Polo (VW)

UK passenger car sales remained stable in August 2024, down just -1.3% to 84,575 units, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) on September 5. Year-to-date sales increased 5.1% with 1,238,855 cars registered in the first eight months of 2024.

In August, sales for VW decreased 4.2% to 7,998 units (9.4% market share), Audi sales rose 2.1% to 6,213 units (7.3% share), Ford sales plunged 28.8% to 5,303 units (6.3% share), Kia sales increased 2.0% to 4,755 units (5.6% share) and BMW sales dropped 3.9% to 4,566 units (5.4% share).

The best-selling cars in August 2024 were Ford Puma (2,471 units), followed by Kia Sportage (1,962 units), Tesla Model 3 (1,542 units), VW Polo (1,524 units) and Tesla Model Y (1,469 units).

Compared to August 2023, gasoline-engine car sales dropped 10.1% to 42,872 units (50.7% share), electric vehicles (EVs) jumped 10.8% to 19,113 units (22.6% share), hybrid vehicles (HEV) soared 36.1% to 11,639 units (13.8% share), plug-in hybrids (PHEV) fell 12.3% to 5,786 units (6.8% share), and diesel-engine car sales decreased 7.3% to 5,165 units (6.1% share).

Battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations rose 10.8% thanks to heavy discounting by manufacturers over the summer and a raft of new models attracting buyers. Market share in August reached 22.6%, the highest for a month since December 2022.

In August, private car sales rose 0.2% to 32,110 units (38.0% share), fleet sales dipped 1.2% to 51,329 units (60.7% share), while business sales plunged 30.3% to 1,136 units (1.3% share). August’s growth continued to be sustained entirely by the fleet sector.

Sales of all vans to 3.5 tons rose 1.7% to 16,575 units, sales of trucks between 3.5 and 6.0 tons increased 9.1% to 662 units while sales of taxis increased 19.6% to 61 units in August.

(SMMT press releases from September 5, 2024) 1 / 2

On September 5, Stellantis announced an investment of USD 385 million in the Córdoba Automotive Hub.

The amount will be used for the development of new vehicles, components, and a new engine, as well as for hiring employees.

All the new products will be manufactured using renewable energy throughout the entire process at the plant. Additionally, all the new products were designed to be easily exported in large batches to other countries in the region.

The investment includes the installation of Suramericana, a key supplier within the automotive sector, allowing the vehicles produced by the company to have the highest level of local content among different automakers.

(Stellantis Argentina press release on September 5, 2024)

The Associacao Nacional dos Fabricantes de Veiculos Automores (ANFAVEA) announced that Brazilian vehicle sales (including trucks and buses) increased 14.3% YOY to 237,382 units in August 2024.

Vehicle sales in August consisted of 171,021 passenger cars; 52,429 light commercial vehicles; 11,526 trucks; and 2,406 buses.

Among passenger vehicle sales by brand in the month, FCA sold 35,490 units (20.8% share), VW sold 30,934 units (18.1%), GM sold 23,498 units (13.7%), Hyundai sold 16,656 units (9.7%) and Toyota sold 14,245 units (8.3%).

Among light commercial vehicle sales by brand in the month, FCA sold 27,355 units (52.2% share), VW sold 6,006 units (11.5%), Toyota sold 4,733 units (9.0%), GM sold 4,524 units (8.6%) and Ford sold 3,628 units (6.9%).

The VW Polo was the best-selling passenger vehicle in August with 14,274 sales, followed by the Chevrolet Onix with 9,018 sales, Fiat Argo with 7,768 sales, VW T Cross with 7,118 sales, Hyundai HB20 with 7,103 sales, Chevrolet Tracker with 6,416 sales, and Hyundai Creta with 5,962 sales.

The Fiat Strada was the best-selling commercial vehicle in August with 16,423 sales, followed by the Fiat Toro with 5,549 sales, VW Saveiro with 5,519 sales, Toyota Hilux with 4,730 sales, Ford Ranger with 2,782 sales, Chevrolet Montana with 2,362 sales, and Chevrolet S10 with 2,098 sales.

In ANFAVEA's sales report by fuel type, sales of flexible fuel vehicles were up 9.8% y/y to 179,340 units (80.3% share), diesel vehicles were up 11.9% to 21,408 units (9.6%), gasoline vehicles increased 57.6% to 8,056 units (3.6%), hybrid vehicles decreased 8.1% to 4,210 units (1.9%), Plug-in hybrid vehicles increased 48.2% to 5,341 units (2.4%) and electric vehicles increased 336.6% to 5,095 units (2.3%).

Cumulative sales for the eight months of the year were up 13.3% y/y to 1,622,691 units.

(ANFAVEA release on September 5, 2024)(Fenabrave press release on September 3, 2024)
(multiple sources on September 3, 2024)