The new car market is changing significantly, with more electric cars gradually growing their market share while petrol and diesel cars are reducing in number. This is being forced by the (previous) government’s zero emission vehicle mandate, which sets minimum targets for electric vehicles from all major car brands.
On top of this, private new car sales are spiralling downwards with no sign of recovery anytime soon. As we reported yesterday, consumer new car sales are at the lowest levels seen in more than quarter of a century (except for 2020 when showrooms were closed during the first Covid lockdown).
Fleet business has been better, so the overall market is up 6% on the first half of last year. But it’s been an up-and-down year for several car manufacturers – especially those who are behind on their EV targets.
Let’s take a look at which car brands are flying high and which are struggling as we pass the halfway point of 2024. We’ve ranked them in order of overall registrations, from largest to smallest.
- Volkswagen: Up 5%
- BMW: Up 34%
- Audi: Down 4%
- Kia: Up 3%
- Ford: Down 22%
- Nissan: Up 21%
- Mercedes-Benz: Up 21%
- Toyota: Down 9%
- Hyundai: no change
- Vauxhall: Down 8%
- MG: Up 11%
- Skoda: up 10%
- Peugeot: Up 14%
- Land Rover: Up 18%
- Volvo: Up 22%
- Renault: Up 65%
- Tesla: Down 12%
- SEAT: Up 34%
- Mini: Down 7%
- Honda: Up 24%
- Dacia: Up 5%
- Citroën: Up 1%
- Mazda: Down 13%
- Cupra: Up 23%
- Suzuki: Up 11%
- Jaguar: Up 57%
- Porsche: Down 27%
- Fiat: Down 14%
- Lexus: Up 20%
- Jeep: Up 135%
- BYD: Up 2,800%
- Polestar: Down 60%
- Subaru: Up 30%
- Smart: Up 497%
- KGM Motors (nee SsangYong): Up 14%
- GWM Ora: Up 202%
- Alfa Romeo: Up 24%
- DS Automobiles: Down 62%
- Genesis: Down 31%
- Bentley: Down 39%
- Abarth: Up 51%
- Maserati: Down 49%
- Alpine: Up 27%
- Ineos: Down 66%
Volkswagen: Up 5%
The German giant remains the UK’s favourite car brand in 2024 so far, although growth of 5% is slightly behind the overall market growth of 6%. However, Volkswagen has strengthened its position over the last three months after a slow start to the year. At the end of the first half of 2024, its market share of 8.3% is almost exactly the same as it was a year ago.
Volkswagen has a large range of electric cars on offer (ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, ID.7 [above] and ID. Buzz), but sales haven’t been as sparkling as the company would like, and it’s believed to be behind on its 2024 EV sales target. That should mean some good deals on Volkswagen EV models over the second half of the year.
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BMW: Up 34%
It’s been a strong first half of the year for BMW, with new car sales up by a third over the same period last year. However, it’s worth noting that 2023 was a comparatively poor year for the company. It jumps to second place overall, up from sixth at the same point last year.
BMW is believed to be one of the best-placed companies in terms of EV sales, meaning it won’t have to discount heavily throughout the rest of 2024 to hit its mandated targets. The company has a strong range of EVs on offer (i4, i5 [above], i7, iX, iX1, iX2, iX3), which mostly score very highly on our Expert Rating Index.
Audi: Down 4%
Audi remains the third-best-selling car company in 2024, just as it was this time last year. But it has sold significantly fewer cars this year – about 3,000 units – compared to a year ago. With sales down by 4% against a market that’s up by 6%, Audi remains a powerhouse of the UK car market but one that’s not as strong as it was.
The company has a small but potent choice of EV models (Q4 e-tron, Q8 e-tron, e-tron GT) on sale at the moment, with the Q6 e-tron [above] joining the line-up shortly and an A6 e-tron also likely to appear before the end of the year. But it is believed to need to sell quite a few more EVs to hit its ZEV mandate target for the year.
