FCA sales in the rest of the world, esp USA, Europe and Middle East, Brazil

FCA sales in the USA, April 2016

http://www.allpar.com/news/2016/05/fca-us-posts-yet-another-gain-31716

However, incentives/discounting and lengthening inventory-days are up (a traditional symptom of channel stuffing born of the usa market's intense competition, frequent over-capacity of domestic manufacturing in the context of very "free trade" i.e., easy, cheap imports (esp since the dollar's been relatively strong for the last 2 years) from esp Japan, Korea and Mexico, and of the fact that the usa market car sales boom is nearing a plateau or even a downturn since the business cycle there is already 7+years old. This is true for most firms, less so for the Japan+korean firms/brands, since they enjoy currency-cheapness/high-import-content benefits.

The usa market's turning heavily and fast away from small and midsize sedans in favour of cuv-s, suv-s and pickups. Hence Marchionne's announcement that FCA will not make or indeed sell any own, as opposed to 'outsourced'/imported such fwd, non-performance or non-'muscle' or non-full-size (eg., like the Chrysler 300 or Dodge Charger) cars in the usa in the future, and will 'double down' on its traditional strength in suv-s and pickups + muscle cars+ the new minivan, another traditional strength, the Pacifica.


FCA sales in April 2016: Canada+Mexico

http://www.allpar.com/news/2016/05/big-gains-in-canada-mexico-mixed-31721

 

@prabhjot Thats great piece of information. Wish, we at India had similar positive growth of sales.

 

http://www.clubalfa.it/14267-fiat-tipo-e-gia-un-successo-di-vendite-in-italia.html

(pls use google translate)

Already, with just the sedan, the #2 european-c-segment car in Italy. It is almost a foregone conclusion that it will be #1 soon enough, beating the Golf+Jetta and the others from opel, ford, psa. Now that the hatch and the SW have only-just become available/been launched.

The Tipo sedan is seeing decent demand in such countries as Spain, portugal, Greece and France too.

It's price-to-quality ratio is clearly and emphatically among the best in the entire european auto market, any segment, any price-point. And yet it is earning decent-profit margins, because of its ultra-competitive but cutting-edge manufacturing plant-base in currency-competitive Turkey.

PS: remains to be seen whether FCA decides it needs to use India as a similar, cost-competitive export-to-europe base for the 2017 all-new punto-replacement as turkey!

--- FCA up way more than the market average in Spain in April 2016, both Fiat (500, panda, 500X, 500L+Tipo sedan) and Jeep (mainly Renegade) too. Alfa Romeo has grown sales as well. The spanish market continues its considerable rebound from the depths of the euro recession.

 

FCA sales in Germany, April 2016

The Fiat brand has grown 18+% in sales, faster than any other mass market brand, and almost all luxe ones too.

Alfa Romeo has grown sales a lot too (mainly the refreshed Giulietta 1.6mjd ddct)....and the Giulia is still-to-come to this, europe's biggest market, and also its most sporty-driving and sedan-centric one. Maserati sales are also up plenty here.

JEEP's large sales in germany are down a bit, though. Germany is the only country in europe where the Renegade is of less importance and the bigger, much more expensive models count for more (Wrangler, cherokee, Grand Cherokee.) There is a dip in the first 2's sales, esp the Cherokee. No matter, FCA is on the ball here: a Cherokee refresh will be out soon-enough globally (ex-China), and then there is the BIG sales prospect right into the 'meat' of the market: the new c-suv (which India and china and brazil will also be manufacturing) in early 2017 if not sooner.

Overall FCA sales have grown 13+% in April, way ahead of most firms and brands. Of course, off a low-ish base, as everyone has in this country/market, utterly dminated as it is by their domestic names.

Fiat Professional vans (doblo....ducato...daily) and IVECO are also doing well in Germany's huge market, esp the cng variants.

(pls refer to carsitaly.com and leftlane.com for detailed archived data)

The FIAT Tipo sedan has been sold a total of 22000 times in europe and 15000odd times in turkey/etc, already, just in 3/4 months : just the sedan. The hatch and SW have only just been launched in Italy, to be followed by the other EU countries.

The Tipo/Aegea project of 3 cars is an assured 'hit', then, and a decent-margins one at that, being made in the high-quality but low-cost tofas jv plant in Turkey. They were clearly meant especially for the HUGE and fast-expanding lease and rental markets in europe, where Fiat under Marchionne has for years, given the 500-centrism, been refusing to play, because of the ultra-low-margins.

Hope India as a Turkey-like export base makes the 'numbers' for FIAT branded car(s) come 2017/2018!

 

FCA sales in Britain for April 2016

The Fiat, Alfa romeo and jeep brands are all up again this month, a lot better than all mass market marques (growth). The market's clearly nearing saturation/exhausted growth, being at an all-time high.

