The consolidation of the swiss auto market continues after several consecutive years of strong growth.
Underlying trends, such as all wheel drive transmission and an acquired taste for premium offerings, remain strong. We dive in the numbers and attempt an analysis.
After a peak at -11.8% at the end of June, new car registrations in Switzerland are poised for a softer consolidation, standing at -7.8% at the end of September. Sales of diesel passenger cars are still rising, but appear to approach a plateau around 37%. Swiss car buyers are already the all-wheel-drive champions in Europe, ahead of the scandinavians, and the trend continues in 2013.
In the top 15 ranking by brand, all leaders saw their sales volumes decline, except for BMW and Suzuki. The Bavarian carmaker enjoys the success of the new F30 3-series line as well as robust sales of the 1-series range. Suzuki is building on the excellent sales performance of the SX4 cross-over and the Swift super compact. Renault, who was #2 in 2010, falls to the 8th place and records a harsh -18.3% decline in sales.
Golf, Octavia, the top spots of the model ranking are a stronghold of these VW group products, but there are changes behind. The BMW 3-series model range takes the third spot and leads the D Premium segment, a position it occupied from 2006 to 2008. An ageing Audi A4 (B8) and a sharp contraction of Mercedes C-Class sales after the 2012 boom also contribute to the matter. The segment as a whole is not growing through, and the hypothesis of a flight toward cross-over equivalent is not confirmed by the numbers.
One size down, the C premium segment is a formidable battlefield for the three german leader, all promoting recent and attractive offerings. The arrival of Mercedes with a crowd-pleasing A-class and the launch of the new Audi A3 are proving to be healthy competition for the BMW 1-series. The imminent launch of the A3 sedan and Mercedes CLA could sharpen the appetite of swiss buyers even further. The battle rages on as well between their cross-over cousins, even if the Audi Q3 does not seem to build on 2012 momentum and sales of the Range Rover Evoque have pulled back significantly. The success of the Mercedes GLA will be interesting to watch.
Sales in the E segment are refressing. A newcomer, the Tesla Model S, and the progression of the Jaguar XF, thanks in part to the launch of the Sportbrake wagon, deserve recognition. Here also, there is no quantitative evidence of a shift of volumes towards comparable SUVs, which will not match their 2012 sales levels by around 10%.
Segments B & C and their cross-over derivatives represent a good third of total sales and reflect faithfully the consolidation of the auto market. After three quarters, the numbers are in line with a 5 to 10% decrease in sales. The performance of the Peugeot 208 is certainly a highlight, and the lukewarm performance of the VW Golf VII a relative lowlight.
A short detour through american sports cars: the drop in Corvette registration is an expected side effect of the coming launch of the new Stingray, sales of the Camaro seem reasonable, but Mustang direct imports have dropped.
Prestige: the year of the F12
The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta is a monument, and customers are attacted. One hundred cars registered as of June 30, another 28 in the third quarter, the flagship of the Ferrari GT range is so far outselling the 458 Italia ! In spite of the launch of the Spider version, the McLaren MP4-12C does not seem to convince a swiss, at least in Switzerland.
Porsche delivers steady growth and 2013 could achieve a new high, thanks to a robust product portfolio.
Taking a broader look at competitors to the 911, the launch of the Jaguar F-Type seems to yield encouraging results.
For the anecdote, another 2 Bugatti Veyron were sold, the 32nd 33rd cars registered as new in Switzerland, or nearly one out of 10 cars produced by Bugatti. While all these cars may not be in the country anymore, Switzerland remains probably the country with the highest per capita sales of Bugatti Veyron (and derivative versions) in the world.
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