Kia: Up 3%
As it was a year ago, Kia is the fourth biggest car brand in terms of UK new car sales, outpacing its parent company Hyundai. However, its sales haven’t kept up with overall market growth (up 3% against market growth of 6%), representing a slight fall in market share from 6.2% to 6% over the last 12 months.
Kia has some of the best EVs on sale at the moment (Soul EV, Niro EV, EV6, EV9 [above]) and is believed to be close to its 2024 EV sales targets. However, it will be looking forward to the arrival of the smaller EV3 SUV to help boost electric sales before the end of the year.
A facelifted EV6 is also apparently in the pipeline and should arrive in the UK before Christmas, along with updates for its petrol-powered Picanto small hatchback and a significant update to its petrol and hybrid Sorento large SUV models.
Ford: Down 22%
For decades, Ford was the UK’s favourite car brand. But now it’s only the fifth biggest in terms of sales, slipping from second last year. Ford’s passenger car range has shrunk over the last few years, with the Fiesta, Mondeo, Galaxy and S-Max all consigned to history and the Focus set to disappear next year as well. Of course, the company remains massively popular with its van range where it holds an impressive market dominance.
Ford’s EV range leaves much to be desired as well. The Mustang Mach-E is a lovely car but doesn’t sell in big enough numbers – or with enough profitability – to help Ford’s overall numbers. The new Explorer is a crossover-styled EV (it’s actually a Volkswagen ID.4 under the skin) that’s arriving in showrooms about now after a year-long delay, and it will soon by joined by the all-new Capri EV. This isn’t a coupé sports car like the original Capri, but a slightly sleeker SUV than the Explorer (and is basically a Volkswagen ID.5 underneath).
Ford’s approach of dusting off classic names from its history and applying them to EV SUV models hasn’t been universally popular, and the company has a big job ahead of it to head its EV sales targets. Ford has said that it won’t be paying any fines for selling too many petrol cars/not enough EVs, which may mean that it simply stops selling certain petrol models in coming months to avoid missing its EV quota.
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Nissan: Up 21%
Nissan has been on a bit of a roll for the last couple of years, as the UK continues to enjoy success with its British-built Qashqai [above] and Juke models. In fact, these two cars make up more than three quarters of all Nissan sales in the UK.
Nissan has outpaced the overall market in 2024, with sales up 22% against the overall market growth of 6%. In fact, its sales are up 75% over the last two years, which is a remarkable achievement for a volume car company.
In terms of electric models, Nissan has the excellent Ariya SUV and the now-out-of-production Leaf saloon. The company is believed to be behind on its EV targets for 2024, so expect some cracking deals on the Ariya in coming months…
Mercedes-Benz: Up 21%
Mercedes-Benz had a slow year in 2023, particularly in the first half of the year, so its growth of of 21% in the first half of this year (against overall market growth of 6%) isn’t quite as impressive when you consider that it had fallen by 7% last year (against overall market growth of 18%).
Mercedes is believed to be ahead of target on its EV sales quota so far this year, so you probably won’t see any massive discounting on its EQA, EQB, EQE saloon, EQE SUV [above], EQS saloon, EQS SUV or EQV models in coming months, other than to hold position against its competitors.
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Toyota: Down 9%
For many years, Toyota has argued that hydrogen fuel cell-powered EV were a better bet than battery-powered EVs. Unfortunately for Toyota, almost no-one else has agreed. Governments around the world, and the rest of the global car industry, have moved decisively towards battery EVs. In fact, the number of hydrogen stations in the UK has dwindled to almost zero in the last year.
Toyota is now urgently trying to catch up on its EV model range, but we won’t see an influx of new electric models for a few years. As of right now, the company only has the weirdly named bZ4X mid-sized SUV in its line-up, and that model hasn’t exactly been selling its socks off. This is seriously hampering Toyota’s efforts to hit its 2024 EV sales targets, although it can claim some credit for its wide range of hybrid models.
As we pass the halfway point of 2024, Toyota sales are down 9% and the company has fallen from fifth to eighth place in terms of brand sales. Like Ford, it’s a brand that may have to stop selling some of its petrol and hybrid models before the end of the year to avoid breaching its EV quota.
