European sales 2014 first half Midsized MPV segment

European consumers bought slightly less midsized MPV’s in the first half of 2014 when compared to the same period in 2013.

After grabbing the lead of the segment in the first quarter of this year, the Citroën C4 (Grand) Picasso has left the segment’s initiator Renault (Grand) Scenic in second place. The Picasso’s unconventional design has clearly struck a chord with young families and account managers, the biggest groups of buyers in this segment.

The facelifted Scenic did take advantage of an excellent month of June for the Renault brand across almost all models to cut into the Citroën’s lead by about 2.000 units, but such a sudden and inexplicable spike in sales is usually followed by a couple of weaker months to even out the balance. So I expect 2014 to be the second year ever that the Scenic is not the king of the midsized MPV segment. The first time this happened, in 2008, it was the previous generation (Grand) Picasso to do the trick.

The less extravagantly styled VW Touran, which is available in only one length, has kept the advantage it’s had over the Ford (Grand) C-Max since the last quarter of 2013, although the Ford outsold its German competitor in May and June, edging closer to get back onto the segment’s podium again. In the process, the C-Max has taken some distance from the Opel/Vauxhall Zafira and Peugeot 3008, which were breathing down its neck after the first three months of the year.

Sales of the Toyota Verso, which were down 9% after the first quarter have crept back into positive territory, thanks to minor exterior updates and a new diesel engine supplied by BMW. As a result, it has kept the Kia Carens, on track to a record year for the model, at bay.

In only two months of sales, the Volkswagen Golf Sportsvan has already outsold its predecessor Golf Plus for the full six month, although combined sales of the two models are still far behind the sales pace of the Golf Plus by itself last year. As the new model becomes more widely available, it will undoubtedly pick up pace and retake the lost share and more by next year.

 

	MID-SIZED MPV
		2014-H1	2013-H1	Change
1.	Citroën C4 (Grand) Picasso	66.935	40.791	64%
2.	Renault (Grand) Scenic	61.411	59.885	3%
3.	Volkswagen Touran	52.198	49.033	6%
4.	Ford (Grand) C-Max	50.024	52.986	-6%
5.	Opel/Vauxhall Zafira	45.816	42.205	9%
6.	Peugeot 3008	45.066	46.378	-3%
7.	Peugeot 5008	20.251	24.128	-16%
8.	Toyota Verso	17.598	17.581	0%
9.	Kia Carens	12.743	4.183	205%
10.	Dacia Lodgy	11.236	19.835	-43%
11.	Seat Altea	9.653	11.890	-19%
12.	Volkswagen Golf Sportsvan	6.344	0	new
13.	Volkswagen Golf Plus	6.122	31.122	-80%
14.	Mazda5	3.614	5.211	-31%
15.	Toyota Prius+	3.078	6.234	-51%
16.	Chevrolet Orlando	2.712	7.560	-64%
	Segment total	414.801	419.022	-1%

 

Click on any model to see its annual sales from 1997-2013 and monthly sales in 2012, 2013 and 2014, or use the dropdown menu in the top right of this site. Sources: Manufacturers, ANDC, JATO Dynamics.