What is changing is an even bigger shift, because of ultra-low interest rates, towards the more expensive (i.e., German 'luxury') marques via the huge executive leasing prevalent in the Uk. FCA in the UK was hitherto all too absent from this huge and growing segment, being restricted to the 500 and 500L+the utility vans. now: there is Jeep, the 500X, and the new Alfa giulietta+ of course the big one (for the executive leasing market): the Alfa Giulia. Perhaps theimproved effort and presence in leasing+the 500X+renegade+facelift of the 500 (with lots of new ITech) are doing it for FCA, where ford, nissan and VW are markedly slowing by-now (saturation?)

The Tipo hatchback and SW have just become available in the Uk, at prices very markedly lower than say the Golf, Ford focus and Opel Astra. The ddct + 1.6 mjd variant would seem a great prospect in the UK, imo, esp in the leasing-market. Let's see.


source: carsitaly.com , autocar uk

 

Unless Indian government strictly imposes safety norms in the cars and have safety crash tests as per international norms for all the cars , Indian market will never have good cars. We will have to live with Match Box - Maruti Omni/Van and Maruti Echo.

Stricter car norms would be beneficial to the customers and Indians as a whole in 2 ways
1. Stricter norms will give us better cars and save our lives.
2. Stricter norms will increase the cost of the cars and cars like Omni/Echo/ Dastun Go will have no chance of surviving in the crash tests and would be removed. This will decrease the load on the Indian roads specifically the overcrowded Indian cities. Result - decrease in pollution levels.

 

FCA sales in Brazil, April 2016

The brazilian car market continues its precipitous decline, caused by the recession+political-crisis there. As usual the top firms/brands are down on sales more-than-avergae, none more so than the Fiat brand. The Fiat Palio, Sienna are sinking far and fast down the top-selling-models lineup, for example.

HOWEVER: FCA/Fiat Brazil is still the ONLY profitable car firm in Brazil. And the models struggling are the old, now-dated ones (Palio, Sienna + also the Punto and Uno.)

FCA has only just begun a premiumization all-new model push, VERY successfully. The Jeep renegade is selling really well, despite premium pricing, and the new TORO pickup is already in merely the second month: the best-selling (lifestyle)pickup model, ahead of the new Hilux/Fortuner.

And the MOBI is off to a great start too: 1000+ sold in the first 9 days of availability, apparently.

The new Palio/Punto+new Grand Sienna (2017) + the coming-soon UNO facelift + the new GSE small petrol engines (FIRE-family replacement) should see them in a great position once the economic-bust is over in brazil.

The Strada pickup is still selling very well, as are the utility vans, despite/adjusting for the awful economy. FIAT remains, in total, the best-selling brand in Brazil (vans and pickups included).

The year-end will see the new Jeep c-suv enter production, too. And: the uptick in the Argentine economy and demand-for-cars recently is also benefitting Fiat Brazil exports.

 

http://www.allpar.com/news/2016/05/fca-now-1-in-vans-31844

In the USA market FCA is both the #1 SUV-maker/seller (Jeeps + the Dodge Journey and Durango) and now also the #1 vans/uv seller (Chrysler minivans + Fiat Doblo and Ducato-as-Rams). btw, FCA has a 10-11% marketshare of the european van/uv market too in Europe+turkey+brazil, and is of course a HUGE pickup truck seller too in N America (Ram) as well as LatAm (Fiat Strada+Toro). Note that IVECO big vans, trucks and buses etc are no longer a part of FCA per se, but are of course still run by Marchionne and owned/controlled by EXOR/the Agnelli-s.

FCA sales are up decently in April in a finally-rebounding Argentinian market (Fiat+Jeep+Alfa).

Up also in Japan, where it sells a lot of its higher margin vehicles (from Abarths to Maserati-s and Jeeps).

FIAT brand sales (Tipo+500, less so the 500X) are up a lot in Germany, while JEEP sales are down slightly in April. The new c-suv/new Compass will cause a big growth spurt again (like in 2014) for Jeep in Germany, as will of course the new Alfa Giulia, Germany being such a big sporty sedan and executive/company-car leasing market.

FCA sales in Turkey are down a fair bit in April 2016, despite the Aegea/Tipo (5800 or so sold since january through march), as are the sales of several other firms. It seems that the political turmoil there, the friction with the usa and the EU (except Germany), as well as the economic slump caused and causing a severe depreciation of the Turkish currency is hurting car sales, but FCA is down a bit more than the market-as-a-whole. FCA of course is benefitting financially from Turkey regardless, since the Tipo/Aegea + some Fiat Professional+Ram vans are exported from turkey in ever-larger numbers.