Hyundai: no change
Hyundai’s registrations were almost exactly the same as they were 12 months ago, at just over 46,000 cars. That, of course, represents a net fall given that the overall market grew by 6%. It also means that Hyundai has slipped from eighth to ninth in the manufacturer sales rankings.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 [above] remains one of the stand-out new EVs on the market, while the Kona Electric small SUV and Ioniq 6 saloon are also excellent. The company is apparently slightly behind its EV sales targets, but not by a huge amount so it should be able to meet its requirements by the end of the year without too much discounting.
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Vauxhall: Down 8%
It’s been a disappointing six months for Vauxhall, with sales well off the pace of the overall market. It’s down 8% on last year, which isn’t great news as it underachieved against the overall market in the first half of last year as well. The company did have a much stronger second half of the year in 2023, so it will be hoping to repeat that this year.
Although Vauxhall has a solid choice of electric models (Corsa Electric, Astra Electric, Mokka Electric, Combo Life Electric, Vivaro Life Electric), none of them appear to be selling well enough to get Vauxhall close to its 2024 EV sales quota. The company does have two new SUVs joining the family later this year – the new Frontera small SUV [above] will replace the ageing Crossland, while the new Grandland replaces the current model. Both will be available in electric versions, which may help get Vauxhall over the line.
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MG: Up 11%
MG’s revival over the last few years has been a success story for its Chinese owners, and the brand has broken into the top ten for new car sales this year, moving up one place to tenth from last year. MG has outperformed the market for a few years’ running now, and this looks set to continue for the rest of this year.
Key to the brand’s relentless improvement has been a notable improvement in quality and equipment levels – the latest MG models are able to compete on broadly even terms with big-name rivals, rather than relying on budget pricing to excuse its fairly average model range as it did in the past.
The MG 4 (our reigning Car of the Year) remains the company’s top-performing electric model, along with the ZS EV small SUV and the MG 5 estate. New to the line-up is the Cyberster electric roadster [above], while the petrol and hybrid HS mid-size SUV has just been revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the all-new MG 3 hybrid small hatchback has only recently been launched as well. Expect MG to be an even bigger player in years to come.
Skoda: up 10%
The Czech arm of the giant Volkswagen Group holds its 12th place position in the new car market, with sales growth that just outperforms the overall market. Its growth has slowed down slightly from last year (where it grew by 51%), but with a couple of crucial new models arriving in the next few months, Skoda may have a strong end to the year.
In terms of electric models, Skoda currently only has the Enyaq mid-sized SUV. It may be joined by a smaller EV SUV model called the Elroq before the end of the year, while all-new versions of the popular Superb and Kodiaq models are also hitting UK showrooms about now. Skoda is apparently a little behind its EV sales targets, although the Volkswagen Group is able to trade credits within its brands to avoid any fines, so we don’t really know how well the company is placed overall.
Peugeot: Up 14%
Peugeot remains in 13th place on the sales charts, despite increasing sales by 14% in the first half of the year compared to 2023 – although the first half of last year was a poor period for Peugeot (down 5% against a market that was up 18%), so most of this year’s improvement was cancelling out last year’s losses.
Peugeot has been updating most of its big-selling models over the last year, with updates to its small 208 hatch and all-new generations of the 3008 and 5008 SUVs, along with a new 408 coupé-SUV [above] and an electric version of the 308 hatch and estate.
The company now has a decent range of electric cars (e-208, e-308, e-2008, e-3008, e-5008 and e-Rifter), but none of them are apparently selling in large enough numbers for Peugeot to hit its EV sales quota. Expect aggressive discounting of Peugeot EV models over the next six months.
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Land Rover: Up 18%
Land Rover is another brand that has seen solid growth – up 18% compared to the first six months of last year – but remains in the same place on the manufacturer pecking order. This comes despite the brand having no new models in 2024.
