Car Sales Around The World In 2009: Mostly Down

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Here are some full year 2009 new car sales data as they have become available. Along with the source. Caution: Data as reliable as the source.

U.S.A.: down 21.2 percent – 10.4 million units


China: up 45 percent – 13.6 million units


Japan: down 9.3 percent – 4.6 million units


Australia: down 7.4 per cent– 937,328 units


Canada: down 10.7 percent – 1.46 million units i


India: up 18.7 percent– 1.43 million units


Brazil: up 11.35 percent – 3.14 million units


Turkey: up 12.77 percent – 557,126 units


Taiwan: up 28.3 percent – 294,423 units


Philippines: up 6.4 percent – 132,444 units


Russia: down 49 percent – 1,465,917 units

Austria: up 8.8 percent – 319,403 units


Belgium: down 11.1 percent – 476,194 units


Denmark
: down 25.3 percent – 112,271 units


Finland
: down 35.2 percent – 90,574 units


France
: up 10.7 percent – 2,268,671 units


Germany
: up 23.2 percent – 3,807,175 units


Greece
: down 17.5 percent – 220,548 units


Ireland
: down 62.1 percent – 57,460 units


Italy
: down 0.2 percent – 2,158,010 units


Luxembourg
: down 9.7 percent – 47,265 units


Netherlands
: down 22.5 percent – 387,679 units


Portugal
: down 24.6 percent -160,996 units


Spain
: down 17.9 percent – 952,772 units


Sweden
: down 16.0 percent – 213,408 units


United Kingdom
: down 6.4 percent – 1,994,999 units


Iceland
: down 77.6 percent – 2,020 units


Norway
: down 10.8 percent – 98,675 units


Switzerland
: down 8.2 percent – 264,798 units


Bulgaria
: down 49.3 percent – 22,869 units


Czech Republic
: up 12.5 percent – 161,659 units


Estonia
: down 66.2 percent – 8,234 units


Hungary
: down 50.4 percent – 78,590 units


Latvia
: down 80.5 percent – 3,745 units


Lithuania
: down 67.4 percent – 7,003 units


Poland
: up 0.1 percent – 320,119 units


Romania
: down 59.4 percent – 115,979 units


Slovakia
: up 6.7 percent – 74,717 units


Slovenia
: down 18.7 percent – 55,712 units

European Union (EU15): up 0.9 percent – 13,267,425 units


EFTA: down 10.5 percent – 365,493 units


EU15+EFTA
: up 0.5 percent – 13,632,918 units


EU (New Members):
down 26.6 percent – 848,627 units


European Union
: down 1.3 percent – 14,116,052 units


Total Europe (EU+EFTA):
down 1.6 percent – 14,481,545 units


Speaking of unreliable sources: German motormouth Professor Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, Germany’s most quoted “expert” when it comes to cars, also gained the title “most unreliable sales data source.” In his analysis of worldwide car sales, as quoted by Das Autohaus, he put 2009 U.S. sales at 12.5m (correct number 10.4m.) He prognosticated Chinese sales to be 8.2m (correct number 13.6m.) At the same time – wonder of arithmetic- he correctly presaged that China would outsell the US in 2009. Readers of the magazine demanded his ouster.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Bertel Schmitt Bertel Schmitt on Jan 06, 2010

    It sounds like the Brazilian numbers were incorrectly reflected by Reuters. The WSJ has them at 11.35 percent, which jibes with robstar's comments. Number and source corrected.

  • FromBrazil FromBrazil on Jan 15, 2010

    So, not counting South Korea, we are the world's 4th largest maerket. Passed Germany. Looked in 2008 that it couldn't be done. This is a really big WOW for this country.

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