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

July and August 2016 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Sales in Europe
LONDON, September 15, 2016 --

FCA continued to post sales gains in Europe during July and August, outperforming the industry average both months with respective increases of 4.3% and 20.4%. For the eight months year-to-date, FCA's European sales were up 15.5% year-over-year, compared with an industry average of 7.8%. All brands contributed to the year-to-date increase. Sales were up 22.2% for Jeep, 16.0% for Fiat, 8.7% for Lancia and 7.9% for Alfa Romeo. The Fiat brand continues to lead the European A segment, with the 500 and Panda holding a combined share of nearly 30.0% for the year-to-date. The Fiat 500L continued to lead its segment with a 26.5% share for the year-to-date. With more than 73,300 vehicles sold so far in 2016, the 500X also remained one of the best-selling vehicles in its segment in Europe. The Tipo family continued to post increases, steadily climbing the European rankings, and will be enlarged in September with the arrival of the station wagon version. Jeep brand sales were up 22.2% for the eight months year-to-date, driven primarily by the Renegade.

FCA closed the summer period with continued year-over-year sales increases in Europe, despite variations in market demand. In August, when sales traditionally decline, particularly in Italy, FCA sales were up 20.4% year-over-year (+9.5% for the industry). July sales were 4.3% higher, compared with an average decline of 1.8% for the industry. The Group's European sales totaled nearly 48,000 vehicles in August, with market share up 50 basis points year-over-year to 5.6%. In July, sales totaled 78,100 vehicles, with market share 40 basis points at 6.7%.

Year-to-date, sales were up 15.5% (vs an industry average of 7.8%) to 677,000 vehicles and market share was 40 basis points higher at 6.7%.

In August, FCA posted sales increases in nearly every major market. Sales were up 24.5% in Italy (+20.1% for the industry), 33.2% in Germany (+8.3% for the industry), 24.3% in France (+6.7% for the industry) and 26.9% in Spain (+14.6% for the industry).

Fiat brand sales in Europe were up 21.1% in August to more than 35,000 vehicles, with market share 40 basis points higher year-over-year at 4.1%. In July, brand sales were up 3.5% to more than 59,400 vehicles, with market share 30 basis points higher at 5.1%.

Year-to-date, the brand outperformed the industry average with sales up 16.0% to 513,500 vehicles. Market share was 40 basis points higher at 5.1%.

The brand posted sales increases both months in nearly all major markets, outperforming the industry average. In Italy, sales were up 4.5% in July and 26.1% in August. In Germany, sales were up 12.9% in July and 33.0% in August. In France, sales were up 17.9% in August. In Spain, Fiat sales were up 32.8% in July and 41.0% in August.

The brand maintained its lead in the European A segment, with the 500 and Panda accounting for a combined 30.0% share for the year-to-date. Sales of the 500 were up 1.9% for the period and the Panda posted a 15.8% increase.

The 500L also had a positive summer, ranking number one in its segment in July and August. For the year-to-date, sales of the 500L totaled nearly 59,000 and segment share was above 26.5%. The 500X also made a positive contribution with more than 73,300 vehicles sold year-to-date. The model also ranked among the leaders in its segment with an 8.5% share and an increase of 270 basis points over the same period in 2015. The Tipo family continued to post increases and is steadily climbing the European rankings. In September, the model range will be expanded further with the addition of a station wagon version.

Lancia/Chrysler posted sales of more than 2,500 vehicles in August and 47,400 for the year-to-date (+8.7% year-over-year), with share stable at 0.5%.

For the Lancia Ypsilon, year-to-date sales were up 13.9% and it continued to lead the B segment in Italy.

Alfa Romeo posted sales of more than 3,300 vehicles in August (+17.3%) and nearly 5,200 vehicles in July (+9.7%). For both months, European market share was 0.4%.

Brand sales, which included the contribution of the Giulia, increased in Italy (+6.5% in July, +26.1% in August), Germany (+8.7% in July, +32.3% in August), France (+6.7% in July, 23.3% in August), the UK (+41.5% in July, +15.6% in August) and Spain (+15.9% in July).

