Best Selling Cars Around The Globe: Japanese Earthquake in Switzerland

After marking September 11 with the US 2001 best-sellers, announcing the launch of the Africa Project and a couple of world updates ( Top 150 best-selling models in June 2012 and our monthly World Roundup for July 2012), today I have to stop in Switzerland because we are witnessing a Japanese earthquake there…

Not in the mood for mountainous countries? There are 167 other countries and territories in my blog ready for you to explore, so get to it!

Back to Switzerland.

Japanese earthquake?

I can hear you wondering what the … I’m talking about.

Well you see, Switzerland is very much like Germany when it comes to cars. Actually, the Swiss are more German than the Germans: the Volkswagen Golf has been the best-selling model since its inception in 1974, (that’s a whopping 38 years vs. around 20 for the Beetle!) whereas in Germany the Golf’s reign was interrupted by the Mercedes W123 in 1980.

And here comes the earthquake.

Although I haven’t received access to monthly sales figures in Switzerland before 2011, looking at the market share difference between the Golf and the #2 model at the end of each year, it is fair to assume that the Golf has been dominating the Swiss models ranking almost every single month since 1974.

In August 2012 and possibly for the first time since the nameplate’s original launch in 1974, the VW Golf is not the #1 model in Switzerland, not even #2 but #3 with 625 sales and 2.8 percent share.

There are two culprits in this unheard-of move: the Skoda Octavia, ranking at its usual #2 but passing the Golf for potentially the first time ever with 661 units and 3 percent share – still lower than its year-to-date level at 3.2 percent, and the outstanding performer of the month: the Subaru XV. After shooting up to a world-best 4th place last month, the XV does the unthinkable: it is up 3 spots to an unbelievable first place in Switzerland with 722 sales and 3.3 percent share – and this is even without counting sales of its twin Impreza (39)!