Automotive News Europe - April 2020 - 19

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE

AUTOMAKERS

THE LEADERS
Europe's top-selling midsize premium
cars in 2019; change from 2018

The BMW 330e accounted for almost half of all plug-in hybrid sales in the
midsize premium segment.
Overall demand for plug-in hybrids in
the segment grew 51 percent to more
than 20,000, giving the models a 3 percent share last year, JATO figures show.
That surge is likely to continue with the
addition of models such as the wagon
version of the 330e as well as all-wheeldrive versions of both the 330e wagon
and sedan.

34 percent to 18,176 to put it behind
the Audi A5 Sportback, which declined
6 percent to 31,004. Mercedes doesn't
offer a four-door coupe/hatchback version of the C-Class, which meant when
sales of those body types were combined, Mercedes slipped to third in the
ranking with BMW at No. 1 and Audi in
second place.

Mercedes now offers both diesel and
gasoline plug-in hybrid versions of the
C-Class wagon and sedan. Audi, so far,
doesn't offer a plug-in version of its A4,
but it has launched mild-hybrid gasoline
variants of the car.

The combination of the BMW 4-Series
Gran Coupe and Audi A5 Sportback
gave hatchbacks a 10 percent share,
against 43 percent for wagons and 46
percent for sedans. The endurance of
the wagon's popularity is due to the
dominance of the body style in Germany, which is Europe's No. 1 midsize premium market. The country accounted
for a third of all midsize premium sales
in Europe last year. Wagons are also
big in Sweden, home of Volvo and the

Two new brands to the segment this
year, Polestar and DS Automobiles, are
both hoping to use electric power as a
way to gain a foothold. The Polestar 2 is
a full-electric sedan aimed at luring car
buyers away from the Model 3. The DS9
sedan will only be offered as a plug-in
hybrid at launch.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

BMW 3 Series*
Mercedes C-Class*
Audi A4
Tesla Model 3
Volvo V60/S60*
Audi A5 Sportback
BMW 4-Series GC
Alfa Romeo Giulia
Jaguar XE
Lexus IS

121,587 +17 %
115,429 +2.4 %
102,783
-11 %
94,492
new
65,158 +33 %
31,004 -6.0 %
18,176
-34 %
10,760 -37 %
7,905 -28 %
3,245
-41 %

*Includes plug-in hybrid sales
Source: JATO Dynamics

GERMAN FAVORITE
Top markets for midsize premium sales
in 2019; change from 2018
1. Germany
2. UK
3. Netherlands
4. Sweden
5. Italy

Volume 2019
183,449
95,498
46,267
40,690
28,406

Change
+9 %
+3 %
+189 %
+39 %
-14 %

Source: JATO Dynamics

No. 4 market for midsize premium cars
with a 7 percent share. The UK was the
second-largest market with the Netherlands at No. 3, in part due to the popularity of the Model 3 there. ANE

Diesel dominance
The growth of electrified models hurt
gasoline-powered models more than
diesels last year, with gasoline down
13 percent, leaving it with a 29 percent
share. Diesel remained the most popular powertrain in the segment with a 48
percent share, despite a 6 percent fall
in sales
The popularity of the Model 3 helped sedans overtake wagons in a segment that
has historically been heavily skewed in
the other direction. The hatchback segment meanwhile lost ground as sales
of BMW's 4-Series Gran Coupe slipped

APRIL 2020

Combined sales of the Volvo V60 wagon and S60 sedan rose more than 30%.

www.autonewseurope.com

http://www.autonewseurope.com

Automotive News Europe - April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Europe - April 2020