 

In a month when most car firms have seen sales tank year-on-year, FCA has managaed to ekeout further sales-growth in the USA market, that is at or near abouts the end of its long-boom since the 2008/9 'Great recession' and the election of Barack Obama. FCA's sales and marketshare growth is at (i think) in its 72nd or 73rd CONSECUTIVE month in the usa.

http://www.allpar.com/news/2016/06/fca-yet-more-us-sales-growth-31895

http://www.allpar.com/news/2016/06/gaining-us-share-pacificas-first-month-31898

The likely strategy for FCA in the usa brands is the one in place already for the last 1-2 years: finally, a milking that high-cost (esp for fca, a merger-ed NEW firm) market, sweating all the massive new investments made there over the prvious 6-7 years, which was THEN at the cost of delays and under-investment in Fiat and Alfa for the rest of the FCA world. Now, though, and foreseeably: the emphasis is squarely back on the Fiat brand with several all-new models flowing again (more coming to europe and brazil, turkey and/or india etc in 2017) and, of course, Alfa Romeo+Maserati. To add to the new-Jeeps made at the new non-usa, non-italy plants in brazil, china....and india (2017 onwards).

For the North American brands and markets FCA will for the next few years launch very few new-models, selected carefully to maximize brand-USP, and higher-margins, with some models even being 'outsourced' to other firms (e.g., Chrysler 200 midsize sedan) IN and THROUGH the upcoming usa economy/market growth-slowdown or stagnation (or worse!)

Marchionne's strategic rapid-shifts of strong-emphasis, his distinctive management style, are playing out now EVEN for FCA's (and ford's, gm's, toyota+Honda's) largest market: the usa+canada.

My own sense is that the man's continued visionary strategic brilliance is going to be ratified by the outperformance of FCA, financially and otherwise, in the NA market...

even as pretty-much all other firms gradually or a-lot: increasingly struggle with the usa market-boom nearly over, if it is not already.

--- Double Post Merged, Jun 2, 2016 ---

France, Spain: FCA sales in May 2016

These 2 markets are up again a lot this month: and yet FCA is pretty much the highest-growing (of sales and marketshare) of ANY firm! Fiat brand sales massively up (35odd% y-on-year, and Jeep good-growth too) in France and also outperforming a lot in Spain too, which like Italy is surging-back from the depths of the European post-global-2008 crisis recession continuously and MORE than anyone expected over nearly 2 years now. This is to the very large and disprportionate benefit of FCA, which is stronger in southern europe+france+uk than it is in many 'Germanic' northern european car markets.

source: carsitaly.net

 

FCA sales in Italy: May 2016

http://www.carsitaly.net/fiat-car-sales_italy.htm

The amazing post-recession (and an ongoing 'permanent crisis') rebound of the Italian car market continues apace: pretty much the fastest and sustained (so far) on average of any european economy. The market overall up by 25% or more, again.

And again: FCA has outperformed massively, every model is seeing a massive uptick in sales, with the only exceptions being the soon-to-be-withdrawn old ones: the Punto, the Alfa Mito (punto sibling). The 'new' models (Renegade, 500X, 500L, facelifted 500, facelifted Lancia Ypsilon+Alfa Giulietta, and of course the Tipo-s) are all selling very hot and fast.

Italian press reports suggest that the Alfa Giulia has already sold 3000 cars right at its first weekend of being-shown at dealers, with over 30000 visitors to the showrooms already.

Needless to say FCA as a whole is picking up even-greater marketshare at a fast pace, now that FCA has and will continue to return to segments and price points it had abandoned or never been-in (Jeeps, new premium-priced Alfa-s, new more expensive Abarths, new 124 Spider, the Tipo triplet, upcoming new Jeep C-suv, Maserati sports-SUV Levante, hpofully the Chrysler Pacifica hybrid as either a Fiat or a Lancia in europe.....)

NOTE on FCA + CaseNewHolland-Iveco van, truck and bus sales in Europe:

Sales growth at or in some countries like Italy and France: outperformance, extends to the utility segments too under the Fiat+Fiat Professional brands (Doblo to Ducato+Daily vans and work-versions) as well as IVECO-branded large trucks, buses and vans. Overall european marketshare is holding steady for Fiat/FP and is growing-well (outperformance) if CNH-Iveco are included. Rem: Case Industrial, New Holland tractors, construction and agricultural vehicles/machines, and of course IVECO trucks, buses and vans were a part of the Fiat Group in 2008, but were seperated from FCA after the merger with Chrysler Corp. Marchionne runs CNH too, on behalf of the Agnelli-s, as he does Ferrari.

There is a current project underway at FCA to enter other, less-traditional for FCA markets via mainly Fiat and Fiat Professional rebadged-as-Ram vans and trucks: markets that're dominated by Japanese firms and/or those (mainly in Asia-Pac--Thailand, Australia, Phillipines etc and some LatAm countries) where American brand influence and presence is older, stronger than european ones (including Fiat or Iveco).

--- Double Post Merged, Jun 2, 2016, Original Post Date: Jun 2, 2016 ---

FCA sales in May 2016: Canada

The market overall is down, BUT fca grew a tad, and remains the clear #1 car sales firm in Canada, both this month, y-o-y and year-to-date. Mainly due to Jeep sales, and of course sales of the Canada-made Minivans, both inexpensive-older (Dodge Caravan and Chrysler T&C) and brand-new: Pacifica.