In terms of electric vehicles, there’s nothing to report as yet. An electric version of the flagship Range Rover should be on sale soon, but that’s not going to sell enough units to allow Land Rover to hit its EV sales targets. Presumably the company will be looking to buy credits from elsewhere in order to avoid fines for not meeting its quota.
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Volvo: Up 22%
Good sales news for Volvo, with strong growth in 2024 following on from similar improvements in the first half of 2023. It also moves up one spot to 15th in the brand sales rankings.
Of particular importance is the sales performance of its newest and smallest model, the EX30 small electric SUV [above]. It hasn’t been completely smooth sailing, however, with the EX30 currently being recalled for technical problems.
Volvo also recently announced that it is bringing back its two estate models, the V60 and V90, which had been dropped from the UK range last year. These will only be available as plug-in hybrids, and are only likely to sell in limited numbers, but it does provide welcome relief from the endless parade of SUVs offered by most car brands.
Volvo’s electric line-up is performing well, with the EX30 joining the electric EX40 (formerly XC40 Recharge) and EC40 (formerly C40) models in showrooms. Before the end of the year, Volvo will also have the enormous EX90 electric SUV to replace the venerable XC90 model that has been on sale for almost a decade. An all-new luxury electric MPV model called the EM90 may reach the UK late this year, but is more likely to arrive next year.
Renault: Up 65%
It’s been a very strong start to the year for Renault, with new car sales up 65% over the first half of 2023. The company also moves up from 18th to 16th place on the sales leaderboard.
Several models in the Renault range have been replaced or updated over the last year, with new or improved versions of the Clio, Captur and Austral (replacing the unloved Kadjar) on offer in UK showrooms. There are also new EVs hitting the market, with the eagerly anticipated Renault 5 retro-electric small hatch [above] soon to be joined by a new Scenic E-Tech EV mid-size SUV and Espace E-Tech large SUV.
The more sportily styled models in the Renault range have also been re-branded as Alpine trim levels, replacing the previous RS-line models. This ties in the Alpine sports brand more closely to the Renault mothership, much like Fiat does with Abarth and Mercedes does with AMG.
Tesla: Down 12%
Tesla has endured a tough 2024 to date. Despite the Model Y being the world’s best-selling car of 2023 (of any type, not just ‘best-selling electric car’), the company has endured problems trying to keep up supply this year.
There have been strikes and fires at its German factory where the Model Y is built, while sales of the Model 3 [above] were restricted as the company overhauled its popular saloon over winter. Expect the second half of the year to be stronger for Tesla, assuming it can get its labour disputes in Germany sorted soon.
SEAT: Up 34%
Surprisingly, SEAT has enjoyed a strong start to the year, with sales up 34% on the same period last year – which itself was up 25% on the previous year.
It’s surprising because SEAT hasn’t had any new models in what seems like a long time, and parent company Volkswagen appears to have little interest in promoting its Spanish value brand – all the effort seems to be going to SEAT’s performance spin-off brand, Cupra.
Industry sources have suggested to The Car Expert that SEAT has been aggressively chasing fleet deals, as it has little in the way of new product to woo consumers. The company also has zero EV models at present, so will be relying on trading credits within the overall Volkswagen Group results to ensure it avoids government fines.
Mini: Down 7%
Mini’s slow results for the first half of 2024 reflect an almost-complete overhaul of its model range in the last few months, rather than a lack of interest in the brand.
The entire Mini range (hatchback, convertible, Countryman, Clubman) is being replaced, with the new models being designed as EVs from the start rather than being converted from existing petrol models. The Clubman estate model is gone, to be replaced shortly with a new model called Aceman. The hatchback models will now be called Cooper [above].
Expect Mini to have a strong second half of the year, as its new electric range finally arrives in showrooms.
Honda: Up 24%
Honda has had a good six months, with registrations up 24% compared to the same period last year. The company’s latest models are inevitably SUVs of various sizes, but the Civic hatch remains a stand-out car.
