The midsized car segment in Europe is in continuous decline as it is in the US. A 19% drop in sales in Q2 leads to a 16% loss in the first half of the year. With 286.049 sales, the segment now accounts for just 3,4% of total European volume. Only 2 nameplates manage to improve year-over-year and all but one of the other models show double digit declines. In Q2, the entire top-4 lost 13% or more, of which the segment leader Volkswagen Passat did the least bad and therefore improves its already high share of the segment to 33,2%, which means one in three midsized cars sold are a Passat. Count in the Skoda Superb and Volkswagen Group holds a whopping 48,8% share of the segment. The Superb has fallen into the red as well in Q2 after growing in the first quarter. But its second place of the segment is not under threat as its nearest two rivals drop even harder. The Ford Mondeo holds on to its 3rd place despite a 28% loss in Q2, as the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia loses 29% as customer deliveries of the new generation are only just starting. Expect the Insignia to finish 2017 ahead of the Mondeo again, as it has done ever since its launch.
Note: clicking on the model name opens the sales data page for that model; clicking year in the legend turns the display for that year on/off
Although the Renault Talisman is a welcome success for the French brand after the failed third generation Laguna, it’s unable to fight for a podium position and remains stuck in 5th place, ahead of the Toyota Avensis. A facelift hasn’t helped the latter as it still loses 19% in Q2, but at least that has allowed it to overtake the Peugeot 508 for the first half, as the French sedan (and station wagon) is down by almost half in the second quarter. That means it barely outsells the Mazda6 in Q2, even though the Japanese model is down 21%. At the bottom end of the top-10 we find the two South-Korean models, with the Hyundai i40 down 30% in the second quarter while the Kia Optima more than doubles up thanks to the addition of a station wagon version. It’s almost level with its sibling now, and combined sales of the two models are up 4% in Q2 and 11% in the half. The Subaru Levorg has officially flopped, with sales already down by more than 50% in the second quarter and by 46% in the half, meaning it’s likely to sell less than 3.000 copies this year, down from its peak of just 4.600 sales in 2016.
The Insignia has just been renewed and Ford will give the Mondeo a facelift. The i40 is expected not to be replaced after the current generation reaches the end of its life cycle, and so were rumors about the Avensis, but there have been spy shots of a Toyota sedan testing in Europe which was too large to be the next generation Auris. Still, considering the volume potential of this model which is almost exclusively sold in Europe is way to small to justify the investment, as buyers are shifting towards the premium brands and crossovers. Therefore Citroën will replace its C5 sedan and station wagon with the C5 Aircross SUV. Peugeot is still planning a sedan to replace the 508, but promises it will be different than the rest of the segment.
Also check out the midsized car segment in the US, where the #5 Subaru Outback is the only model in the top-8 to add volume.
| Midsized segment | 2017-H1 | 2016-H1 | Change | Share | |
| 1 | Volkswagen Passat | 95.109 | 110.909 | -14% | 33,2% |
| 2 | Skoda Superb | 44.341 | 47.554 | -7% | 15,5% |
| 3 | Ford Mondeo | 30.877 | 40.594 | -24% | 10,8% |
| 4 | Opel/Vauxhall Insignia | 29.860 | 41.127 | -27% | 10,4% |
| 5 | Renault Talisman | 19.303 | 13.518 | 43% | 6,7% |
| 6 | Toyota Avensis | 14.516 | 19.062 | -24% | 5,1% |
| 7 | Peugeot 508 | 13.622 | 21.771 | -37% | 4,8% |
| 8 | Mazda6 | 12.893 | 16.281 | -21% | 4,5% |
| 9 | Hyundai i40 | 8.390 | 11.113 | -25% | 2,9% |
| 10 | Kia Optima | 7.991 | 3.586 | 123% | 2,8% |
| 11 | Citroën C5 | 3.913 | 5.593 | -30% | 1,4% |
| 12 | Subaru Legacy / Outback | 3.709 | 4.570 | -19% | 1,3% |
| 13 | Subaru Levorg | 1.514 | 2.786 | -46% | 0,5% |
| 14 | Honda Accord | 8 | 40 | -80% | 0% |
| 15 | Renault Laguna | 2 | 117 | -98% | 0% |
| 16 | Suzuki Kizashi | 1 | 0 | – | 0% |
| Segment total | 286.049 | 338.934 | -16% |
Click on any model to see its annual sales from 1997-2016 and monthly sales from 2012 to 2016, or use the dropdown menu in the top right of this site.
Car sales statistics are from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.
Sources: Manufacturers, ANDC, JATO Dynamics.