Archive | Sales figures

08 May 2019 ~ 0 Comments

Volkswagen Polo rises one place in UK new car registrations chart

2019 Volkswagen Polo

The Volkswagen Polo increased in popularity during April 2019, and was the seventh most popular car in the UK, according to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). A total of 3,022 Polos were registered in April and its top ten ten chart placing is one position up on March. With a tally of 16,111 Polos registered in so far in 2019, the small Volkswagen is currently – and neatly – seventh in the year-to-date list, too.

Golf and Tiguan also in top ten

Once again, the Volkswagen Golf was in third place for April, moving up once place to second in the year-to-date tally. The Volkswagen Tiguan SUV was one place behind the Polo in eighth in the April set of figures, and the Ford Fiesta again tops both run-downs. The Ford Focus makes up the top three in both lists.

Overall, UK registrations declined again in April. A 4.1 per cent slump to a total of 161,064 units is the second lowest April volume since 2012. In an about turn, the supermini market fell 14.1 per cent, with the small family car segment also suffering a 10.6 per cent loss. Overall, alternatively-fuelled vehicle numbers rose by 12.7 per cent, with petrol electric hybrids the most popular choice. Battery electric cars also grew to 1,517 units, but still only account for 0.9 per cent of the market. Petrol and diesel volumes were down, but not by as significant amounts witnessed in recent months.

The UK’s top ten most popular cars during April 2019 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 5,606 (29,080, 1st)


2 Ford Focus: 9,734 (21,233, 3rd)


3 Volkswagen Golf: 3,953 (21,365, 2nd)

4 Nissan Qashqai: 3,791 (20,211, 6th)

5 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 3,584 (20,216, 5th)

6 Ford Kuga: 3,455 (14,260, 8th)
7 Volkswagen Polo: 3,022 (16,111 7th)
8 Volkswagen Tiguan: 2,822
9 Vauxhall Corsa: 2,728 (20,735, 4th)

10 Hyundai Tucson: 2,702

(The 2019 year-to-date top ten most popular cars absent from April 2019’s registration figures were the ninth-placed Kia Sportage and the tenth-placed Mini with 13,329 and 13,280 units recorded respectively.)

Polo Vivo atop South African new car chart
Once again, the Polo Vivo reigned supreme at the top of the South African new passenger car registrations chart. The latest NAAMSA South African registration figures point to 2,350 Polo Vivos finding new homes during April, with the sixth-generation Polo’s total at 1,165. A much smaller figure, 235 Polo Sedans were registered in South Africa last month.

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07 April 2019 ~ 0 Comments

Polo is eighth most popular car in the UK as Volkswagen’s market share rises

2019 Volkswagen Polo R-Line (UK)

The Volkswagen Polo has continued its popularity in the UK and was the eighth most popular car during March 2019. According to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 8,614 Polos were registered in March, and the small VW currently stands at seventh in the 2049 year-to-date chart.

Third-placed Golf

The Polo’s bigger brother, the Golf, was in third place for both March and the year-to-date tallies. The Ford Fiesta once again tops with run-downs, with the Vauxhall Corsa second in both sets of figures. Accordingly, the Polo is the third most popular supermini in the UK as it enters its 45th year on sale (the original first-generation Polo was unveiled in March 1975).

Overall, UK registrations declined 3.4 per cent despite the first registration plate change of the year, the slump partly attributed to diesel and Brexit ‘uncertainty’. However, it wasn’t all bad news, as superminis like the Polo continued to be Britain’s favourite vehicle type and saw a 4.4 per cent increase in demand, taking a third of all registrations. Volkswagen’s market share grew 1.3 per cent on the same month last year, and the German company now has a 8.37 per cent share of the UK market.

‘Sales success’

Patrick McGillycuddy, Head of Sales for Volkswagen in the UK said: ‘While it’s pleasing for us to see Golf and Polo performing so well and appealing to UK buyers in their tens of thousands, the breadth of Volkswagen’s model range is also playing a big part in this sales success.

‘The T-Roc, Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace and Touareg SUV models, along with the Up city car and Touran and Sharan MPVs have all made an impact with UK buyers, while the growing appeal of models such as the e-Golf cannot be underestimated. This success comes even before the introduction of the practical T-Cross compact SUV, which will arrive in showrooms later this month.’