In terms of electric vehicles, the cute-but-impractical Honda e has gone, leaving the small and awfully named e:Ny1 [above] as the only electric model in the family. As well as having a daft name (you must pronounce it “E-N-Y-1”, not “Anyone”, or else Honda will be unhappy with you…), the e:Ny1 isn’t really a very good car. Honda is apparently well behind its 2024 EV sales target, so expect heavy promotions and offers for the don’t-call-it-Anyone over the next few months.
Dacia: Up 5%
Renault’s budget brand has seen modest growth this year so far, although slightly behind the curve compared to the overall new car market (5% vs. 6%). Despite this, it’s actually moved up a place, from 22nd to 21st, in the manufacturer sales table compared to the same point last year.
Dacia has two new models of interest this year – the all-new Duster small SUV and the electric Spring even-smaller SUV [above], which will also be the UK’s cheapest new car when it arrives in the next few months. However, the Spring is unlikely to sell in enough numbers to help Dacia hit its EV sales quota for 2024, so it will be relying on parent company Renault to have enough credits to cover both brands.
Citroën: Up 1%
Modest growth of 1% means that Citroën has fallen behind the market in 2024, after a similar underachievement in 2023. It has also slipped a spot, falling behind Dacia and dropping from 21st to 22nd place in the manufacturer sales race at the year’s halfway point.
An all-new C3 and electric ë-C3 [above] model range should help capture some fresh sales in the second half of the year, but otherwise it’s hard to see where new business is going to come from for Citroën. Its electric models are also falling behind the market, with the ë-C4 and ë-C4 X not exactly flying out of showrooms, and the van-based ë-Berlingo and ë-SpaceTourer people carriers not adding many sales either.
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Mazda: Down 13%
After a strong 2023, Mazda sales have gone into reverse in 2024. A 13% drop against an overall market growth of 6% is bad news, with the company struggling to convince car buyers of its value in the marketplace.
Mazda’s only electric model, the MX-30 [above], is hampered by poor battery range – a result of Mazda misreading customer expectations. A range-extender hybrid version has been added to the line-up this year, but it may well be too late to rescue the MX-30’s sales. Most Mazda models are well regarded by motoring journalists, but are failing to make an impact in customers’ eyes.
Cupra: Up 23%
If you’re not an avid follower of the world car industry, Cupra is the performance spin-off brand from Spanish brand SEAT. Parent company Volkswagen seems to view Cupra as having stronger prospects than SEAT, as it has prioritised new models and marketing on Cupra while SEAT has languished.
Being a new brand with a growing model range, it’s not surprising that Cupra sales have comfortably exceeded the overall new car market. The sole EV model is the Cupra Born hatchback, which is a tweaked version of the Volkswagen ID.3. It was originally supposed to be a SEAT, but Volkswagen decided that it would do better with a Cupra badge. By the end of the year, the Born should be joined by an electric coupé-SUV called the Tavascan [above].
Suzuki: Up 11%
Suzuki has enjoyed a strong couple of years in terms of sales, although its run may be coming to an end. Despite sales up 11% compared to the first six months of last year, Suzuki doesn’t have any EVs currently on sale and has announced it will drop a few of its current models over the next year.
A new Swift has just been launched [above], but there won’t be a replacement for the Swift Sport version. The ageing Ignis small crossover is approaching the end of its production life and won’t be replaced. The Swace is nothing more than a rebadged Toyota Corolla estate and will be discontinued, and the Jimny small SUV will be killed off a second time (it was launched as a passenger car but failed to meet new emissions test so was relaunched as a commercial vehicle, and will now fail new emissions tests for LCVs).
Suzuki’s first electric car should be unveiled in coming months, although it may not reach the UK until next year. So the company has zero chance of meeting its EV sales targets for 2024…
Jaguar: Up 57%
The sales numbers for Jaguar look good, with impressive growth of 57% compared to the overall market growth of just 6%. This has come almost entirely from the brand’s SUV models (E-Pace, F-Pace and electric I-Pace [above]), as its saloon models (XE and XF) have now ended production, as has the F-Type sports car.
