Europe's Seven Big Car Brands In Free Fall Over Last 20 Years, Except One

[kobayashiGT]

Source: https://www.motor1.com/news/681350/europe-seven-big-car-brands-free-fall-20-years-except-one/

As the European car market continues to change (thanks to the Tesla boom and the arrival of Chinese brands) a lot has happened to the traditional segment leaders. Europe is by definition a very competitive market with high safety/emissions standards.

It is the third largest in the world, after China and the United States, and second in the adoption of electric vehicles. But who has won and who has lost in the last 20 years?

Between 2003 and 2023, one of the most important moments in the European automotive market was the shift in brand dominance. The region has traditionally been led by seven major automakers: Fiat from Italy; Citroen, Peugeot, and Renault from France; Volkswagen and Opel from Germany, and Ford from the UK.

In 2003 these seven brands (Opel including Vauxhall) controlled almost 58 percent of new car registrations in Europe (considering 29 markets). Their placement in their respective home markets has allowed them to occupy a relatively strong position compared to Japanese and Korean brands.

For example, market share in their home markets ranged from 10 percent of Opel in Germany to 27 percent of Renault in France. While these figures were significantly lower than those of the 1990s, they were satisfying because at that time Korean brands had not yet taken off and Japanese brands were trying to win over European consumers.

This started to change with the SUV boom, ushered in by the first-generation Nissan Qashqai. Meanwhile, Hyundai and Kia opened plants in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, producing competitive cars that have met the taste of local motorists.

The result? In 2013 the Big-7 accounted for almost 49 percent of volume in Europe, down 9 points from a decade earlier. Between 2003 and 2013, the market share lost by six of these brands varied between 0.9 points for Fiat and 4 percentage points for Renault. The only exception was Volkswagen, which increased its market share from 9.8 percent in 2003 to 12.6 percent in 2013.

This year, in June, the situation for these brands was even worse. Fiat, Citroen, Opel/Vauxhall, Ford, and Peugeot hit their lowest level in 20 years. Renault placed second among the lowest market shares, after gaining 0.2 points from the full-year 2022, when it had recorded an all-time low.

On the other hand, Volkswagen managed to increase its market share, or at least maintain it. With a share of 10.6 percent in the first half of 2023, it lost 2 points compared to 2013 but gained 0.8 points compared to 2003. The Dieselgate scandal was certainly offset by high-quality cars and the ability to introduce products in the right segments at the right time.

Who Won?

 

In addition to the small gain the German manufacturer recorded, the big winners over the past 20 years have been German premium brands, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, and, most recently, Tesla. All of them have something that the big European brands don't have: greater flexibility.

This allows them to offer fresh products on a quicker scale that better fit the latest consumer needs. At the same time, most of them were less exposed to the European crisis than there were between 2011 and 2014, and many have used their strong global presence to save costs.

Will their struggling colleagues take note?

[Watwheels]

I remember seeing vw entered the China car market in the late 90s/early 2000s. The diesel taxis in the city I went to are all from vw. Can see the occasional Audi passenger cars like the A6 4 door sedans. I think what made the difference is vw not only entered the China car market early but also worked with a local car brand to mass produced their cars. No other European car brand did that back then. 

Not only did they established their branding in China they also mass produced cars in one of the world's biggest emerging car markets. That alone is a win or two if compared to other European car brands.

[Soya]

No surprises here

The badges have eaten away at these B&B conti brands

The european numbers oso reflect the SG situation. If it ain't a badge, juz buy kimchi or sushi. Forget the rest

 

 

[Mkl22]

all the shitty conti brands listed were shit in the 90s and continue to be shit. the whole world have moved on.

[Soya]

On 8/14/2023 at 4:19 PM, Mkl22 said:

all the shitty conti brands listed were shit in the 90s and continue to be shit. the whole world have moved on.

Dun hold back. Tell us what u really think......