The UK’s top ten most popular cars during March 2019 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 14,676 (23,474, 1st)

2 Vauxhall Corsa: 13,244 (17,647, 2nd)

3 Volkswagen Golf: 11,072 (17,412, 3rd)

4 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 10,805 (16,682, 5th)

5 Nissan Qashqai: 10,701 (16,420, 6th)

6 Ford Focus: 9,734 (16,668, 4th)

7 Mini: 8,896 (11,969, 8th)

8 Volkswagen Polo: 8,614 (13,089, 7th)

9 BMW 1 Series: 7,986

10 Toyota Yaris: 7,853 (11,400, 9th)

(The 2019 year-to-date top 10 most popular car absent from March 2019’s registration figures was the Ford Kuga with 10,805 units recorded.)

Polo Vivo tops South African chart

Continuing last month’s reversal of roles, the latest NAAMSA South African registration figures show that the Polo Vivo topped the country’s passenger car chart with 2,498 units. The sixth-generation Polo was in second place with 1,383 examples registered and the Toyota Corolla in third with 1,011 cars finding new homes.

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06 March 2019 ~ 0 Comments

Fifth in February: Volkswagen Polo climbs UK new car registrations chart

2017 Volkswagen Polo

In a repeat of January, the Volkswagen Polo was one of the most popular cars in the UK during February, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). With 1,512 Polos finding new homes, the small VW jumped three places to number five, the top supermini behind Ford’s Fiesta which again took the top spot. In the year-to-date list, the Polo rose two places to number six.

A 1.4 per cent rise

Overall, 3.399 units of the Ford Fiesta were registered in the UK during February, with its Focus relative maintaining its runner-up position with a figure of 2.537. The Polo’s ubiquitous sibling, the Golf, matched its year-to-date third place position with 2,410 registrations. The Mercedes-Benz A-Class was in fourth place, with a tally of 2,059.

Registrations in the UK actually rose 1.4 per cent compared to January, with a total of 81,969 new cars on the road. An uplift of 1,164 compared to the same period last year, with demand for alternatively-fuelled vehicles up 34 per cent, the 22nd consecutive month of growth. Electric cars also enjoyed a rise in registrations, but the 731 cars still accounted for less than one per cent of the market.

The UK’s top ten most popular cars during February 2019 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 3,399 (8,798, 1st)

2 Ford Focus: 2,537 (6,934, 2nd)

3 Volkswagen Golf: 2,410 (6,340, 3rd)

4 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 2,059 (5,827, 4th)

5 Volkswagen Polo: 1,512 (4,475, 6th)

6 Nissan Qashqai: 1,449 (5,719, 5th)

7 Ford Kuga: 1,402 (3,654, 9th)

8 Vauxhall Corsa: 1,306 (4,403, 7th)


9 Ford Ecosport: 1,292

10 Volkswagen Tiguan: 1,258

(The 2018 year-to-date top 10 most popular cars absent from February 2019’s registration figures were the Kia Sportage and Mercedes-Benz C-Class with 4,529 and 3,593 units recorded respectively.)

Role reversal

A reversal of recent roles occurred with South Africa’s February 2019 registration figures. The most recent NAAMSA data shows that the Polo Vivo topped the passenger car chart with 2,962 units, just one place behind the Toyota Hilux, which with 3,504 registrations, is the most popular vehicle in the country.

The latest sixth-generation Polo which has traditionally beaten the Vivo in recent months, was South Africa’s second most popular passenger car with 1,605 examples registered. As with January, the Toyota Corolla/Auris/Quest secured third place with 1247 units.

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06 February 2019 ~ 0 Comments

Volkswagen Polo steadies its position in January’s UK most popular cars chart

2019 Volkswagen Polo R-Line (UK)

The Volkswagen Polo held firm in the first batch of 2019 new car registration figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), and in January was at number eight in the UK’s most popular cars list. A total of 2,963 Polos were registered during the first month of the year, the small Volkswagen also at number eight in the year-to-date list, too.