An all-new electric Jaguar saloon to rival the Porsche Taycan is likely to be unveiled later this year, but is not expected to go on sale until next year. That means Jaguar’s EV sales targets are dependent on the ageing I-Pace SUV.
Porsche: Down 27%
After enjoying strong growth during 2023, sales numbers have come crashing back down for Porsche in 2024. This is partly due to a range overhaul, with upgrades to the Panamera, Cayenne, 911 and Taycan models over the last year. There has also been a slowdown in Taycan sales after a frenzy over its first couple of years on sale. Porsche’s EV model has been highly regarded, but a glut of two-year-old Taycans hitting the used car market has hurt resale values quite dramatically.
An all-new electric Macan SUV model joins the Porsche line-up later this year, although it remains to be seen how much this will boost Porsche’s sales. The updated 911 range will also arrive shortly. On the other hand, Boxster and Cayman models are now reaching the end of their lives ahead of all-new electric replacements due to be launched next year.
Fiat: Down 14%
Fiat sales have been sliding over the last couple of years, underachieving by a long way against the overall market. This is partly due to an ageing model line-up that is gradually being addressed, with models like the Tipo, Panda and (petrol) 500 all well past their use-by dates.
The electric 500e model (which is completed unrelated to the petrol version) continues to lead the way for Fiat, along with the larger 600e electric crossover model. The company has also announced an electric Grande Panda model [above], which should provide a competitively priced option for new car buyers when it arrives sometime before the end of this year.
Fiat is now part of the enormous Stellantis group, so it will be able to exploit loopholes in the EV sales mandate by trading credits with other family brands – although none of them seem to be selling enough EVs to be ahead of target at the moment.
Lexus: Up 20%
Lexus is following up a strong 2023 with another impressive sales performance in the first half of 2024. With some fresh models in the line-up, as well as a new small crossover called the LBX that brings the brand to a lower price point, Lexus is on a growth spurt.
Like its parent brand Toyota, Lexus is struggling to shift electric cars. It has two in the range, the mid-sized RZ [above] and the smaller UX, both of which have just received substantial price cuts to help shift stock so that Lexus can hit its EV sales quota. The company is also offering discounted finance, subsidised home charging points and own-brand insurance products to help bring down the total ownership costs of its electric models.
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Jeep: Up 135%
Jeep has turned around a stagnant 2023 with a huge improvement in 2024, more than doubling the number of cars sold in the first six months of the year. This eye-catching figure needs to be taken in context, however, as we’re now getting down to the bottom half of of the sales chart where overall numbers are much smaller – so a big increase or decrease in sales involves fewer cars than at the top of the tables.
Jeep’s growth is being driven by its only electric model, the Avenger small SUV [above], and steady sales of some of its older fossil-fuel models. Like other brands in the enormous Stellantis family, there’s also a strong emphasis on fleet sales rather than private customers.
BYD: Up 2,800%
The growth number for BYD is fairly irrelevant, since it was only just getting started last year – just 100 sales of the Atto 3 crossover for the first half of 2023 compared to 2,900 in 2024. In the last year, it has added the small Dolphin hatch and the highly regarded Seal saloon [above].
In worldwide sales, BYD is now battling Tesla to be the world’s largest electric car company. Its high-profile sponsorship of the current European football championships is also driving brand awareness, so we can expect BYD sales to continue their rapid upwards trajectory for the next few years.
The company has already signed some major fleet deals and is expanding its model range quickly. It might currently only rank 31st on the manufacturer sales charts, but expect another massive improvement by the end of this year.
Polestar: Down 60%
Swedish brand Polestar is a spin-off EV-only brand from Volvo, and has had a tough start to 2024. This is largely due to it still only having one model currently available for sale, the Polestar 2. The company is also being split more comprehensively from Volvo to stand on its own two feet, which has involved a bit of restructuring trauma.
