Analysis: the worldwide car industry in numbers

Europe’s mixed year

A challenging year in Europe was characterised by Brexit, controversy over diesel emissions and production shortages of new WLTP-compliant engines – all of which had a negative effect. 

The European market as a result remained static, mirroring the US, with sales ending 2018 at 15.6 million units. 

This bigger picture was made up by declines in the UK and Italy and increases in France, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands and Hungary. 

Contributing to the trend for growing SUV sales, European car buyers lapped up a record 5.4 million SUVs, a 19% increase. 

“Part of this boom is explained by the arrival of more models, more small SUVs and a big boost from the Volkswagen Group,” says Jato. 

Nevertheless, European SUV sales still have a long way to go to match the US and China, making up just 35% of the European market.

Ford Mustang retains place as top sports car while Mazda MX-5 slips 

A sector market to define, but the Ford Mustang retained its best-selling sports car/coupé crown, well ahead of the Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro in a market that totals 377,000 units worldwide. However, the growing influence of SUVs is being felt even in this sector, where sales fell 13% in 2018. 

The Porsche Boxster/Cayman had a healthy year, but the Mazda MX-5 lost a little of its lustre and sales dropped 19%. 

It might well be noteworthy that there was only one new entrant: the fabulous Alpine A110.

Are car enthusiasts still in love with the Porsche 911?

“Yes, the 911 was again the world’s top-selling supercar,” says Jato. However, global sales fell by 5% to 102,000 units largely because US enthusiasts bought 17% fewer powerful two-seaters or 2+2s. 

Chinese car buyers are still to fall in love with supercars, so booming demand in Germany, where sales were up a dramatic 30%, confirmed it as the world’s second-biggest market.

Geely and Toyota shine in China as mix of models backfires for GM

Geely was the outstanding success story in China, having jumped a few spots in the country’s top 10 car makers to third overall. 

The launch of its near-premium brand Lynk&Co had much to do with the success, but a strong range of Geely-badged SUVs also helped. 

Another winner was Toyota – again thanks to SUVs, but also to compact and mid-size saloons. GM, which remains well positioned as China’s number two, suffered with the wrong mix of models, including less popular SUVs, but also launched new three-cylinder engines that Chinese buyers feared were not sufficiently powerful. And PSA still suffered for the lack of modern cars, a hangover from its past focus on cheap, affordable models.

Pick-ups and SUVs tighten their grip on static US market

The US market may have remained static last year, but the proportion of trucks and SUVs rose once again. They now compose 62% of US sales – no wonder Ford is pulling out of the saloon market. 

“Overall, the market didn’t grow, but the popularity of SUVs (+10%) and trucks (+4%) hasn’t stopped,” says Jato. “The consumer there doesn’t want small cars and saloons.” 

The three main domestic brands as a whole retained their market share – the fall of GM and Ford offset by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, whose Jeep and RAM brands were popular. 

But the biggest winner was Tesla, thanks to the Model 3, which finally took off in the second half of the year.

Tesla aims to recreate Model 3 success outside the US

Tesla finally moved into the more volume-priced segment with the Model 3, and sales duly took off. Most important, it made a non-combustion-engined vehicle a viable alternative in the US. 

“The question is whether this car will find enough consumers in Europe and Asia,” says Jato. 

The Model 3 has been launched just when the Model S is ageing, but also at a time when premium rivals are arriving in the EU market.

Which types of SUV are proving the most popular? 

Jato’s figures show that all of the SUV sub-segments posted growth last year, but the most dynamic one was the B-SUV compact crossovers. 

The Renault Captur, Honda HR-V and multiple compact Chinese cars contributed to global B-SUV sales rising by 11% to 6.6 million units, as new models from Hyundai-Kia, PSA and the VW Group boosted the market. 

However, it is C-SUVs – such as the Ford Kuga and Peugeot 3008 – that are the world’s most popular, and they dominate the market in China and Europe.

EVs move into the mainstream

As the world shifts towards battery-electric powertrains, EV sales almost doubled to 1.27 million units last year – a 72% increase. 

The rise is largely down to China, where affordable city cars such as the BAIC EC are being promoted by central and local government, and the US, where the Tesla Model 3 went on sale. “China is firmly established as the world’s biggest market for EVs and many local car makers are taking advantage,” says Jato. They are encouraged, adds Jato, “because brand names mean less to BEV buyers, giving lesser Chinese nameplates a head start”.

Electric power to the rescue as faltering economy ends China car boom 

“The most affected segments by the downturn of the economy were the MPVs, down 20%, and sub-compact saloons, down 22%,” says Jato. 

Bucking the global trend, SUVs also declined, by 3%, while small saloons fell by 6%. 

In contrast, mid-size, executive and luxury saloons, sports cars and city cars performed better – the latter trend linked to the popularity of electric powertrains.

Global luxury: boom, bust or ticking over? 

Jato includes the large saloon and SUV segments in its luxury classification together with supercars. The 2018 market was 1.75 million units, down by 3% after demand dropped in the US, China and Germany. 

Surprisingly, given the woes in the volume market, the UK posted an increase of 2%.

Winners: Cadillac, Lexus, Volvo, Tesla, Lincoln: new products, winning design and more SUVs.

Losers: Mercedes, BMW, Maserati, Land Rover, Porsche, Audi: key products aged and model changeovers affected output

Big, bold Caddies keep Europe’s luxury contenders at bay in China

China’s love affair with Cadillac’s brash, large saloons shows no sign of ending – the US brand outselling its nearest competitor, BMW, by three to one last year. 

“American car design is more appealing than Europeans in this segment: they are bigger and have more chrome,” says Munoz. 

Surprisingly, Mercedes lost ground to Porsche, largely because the ageing Mercedes-Benz S-Class is out of favour. 

Given that the Chinese traditionally are not great consumers of sports cars, Porsche’s success might be a watershed, especially since the 718 family did well. 

Lexus also recorded a huge boost in popularity, with the new Lexus LS saloon hitting a styling sweet spot with China’s car-buying public. 

“Thanks to the arrival of several new players, this segment continues to grow fast, so the downturn of overall market is not visible in this segment,” concludes Munoz.