Fords in top two places
At number one, the Ford Fiesta kicked off 2019 in the position it has held from what seems like the start of time. Overall, 5,399 units of the Ford supermini were registered in January, with its larger Focus sibling one place below with a tally of 4,397. A figure of 3,930 gave the Volkswagen Golf fourth place, with the third place 4,270-registration Nissan Qashqai in-between the two most popular C-segment cars.

UK registrations dipped 1.6 per cent in January compared to the same period in 2018. A total of 161,013 cars were registered, with the alternative-fuel and electrified market surging 26.3 per cent, the segment now enjoying a 6.8 per cent market share. Petrol car registrations were up 7..3 per cent, but diesels were down 20.3 per cent. The UK’s top ten most popular cars during January 2019 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 5,399 (5,399, 1st)
2 Ford Focus: 4,397 (4,397, 2nd)
3 Nissan Qashqai: 4,270 (4,270, 3rd)
4 Volkswagen Golf: 3,930 (3,930, 4th)
5 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 3,768 (3,768, 5th)
6 Vauxhall Corsa: 3,097 (3,097, 6th)
7 Kia Sportage: 3,063 (3,063, 7th)
8 Volkswagen Polo: 2,963 (2,963, 8th)
9 Toyota Yaris: 2,821 (2,821, 9th)
10 Mercedes-Benz C-Class: 2,606 (2,606, 10th)

Pole position
In South Africa, the latest sixth-generation Polo started the new year in pole (Polo?!) position, topping the passenger car sales chart with 2,512 cars registered. The fifth-generation-based Polo Vivo was second with 2,461 units, while the Toyota Corolla/Auris/Quest rounded out the top three.

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09 January 2019 ~ 0 Comments

Volkswagen Polo rounds off 2018 as the second most popular car in the UK

The Volkswagen Polo scored its highest most recent position in the UK’s most popular cars list in December 2018, jumping to second place with a total of 4,928 examples finding new homes. That’s a stark contrast to the first three months of the year when the Polo didn’t appear in the list at all, due to the changeover of the fifth-generation model to the sixth.

It’s all the more impressive when it comes to the final year standings: with 45,149 Polos moving off the forecourts, the small VW was the sixth most popular nameplate in the UK during 2018. That’s one place higher than in 2017, when, with 47,855 units registered, the Volkswagen supermini was the UK’s seventh most popular car. And one more thing to take note of is the fact that the Polo outsold all versions of the supposedly more premium and design-led Mini, proving that quiet style, high quality and a wide range with models for most budgets are still valid selling points for a good deal of drivers.

The Polo’s higher 2018 achievement with a lower number of units hints at the UK market as a whole. In general, the market fell by 6.8 per cent to 2,367,147 units after a turbulent 12 months. Demand for superminis and small cars also fell by 2.5 per cent, but along with ‘lower medium’ cars, still accounted for 58.7 per cent of the market.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ (SMMT) December 2018 figures record the Ford Fiesta as the most popular car for another year, with 95,892 cars registered, a massive 31,063 more than the runner-up Volkswagen Golf. With a total of 5,719 units, the small Ford once again topped the chart in December, while 4,224 Golf registrations saw the evergreen VW drop to number six. The Vauxhall Corsa rounded out the top three in the year-to-date list, with 52,915 registrations.

The UK’s top 10 most popular cars during December 2018 and the final year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 5,719 (95,892, 1st)
2 Volkswagen Polo: 4,928 (45,149, 6th)
3 Mini: 4,650 (44,904, 7th)
4 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 4,284 (43,257, 8th)
5 Vauxhall Corsa: 4,264 (52,915, 3rd)
6 Volkswagen Golf: 4,224 (64,829, 2nd)
7 Ford Focus: 3,919 (50,492, 5th)
8 Vauxhall Astra: 3,677
9 Ford Kuga: 2,646 (40,398, 9th)
10 Nissan Qashqai: 2,609 (50,546, 4th)

(The UK’s 2018 year-to-date top ten most popular car absent from December’s registration figures was the tenth-placed Kia Sportage with 35,567 registrations.)

Popular Polos
In December 2018, the sixth-generation Polo was once again the most popular car in South Africa with 2,051 cars registered With 1,771 units at new homes, the fifth-generation Polo-based Polo Vivo was, again, not for the first time, runner-up to both its newer and bigger brother.

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