Sales of exotic cars in Europe are relatively stable in the first three quarters of 2013, and no changes at the top. Bentley Continental GT and GTC increase their combined lead over Ferrari 458 Italia. It must be because of their engine downsizing, adding an optional V8 to the V12. Some updates in 2014 and the introduction of the 458 Speciale should help the Italian model to take the lead next year. Mind you, sales of McLaren MP4 are not published, but they don’t come close to Ferrari 458 Italia, with 1.400 annual MP4 sales worldwide.
Mercedes SLS AMG has taken a huge hit, down 55% year-on-year, which has given Audi R8, Aston Martin Vantage and newcomer Ferrari F12 the chance to storm ahead.
Aston Martin is on a roll anyway, with Vanquish relaunched successfully and DBS sales up over 250%. Introduction of Vanquish Volante next year will help sales even further. You’d think Aston Martin is owned by VW Group, since all its models look alike and are hard to distinguish from each other, while still being successful.
Maserati’s focus on sedans, with introduction of Ghibli and the new generation Quattroporte has left GranTurismo and GranCabrio, waiting for replacements in 2015 and 2016, when also their first SUV, Levante, will be introduced. Lamborghini Gallardo will be replaced in 2014 by a new model, named Huracan, that should move it up the charts closer to main rival Ferrari 458 Italia.
What about Bugatti? 8 Veyrons have been sold in Europe, compared to 6 in the same period last year.
For next year, all eyes are on the battle of the supercars, between Ferrari LaFerrari, Porsche 918 and McLaren P1. They won’t storm the charts, as production will be limited to 499, 918 and 375 units respectively.
| Jan-Sep 2013 | Jan-Sep 2012 | Change | ||
| 1. | Bentley Continental GT/GTC | 1.399 | 1.437 | -3% |
| 2. | Ferrari 458 Italia | 1.124 | 1.284 | -12% |
| 3. | Audi R8 | 896 | 842 | 6% |
| 4. | Aston Martin V8/V12 Vantage | 587 | 612 | -4% |
| 5. | Ferrari F12 | 557 | 0 | – |
| 6. | Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG | 445 | 984 | -55% |
| 7. | Maserati GranTurismo | 408 | 458 | -11% |
| 8. | Ferrari California | 305 | 501 | -39% |
| 9. | Aston Martin Vanquish | 304 | 1 | – |
| 10. | Aston Martin DBS | 244 | 69 | 254% |
| 11. | Maserati GranCabrio | 228 | 301 | -24% |
| 13. | Lamborghini Aventador | 182 | 176 | 3% |
| 14. | Ferrari FF | 171 | 418 | -59% |
| 15. | Lamborghini Gallardo | 169 | 200 | -16% |
| Segment total | -4% | |||