Year-to-date, the brand's European sales were up 7.9% to more than 41,500 vehicles. Market share was in line with the prior year at 0.4%.

Jeep continued its strong performance with sales up 29.7% in August to more than 6,300 vehicles (market share up 10 basis points to 0.7%) and 12.9% in July to 8,300 vehicles (market share at 0.7%).

The brand posted increases in all major European markets, significantly outperforming the industry average: Italy (+56.7% in August and +19.0% in July), Germany (+26.3% in August and +9.9% in July), France (+82.2% in August and +3.3% in July), the UK (+75.5% in August and +71.1% in July) and Spain (+36.1% in August and +2.9% in July).

Year-to-date, sales were up 22.2% to more than 69,800 vehicles and European market share increased 10 basis points to 0.7%.

Those results were driven by the continued strong performance of the new Jeep Renegade, which has established itself firmly among the leaders in its segment. The Renegade posted sales of more than 9,100 units in July and August and 51,300 units (+47.0%) for the year-to-date.

For Maserati, the Group's luxury brand, European sales totaled 609 vehicles in July, 594 in August and 4,530 year-to-date.

SOURCE: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

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The above official fca PR release sums things up excellently.

The ONLY caveat here is, of course, that the Eurozone economy in general and Italy+Spain+France and of course the UK in particular could be staring at another full-blown economic crisis by next-year, given all the geo-political and political tensions steadily adding-up, with referenda and elections coming up everywhere, rising xenophobia, EURO-cynicism, still dodgy banking sector, still-too-high youth unemployment, and so on.

More likely: not a full bust-up of the EU or the euro but a steady state of utter stagnation, indefinitely, with continued good-buoyancy in parasitic-Germany and N Europe. Such a likelier outcome will suit FCA fine, since it has its manufacturing costs completely rationalised (e.g., Tipo built not anywhere in europe, but in Turkey, Italian manufacture increasingly ONLY for premium/luxury/sportsGTcar marques (i.e., Alfa Romeo and Maserati) and models (i.e., export-centric) and since it has 'rationalised' its FIAT lineup to a reduced number of models (cars and vans) that are cost-competitive (esp Panda and Tipo models+the uv-s) AND have a high-chic/allure/USP/brand-dna-heritage quotient (124, 500s, 500X, Abarth-s, 500L, upcoming Fiat c-suv/newFreemont.)

Also, and of the essence is the fact that FCA has ample 'white space' conquest-sale growth baked-in via the all-new segment-entries from Alfa Romeo (Giulia and a new model off its platform and with its powertrains, every 6 to10 months through to about 2020), JEEP and Maserati. i.e., FCA can and will assuredly outperform sales-growth-wise, EVEN if the EU economy stagnates at the current still-depressed-after-2009-global-financial-crisis level. Of course, all bets are off IF the eurozone perpetual crisis reaches full-boil, euro-breakup-kind-of meltdown politically. Likewise in the usa/N America if that cartoon character, the Donald T, wins the usa presidency.

Middle-East/Arab states' sales in August and y-to-date for FCA brands: 2016

The Arab states, esp the oil petro-oligarchies/monarchies, are a big and hugely important market for big rigs, esp suv-s and large as well as fast sedans. For obvious reasons, that one may not always 'appreciate' but firms like FCA, that specialize in precisely such models and brands, sure do!

Since: Jeep, Maserati have both grown sales m-o-m as well as y-to-date rather well, esp in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar, DESPITE the pretty large overall decline in the market (due to the collapse in the global oil-price.) As has Dodge and Ram too.

Exact figures are expensive to come by, but the site bestsellingcars.com provides an outline as well as archive of such figures for these important automotive market-countries.

Reports suggest the new Maserati Levante is selling VERY well in the UAE and in SArabia, as it is in Italy and the rest of Europe, as well as of course China (Maserati's best market in recent history.) USA sales are only just beginning or will soon-enough.

NOTE: The counter-cyclical ability of FCA brand-sales (in this case mainly Jeeps, American brand large muscular sedans and Italian sportscars) to increase sales sizeably in major markets EVEN through an overall slowdown, as seen in the Middle East case, and elsewhere too, is perhaps unique at this point in the global automotive industry.