Things are looking up for Polestar sales, however, with two new models set to join the family in the next few months. The imaginatively named Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 [above] models should hit UK roads by about September, and are set to be joined next year by Polestars 5 and 6. They probably paid some marketing agency a fortune to come up with those model names…
- Everything you need to know about Polestar
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Subaru: Up 30%
In countries like the USA and Australia, Subaru is a big-name brand that sells boatloads of new cars every year. In the UK, however, it’s a minnow fighting to stay relevant against more familiar European names and new Asian start-ups.
But things are at least growing for Subaru, with sales up 30% ion the first half of this year, following a strong year in 2023. Hopefully the company is finally emerging from the doldrums of recent years, when we wondered why it even bothered continuing in the UK since it sold so few cars.
Subaru has a small but focused line-up of crossover models, all of which are highly capable of going off-road to places that your average SUV would never reach. The brand has a loyal following in rural areas, and is smart enough to give its customers what they want. At present, Subaru only has one electric model – the Solterra, which is a rebadged Toyota bZ4X. But it seems to be selling in sufficient numbers to ensure that Subaru will hit its EV sales quota by the end of the year.
Smart: Up 497%
The Smart brand has been through a complete metamorphosis over the last year. Tiny city cars are out, and more generic electric crossovers are in. “If you can’t beat them, join them,” I guess. The good news for Smart is that this has resulted in immediate sales success, with registrations jumping from less than 200 to more than 1,000 for the first half of the year.
Mercedes-owned Smart has partnered with Chinese giant Geely to produce an all-new range of electric models, starting with the #1 (No no no, not “Number 1”. You pronounce it “Hashtag 1”. Yes, I am being serious.) Next up is the Hashtag 3 (no, I don’t know what happened to the #2).
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KGM Motors (nee SsangYong): Up 14%
KGM Motors is the new name for SsangYong, a result of a change of ownership for the beleaguered Korean brand. It has also coincided with an update for the small Tivoli SUV [above] and an all-new model called the Torres, available with either petrol or electric power.
It remains to be seen how successful the new owners will be at growing the company, but it remains one of the smallest brands in terms of sales numbers and appears vulnerable to a horde of new Chinese brands launching in the UK with budget-priced SUVs.
- Everything you need to know about KGM/SsangYong
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GWM Ora: Up 202%
Like BYD, GWM Ora is another new Chinese car company that only started UK operations last year. As such, its impressive-sounding growth needs to be taken in context.
GWM currently only has one model on sale in the UK, the Ora 03 [above]. Despite only being on sale for about a year, it’s already undergone a name change from the dubious-sounding ‘Ora Funky Cat’ – turns out that it didn’t seem as funky to Western audiences as it did back in China…
Despite its growth, the immediate future for GWM seems a bit shaky. Like other Chinese car brands, it is set to have large tariffs slapped on its cars by the EU (although not here in the UK). As a result, GWM has basically closed its European offices and is going to manage operations from back in China. Will this be a short-term setback or a prelude to a full withdrawal from European sales? We’ll keep you posted.
Alfa Romeo: Up 24%
A solid start for Alfa Romeo in 2024, with the caveat that it’s coming off a poor performance in 2023. It’s another brand where impressive-sounding growth in percentage terms is only based on a small number of cars.
Alfa was still in the middle of its last relaunch under Fiat ownership when it was merged into the enormous Stellantis group, so its new masters are implementing yet another reboot for Italy’s most seductive (yet hopelessly underachieving) car company.
The newest model in the Alfa Romeo range is the Milano Junior small electric SUV [above], which is basically a better-looking Jeep Avenger. Embarrassingly, the company had to change the name just a couple of days after its global launch thanks to a dispute with the Italian government, which took offence to an Italian company naming its car after the city of Milan – Alfa’s ancestral home – when the car will be built in Poland.
Apparently, the government’s ire doesn’t extend to American brand Ford calling its new German-built SUV the Capri, however…
DS Automobiles: Down 62%
Yet another brand in the burgeoning Stellantis portfolio, DS was spun off from Citroën several years ago to offer a more premium French car experience. Sales, however, have not exactly been premium with the company struggling to convince buyers to give up their premium German cars.
