2 is the thunderous arrival of two Chinese brands in the Top 10: JAC in 5th at 7.3% and BYD in 8th at 5.1%.

Given JAC only sells one model in Madagascar, this means the JAC Tojoy is already within the best-selling models in the country, along with the Mitsubishi L200 (probably the best-seller), Nissan Hardbody, Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux. Remember we’re talking 30 to 50 units sold in the space of 3 months to be best-seller in Madagascar.

More commentaries, Top 10 brands ranking table, street scenes and videos here: 

Philippines 6 months 2010: Vios and Innova on top

In a very dynamic market (up 37% on ’09 with 82,147 registrations), Toyota dominates at 32% market share, and places the Vios (aka Yaris sedan) in the lead with 1,502 sales in June, ahead of the Toyota Innova at 1,154.

Mitsubishi is also very strong at 19% market share (one of its best markets in the world, if not the best) and should see the Fuzion (aka Zinger), Adventure (built in the country) and Montero (aka Challenger) hold very high positions in the rankings. The Hyundai Tucson new gen is a hit: 819 sales in March only! The Isuzu Crosswind should also be in the Top 10.

More commentaries below.

Switzerland 6 months 2010: Golf and Octavia clear leaders

The Swiss car market is handling well in 2010 with +7% over the 1st half of the year and 143,046 registrations.

Not surprisingly, the VW Golf is by far the best-selling model in the country, but its market share (4.2%) is much weaker than in Germany (8.2%) and Austria (5.2%). And contrary to those two countries, the Skoda Octavia grabs the second spot at 2.6%, ahead of the VW Polo at 1.9%. The Swiss market is indeed the most fragmented in Europe (and perhaps the world) with only two models above 2% market share.

Other strong performers are the new gen Opel Astra (6th), Seat Ibiza (10th), Renault Megane (11th), BMW X1 (21st), Dacia Sandero (26th but 16th in Quarter 2) and the Mercedes E Class (12th in Q2).

Full Top 50 ranking table below.

Colombia 6 months 2010: Aveo at 12%

Chevrolet dominates the Colombian car sales and places the Aveo first with 13,870 registrations and 12.1% of the market (vs. 13.5% in 2009), and the Spark 2nd with 6,502 sales and 5.7%. In third, the Renault Sandero, helped by the Stepway version (pictured below), gets a solid 4.7% market share, just ahead of the Renault Logan at 4.3%.

Other strong performers over the first 6 months of the year include the Toyota Fortuner in 9th (+9) at 1.9%, and the Chevrolet Captiva in 14th (+13) at 1.4% of the Colombian market.

Full Top 20 ranking table below.

Lithuania June 2010: Yeti roars

The Lithuanian car market has been severely hit by the economic crisis: after dropping by 66% in 2009, it contracts by another 26% over the 1st Semester 2010 at 3,553 sales, and by 22% in June at 723 sales.

Given the small size of the market, the models ranking is very volatile and in June the Skoda Yeti takes the lead with 49 units sold and a 6.8% market share. #2 is the Nissan Qashqai at 5.5% and #3 is the Skoda Octavia at 5.3% of the market.

Mexico June 2010: Nissan Tsuru still ahead

Nissan Tsuru

The Nissan Tsuru (a 1992 Sentra) dominates the Mexican market with 9% of sales, ahead of the Chevrolet Chevy (a restyled 1993 Opel Corsa) and the VW Jetta Clasico (a restyled 1998 Bora). At +78% over 2009, the Nissan Tiida climbs to 4th with close to 4% market share.

The Seat Ibiza comes straight from Spain into the Top 10 in 9th, the Dodge Attitude (aka Hyundai Accent) is 11th, and the Renault Sandero appears in 15th for the first time in Mexico, enjoying the distribution network of Nissan, the #1 brand in the country, ahead of Chevrolet.

Full Top 15 ranking table below.

Belgium January-June 2010: C3 up to #3

The Belgian car market is up a healthy 17% during the first semester 2010 with 320,203 registrations.

The VW Golf is #1 by a large margin with nearly 12,000 units sold and a strong 3.7% market share, up from 2.9% in 2009. The Ford Fiesta is #2 like in 2009 with 2.8%. 3rd and Belgium’s performer of the year is the Citroen C3 with 2.7% of the Belgian market. It is however unclear whether this figure includes the C3 Picasso.

In spite of a slight market share improvement at 2.6%, the Peugeot 207 drops to 4th, ahead of the Renault Clio at 2,4%.

Interesting to notice the Citroen Berlingo in 9th and the Peugeot Partner in 17th, whereas the Renault Kangoo is nowhere to be seen… Also, the Peugeot 3008 breaks into the Top 20, just: it is 20th with 4,398 units sold for a 1.4% market share.

Full Top 20 ranking table below.

Iceland 6 months 2008: Yaris & Land Cruiser dominate

Toyota Yaris near Olafsvik, Iceland August 2008

During the first half of 2008 (or just before the GFC), 8,885 cars were sold in Iceland, and Toyota dominated the landscape. The Toyota Yaris is the best selling car in the country with 424 sales or 4.8% share, just above the big Land Cruiser (418 sales), which was #1 during the first 3 months of the year.

The Skoda Octavia is stable in 3rd at 4.2%, the only other model above 4% share. 4 more Toyotas land in the Top 10: the Auris (#4), RAV4 (#5), Land Cruiser 200 (#7, but #2 in Q1!) and Corolla (#10). The Subaru Legacy (#6) and Honda CR-V (#8) are the other 4WD in the Top 10.

More pictures and 6 months 2008 Top 30: click on ‘Read more’ below.

Toyota Auris in Jokulsarlon, Iceland August 2008

Thailand 6 months 2005: Isuzu D-Max resists new gen Hilux assault

Isuzu D-Max

Over the first 6 months of 2005, Isuzu moved 80,558 units of its D-Max pick-up, positioning the model on top of Thai car sales. The Toyota Hilux is #2 with 72,768 sales. In 3rd comes the Toyota Vios with close to 28,000 sales and a newcomer is climbing up the ranking ladder pretty fast: the Toyota Fortuner, launched in late 2004, is #4 in June at 3,681 sales and #6 over 6 months with 15,651 sales. Full estimated 6 months 2005 Top 10 below.