ONLY because FCA is actually just a 7/8 year old firm, which has only over the last year or so started the full scale, all segments, all geographies and all price points as well as brand-identities ALL-NEW model launch relatively-fast-cadence.

There is SO much more to come (after all the all-new Fiats, the new Alfa-s and the new Maseratis, and a new Jeep): several all-(re)new Jeeps and several Alfa-s, Dodges and a few Fiats too (mainly LatAm and just may still be, India?), ALL by 2018-end more or less, just the next 2 years. New Jeep Compass/c-suv, new Alfa Stevio d-suv and Alfetta e-sedan, new Fiat 'Punto' etc for Brazil, new Wrangler family, new Grand Wagoneer, new Ram pickup, etc etc.

Maserati sales in August/September 2016, globally

Maserati sales, thanks mainly to the Levante, are up y-on-y as much as 46%!

The Levante has already been ordered over 14,000 times, and demand is very strong in the usa, in europe, uae/saudiA etc, as well as in china. Note that it's been on-the-market only for 3-4 months, and that too only in some, and is only now being offered on a wider basis.

Maserati has also, alongwith the truly splendid and class-leading-in-engineering Levante, just launched redone and better-equipped new versions of both the Quattroporte and the Ghibli sedans.


Note that both Maserati as well as Alfa Romeo are doing especially well in Germany, the UK, Japan, and of course China for Maserati (its largest market.)

FCA sales for September 2016 in Spain and France

As has been usual for FCA, outperformance of the market average continues and by-some-margin.

France's car market's very bluesy again, largely for political-uncertainty-and-crisis reasons, growing at a mere 2.5%. The Fiat brand has grown about the same, while Alfa Romeo thanks to the Giulia, JEEP thanks largely to the Renegade, and Maserati as well as Abarth have grown very handily, however, resulting in fca as a whole (inlcuding uv-s/vans) handily outdoing most of the big firms and brands. So far this year in France fca is more or less the greatest growing in sales and marketshare large firm.

Spain's continuedly buoyant car market, since the european debt-crisis etc of 2-3 years ago has grown 13odd% again in september 2016. Fiat, Alfa and Jeep have all grown far more than that, thereby continuing the continuous marketshare gains for fca in spain, underway for almost 2 years. The Giulia, the Tipo, the 500X, the 500 and the Renegade are seeing very good demand.

FCA sales for september 2016 in the usa, canada and mexico

After a VERY long time FCA has shown a slight decline in total sales in the usa market, albeit not as much as Ford, and some other firms: about 1odd%. But discounting/incentives are already at an all-time high, and the turn-of-business-cycle in the automotive market (peak or plateau or downturn coming by 2017?) has begun.

FCA has some of the highest incentives in the industry, and yet so far it is still raising profit margins in the usa since the preponderance of its sales are in more-creamy-priced and margin-ed relatively charismatic models and namplates (Charger, Challenger, Wrangler, grand Cherokee etc).

Total sales numbers for FCA have also been deliberately reduced by the firm since it is no longer making anymore Dodge Darts and Chrysler200 sedans, nor replacing them with any other car/non-suv model as yet. THAT partly explains the high-total-discounting of fca: a good thing, since it consists in clearing inventory as the plants and dealers get ready for the big, high-volume, higher-profit now launches coming up soon: the new JEEP Compass/c-suv, the all-new Wrangler suv-s and pickup too, and an all-new RAM pickup truck for (2018.)

The Alfa Romeo Giulia and the Maserati Levante are just beginning to be delivered in the usa, with the latter apparently seeing VERY good orders.

FCA sales have dipped quite severely y-on-y in Canada (by 18odd%) in a flat overall market, no doubt because of the miscounting and misquoting of extra-high sales there last year, something currently being investigated. FCA is now stating more accurate sales numbers (shorn of the number padding antics of dealers and some sales managers.)