 

[Mkl22]

On 8/14/2023 at 6:14 PM, Soya said:

Dun hold back. Tell us what u really think......

 

No need la. The buying public has decided. If they were any good, would have done better than to continuously lose market share especially more so in their home markets. 😂

[Soya]

On 8/14/2023 at 6:43 PM, Mkl22 said:

No need la. The buying public has decided. If they were any good, would have done better than to continuously lose market share especially more so in their home markets. 😂

Peugeot's new design direction actually quite swee, esp the new 408 Fastback

Unfortunately they can't design their way out of poor reputation of reliability...

 

[Mkl22]

On 8/14/2023 at 7:39 PM, Soya said:

Peugeot's new design direction actually quite swee, esp the new 408 Fastback

Unfortunately they can't design their way out of poor reputation of reliability...

 

AKA 好看不好吃？😂

frenchie cannot make it. After so many decades still lousy reliability. Even their own people give up. Just like the crappy British cars. Disaster in the 60s and now almost all collapse. Let’s see how long Aston, JLR and lotus can continue to bleed. 

[Soya]

On 8/14/2023 at 7:44 PM, Mkl22 said:

AKA 好看不好吃？😂

frenchie cannot make it. After so many decades still lousy reliability. Even their own people give up. Just like the crappy British cars. Disaster in the 60s and now almost all collapse. Let’s see how long Aston, JLR and lotus can continue to bleed. 

Let's see who's the brave one in MCF that'll buy a frenchie EV.....lol

 

[bsswan]

Don't trust any media that says Ford is from the UK!

[bsswan]

On 8/14/2023 at 10:34 AM, Watwheels said:

I remember seeing vw entered the China car market in the late 90s/early 2000s. The diesel taxis in the city I went to are all from vw. Can see the occasional Audi passenger cars like the A6 4 door sedans. I think what made the difference is vw not only entered the China car market early but also worked with a local car brand to mass produced their cars. No other European car brand did that back then. 

Not only did they established their branding in China they also mass produced cars in one of the world's biggest emerging car markets. That alone is a win or two if compared to other European car brands.

The Santana and, latterly, Santana2000 made by Shanghai Automotive from old Passat tooling sold to them by VW.

I was living in Shenzhen mid-90s and knew it already then, that VW was committing suicide just to build numbers. Not only automotive but everything and everyone (well, worked for me also for a few years), all ran into China to benefit from sales to 1.2b people in a short-sighted attempt to make money all while ignoring their own long-term future.

[Xers007]

More Euro brands will free fall with the influx of the cheaper and more powerful China EVs. Their tech will no longer has an edge over others in EV.

Edited August 15, 2023 by Xers007

[mersaylee]

On 8/14/2023 at 7:47 PM, Soya said:

Let's see who's the brave one in MCF that'll buy a frenchie EV.....lol

 

😁

Hashtag undertaker 

[Mkl22]

On 8/15/2023 at 4:36 PM, bsswan said:

Don't trust any media that says Ford is from the UK!

For the Europe market it was ford uk for the longest time. 

[Mkl22]

On 8/15/2023 at 4:42 PM, bsswan said:

The Santana and, latterly, Santana2000 made by Shanghai Automotive from old Passat tooling sold to them by VW.

I was living in Shenzhen mid-90s and knew it already then, that VW was committing suicide just to build numbers. Not only automotive but everything and everyone (well, worked for me also for a few years), all ran into China to benefit from sales to 1.2b people in a short-sighted attempt to make money all while ignoring their own long-term future.

Eh? Don’t understand your logic? If don’t whack and make money then plan for a future that maybe the company won’t even be around? It’s is the immediate future that pays the bills and feeds the company. Plan so far forward for what? It’s a company who’s  goal is to make profits. 

[bsswan]

On 8/15/2023 at 9:00 PM, Mkl22 said:

For the Europe market it was ford uk for the longest time. 

That's a different meaning, and in any case the majority of cars were made in Belgium or Cologne.