DS will apparently be leading the French EV revolution, with fossil-fuel models being phased out fairly quickly. As of right now, however, the only electric model is an EV version of the DS 3 small crossover [above]. With so many different brands in the Stellantis family competing for attention and investment, you wonder how long DS will remain a viable proposition.
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Genesis: Down 31%
After a strong 2023 (in percentage terms, at least), 2024 has been a sales disappointment for Genesis. Just over 500 new cars were registered in the first six months of this year, a 31% decrease on the same period last year.
The brand’s UK division has been restructured, being brought directly under control of parent company Hyundai rather than being allowed to operate independently. It’s pushing on, however, with the launch of its new ‘Magma’ performance range at this week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
At least Genesis doesn’t have to worry about hitting its EV sales quota, with a line-up that includes the GV60 [above], Electrified GV70 and Electrified G80. Apparently, about 85% of UK sales are for its electric models, which isn’t that surprising as they’re far superior to the brand’s petrol and diesel cars.
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Bentley: Down 39%
It’s been a difficult couple of years for Bentley in terms of UK sales. The first half of this year has been nearly 40% down on the same period in 2023, which in turn was down 13% on 2022.
The company has been overhauling its product offering, with the Bentaga SUV being comprehensively updated last year and the Continental GT [above] getting a similar refresh right now. Like other luxury car brands, Bentley is also increasingly looking at low-volume, limited-edition models to generate its income, rather than relatively higher-volume models with skinnier profit margins.
Bentley’s first electric model was due to be launched in 2025, but has apparently now been pushed back by at least a year.
Abarth: Up 51%
Abarth is a performance brand for fast Fiat enthusiasts, with only two models – a faster petrol Fiat 500 and a faster electric Fiat 500. There’s only so many of those that a company can sell, although sales are up this year off the back of the new electric Abarth 500e [above].
There will finally be another Abarth model arriving later this year – a faster version of the Fiat 600 electric crossover. It will boost sales, but not by any great amount.
Maserati: Down 49%
Maserati is another Stellantis brand in the middle of a reboot. The line-up is looking rather fresher than it has for a while, with the Grecale mid-sized SUV and MC20 supercar now joined by the new GranTurismo and GranCabrio [above] GTs. All are available with a choice of petrol or electric power.
Meanwhile, the older models – Quattroporte and Ghibli saloons, and Levante large SUV, have been quietly discontinued. Stellantis is also gradually weaning Maserati away from its long-term partnership with Ferrari, which no longer supplies Maserati with V8 engines, but still builds and paints a number of Maserati bodyshells in its Maranello factory before trucking them up the road to Maserati’s factory in nearby Modena.
Alpine: Up 27%
The evergreen Alpine A110 sports car lives on in an endless procession of special-edition models. But finally, later this year, the Alpine range will double with an all-new model that should dramatically increase sales.
The new Alpine A290 [above] is a hotted-up version of the new retro-tastic Renault 5 small electric hatchback. Launched the Le Mans 24-hour race last month, it should reach UK showrooms before the end of the year.
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Ineos: Down 66%
After launching with a splash last year, Ineos Automotive’s answer to the discontinued old-school Land Rover Defender, the Grenadier, is enduring a difficult second year of sales.
The company has also announced that it is delaying the launch of its electric SUV, to be called the Fusilier. Ostensibly, this is because of concerns about the flatlining EV market. But it’s entirely likely that flatlining sales of the Grenadier may be a bigger reason…
Other brands: who knows?
Several low-volume or luxury brands (like Aston Martin, Bugatti, Caterham, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus, Morgan and Rolls-Royce, among others) don’t report monthly sales numbers so we can’t track their performances over time. In any case, with so few models sold each year, you’d inevitably see wild fluctuation in percentage terms almost every month.
It’s probably safe to say that Ferrari is making loads of money while Aston Martin is running up large losses, since that’s the way things have been for both brands since approximately forever. Bugatti and Rolls-Royce are halo brands for parent companies Volkswagen and BMW, respectively, so their financial performances tend to be absorbed into the overall group numbers rather than disclosed separately.