FCA has had their best-ever september sales in Mexico, largely on the back of Brazilian re-badged as Dodge+Ram Fiats, but the Uno, 500X, 500 and 500L too have grown well y-on-y as has Alfa Romeo, and Jeep too. The Fiat Tipo= Dodge Neon sold 490 odd times, there in its first month. FCA has very ample growth baked-in in Mexico, as more brazilian Fiat models come onstream (Toro as a Ram, new Punto and new Grand Sienna, etc.)

FCA sales in Italy in september 2016

The overall market is up around 17% again, y-on-y, with FCA as a whole, as usual, doing a fair bit better, thereby continuing to pickup overall marketshare in Italy.

Alfa Romeo, thanks to the Giulia is up 46%: it is already the segment-leading luxe/sporting sedan in italy in terms of sales. Lancia has grown 18% y-on-y (Ypsilon, largely bought by women) and the Fiat brand by 16.xx%. maserati has sold very large numbers, their best ever for italy, thanks to the Levante and the restyled Quattroporte.

A plateauing-off of the huge and fast rebound from the euro-debt-crisis-recession etc lows in Italy is likely, though, for the usual poltical-economic-'eurozone crisis' reasons.

FCA sales in Germany for september 2016

Overall market up around 8-9%

The FIAT brand outperforms massively again, growing at the rate of 34odd%. The Tipo effect, mainly.

As does Alfa Romeo (off a low base of course), by 140%, thanks to the first deliveries of the Giulia sedan.

Maserati sales have also grown heavily, thanks to not just the Levante (which has the makings of a global hit across all world-markets for its very-exclusive segment) but also decent growth for the Quattroporte but especially the Ghibli, both now facelifted, and better-equipped etc.

JEEP brand sales have, for once, dipped by 7% y-on-y, though. This is an anomaly that is explained by the price-uncompetitiveness of the Cherokee (the Grand Cherokee still is growing sales) as well as the waning in Wrangler sales (high prices due to the strong$ but also age). Germany is the only market for JEEP that is not dominated sales-numbers-wise by the Renegade. The new Compass/c-suv will be the killer JEEP app for the Germany market, then, but that will take 8 months to arrive in europe, at least. So JEEP sales could stagnate for a while in Germany, the slack in terms of fca net-sales-outperformance likely being taken up instead by the Alfa Giulia and the Stelvio d-suv early in 2017, retailed alongside JEEPs.

Net-net, in terms of raw sales figures, FCA(all brands) is again up smartly and more-than-average in Germany too, as it is in all the major European markets for the last 2 years (barring the UK.)

Sept 2016 FCA sales in the UK

The UK market is showing the first signs of the BREXIT blues, as fleet sales surge while private sales dip a lot. And the price increases due to the severely crashed uk pound have started happening, plus a general slowdown awaits inevitably, as Brexit is begun to be implemented.

Ford, VW, Vauxhall/Opel are down, VW by a lot post-dieselgate, and so is FIAT, though this last by less/not-that-much (both y-on-y and ytd.) Skoda and Hyundai are the only mass market brands that are doing well so far, post-Brexit referendum or not.

Luxury German marque sales continue to grow, instead, due to the near-zero effective real interest rates for credit to executives.

FCA is participating in this boom via a large surge in sales of JEEP, as well as Maserati and Abarth.

Alfa Romeo is down y-on-y a bit, but has still not seen the availability of the new Giulia, so.

FCA will assuredly be one of the least-affected firms by the brexit depreciated-currency etc slowmotion crisis, just because it is small overall in rhd Britain and consists of a series of smallish niche-sales (Fiat 500 family, abarth, maserati, jeep and esp the uv-s/vans.) Ford, GM/Opel/Vauxhall and VW plus potentially the German luxe trio and Jaguar-LandRover will be greatly hurt (financially), over the next year or so.

FCA sales in Brazil and in Japan: September 2016

FCA has grown again very well indeed in an overall market that is of course down a bit, as the Japanese one will slowly be for a long long time, given the severe demographic aging of that society and the economic perma-stagnation it is in.

However, sales of some foreign marques are finally positively booming in Japan: with Fiat (up 5.xx% this month y-on-y), Jeep (up a further 22odd%, with the Wrangler now the #17 bestseller among foreign models), and Abarth up as much as 100% (the Abarth 124 Spider, made in Hiroshima, is the obvious explanation), Maserati is seeing large increases in demand too, and Ferrari remains for its prices a good-seller too.

A stellar month for FCA in japan, and a great prospect for the India-made and India-exported Jeep-s too (Japan is rhd.)

FCA's declared target for Japan sales of all-import, multi-brand, high-margin sales is 20000 for the whole year and they're on course to breeze through that target it seems (at the current rate), especially since the Alfa Romeo Giulia will join in as well anytime?

In Brazil: the economic overall recession and esp-so in the car market continues: market's down overall by 22odd%, the FIAT brand by much-more. It is GM and not FIAT that is the largest passenger-vehicle brand in Brazil now, even if Fiat Brazil is profitable while GM Brazil is very-loss-accumulating. FIAT's all-new models are all immediate segment leaders (MOBI, TORO) and the Strada is still by far the best-selling pickup truck, likewise with some Fiat vans. The sales-numbers damage really is, given the recession, with them old/aged models (Palio, Sienna, Grand Sienna, also the Punto+Linea+Bravo.)

FCA is following a premiumization-cum-exports strategy in Brazil (very successful already with the Toro, the locally made high-growth Jeeps: the Renegade and the just-launched new Compass/c-suv) in and through this recession. The 'new Punto' arrives to replace both the Palio and the Punto in 2017, and then the 'new Grand Sienna' and 'new Strada' pickup plus an all-new b-suv under the Fiat brand in 2017/2018.

FCA sales in China and in Turkey for September 2016

FCA sales, largely due to the newly localized Cherokee and Renegade have hit 14,423 for September in China. Meanwhile Fiat Viaggio+Ottimo sales have dwindled to a 1000 a month or thereabouts. This number does not include the notable and ultra-high-margin sales of Maserati (esp the new Levante), Abarth-s and of course Ferrari-s.

The new Jeep Compass becomes available there by jan-feb 2017, at which point FCA can hope in 2017 to something-like-double sales. The 'Compass' a favourite and very popular Jeep model/nameplate in China, where the expensive, not-very-good imported old Compass was very popular right until 2016.

In Turkey: FCA cements a clear #2 position (including all the locally made and exported Fiat vans), with Fiat sales down a bit in an overall market up a bit, with Jeep up a lot this month, and Alfa Romeo sales showing an uptick after many months. The Linea is still being sold, but its sales are dwindling a lot, replaced as it is by the Aegea/Tipo as FCA's #1 selling model, locally-made of course, mainly for export to the EU. The Aegea has not yet achieved the feat the Linea did almost throughout its life in Turkey (locally-made): the single bestselling model there from any brand/firm. It is currently #2 or 3.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...er-automobiles-sales-in-europe-597049691.html

FCA sales in Europe as-a-whole, all-brands (Fiat, Abarth, Jeep, Alfa Romeo and Maserati) having as has been the case for so many months already, grown much more than average, in some cases much-more so. Fiat Professional UV and van (all recently heavily-facelifted and improved) sales are very stable with high marketshare, especially for the Ducato, with the addition of an all-new model, the Talento alongwith the Mitsubishi Triton/PajeroSport rebadged-and-styled pickup, the Fiat/Fiat Professional Fullback.

It could be that the EU mass-market will now cool-off again, due to the wide assortment of politico-economic etc problems besetting it. FCA will cope well overall since its emphasis is now so clearly on conquest sales in hitherto abandoned-by-it premium-priced segments dominated mainly by the German trio of firms: i.e., on more expensive, higher-margin segment entries like the Maserati Levante etc, the new Alfa Romeo-s, and of course the Jeep Compass, redone new Cherokee, all-new Wrangler, all-new Grand Cherokee etc through to 2018, the cutoff date for the FCA pre-announced five-year business plan/targets for Europe, a plan they're outdoing and are ahead-of-schedule-of, by a full 2 years if not more.

FCA net-profitability from the EU was already at 2.5% as of last quarter, and they've raised their guidance for that to increase a lot and very quickly, thanks to the richer product mix (from Maserati and Alfa Romeo, plus the Fiat 500X, the Fiat 124, plus of course JEEP.)