People in the UK take great pride in driving ‘on the right side of the road’. But they are aware that the world thinks the opposite. So much so that we can often see on the asphalt, arrows next to signs that tell us to look to the side where the cars are coming from, since for us it is counterintuitive. Anyway, it takes us a while to get used to it and we often hear drivers honking their horns in memory of May 10 (which here is celebrated on March 19, by the way) before one or two less prudent. Despite the fact that the car market in the United Kingdom did not experience a great moment last year, when sales were 1,614 million of vehicles, representing 700 thousand units less than in 2019, there are victors. The number was also less than 2020, when they sold 1.63 billion. Despite this, the UK regained second place among European markets, surpassing France and trailing only Germany. Who grew and who fell?
Among the 10 best sellers, it is striking that there is no longer a single wagon. The crossovers and SUV have won the battle and it seems that it will not take long to stop seeing them for sale. The leader, curiously, is a Japanese, the Nissan Qashqai and in second the Opel Corsa. another one follows crossoverbut electric: the Tesla Model Y. From there on down are Ford Puma, MINI HB, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, VW Golf, Ford Kuga and Ford Fiesta.
The electric ones, which already occupy 11.6% of the market, are commanded by two Tesla: Y and 3, while Kia e-Niro follow them; VW i-D3; Nissan Leaf; electric MINI HB; Polestar 2; MG 5; BMW i4 and Audi Q4 e-Tron.
The brands that sold the most in 2022 are VW in first place, with 132 thousand vehicles, followed by Ford, Audi, BMW, Toyota and Kia. Within the electric ones, the growth of Polestar and MG stands out, but it should be noted that Tesla already has no less than 3.4% of that niche.
Internal combustion is still going strong
Apart from special cases, such as Genesis, which grew more than 600% in 2022, the brands that performed outstandingly were Cupra, with an increase of 89.7%; Polestar with 79.3%; MG with 66.8% and Tesla, with 56.7% increase compared to 2021always according to figures from the SMMT, the Association of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Another interesting point is the performance of diesel, despite all the bad publicity it has had since 2015. The high price of gasoline and electricity has meant that 8.2% of new vehicle sales use diesel, while gasoline is still responsible for moving 46.2% of new cars in Britain. Hybrids (8.9%), Mild Hybrid (12%), (Mild Hybrid diesel (8%) and PHEV (Plug In Hybrid) (7%). All of these continue to use internal combustion engines for their main source of propulsion, with or without the help of an electric motor.
Niche brands, such as Subaru, suffered greatly from the shortage in 2022 and fell 34%, while Mitsubishi simply stopped selling its vehicles in the region. On the other hand, the Koreans are exhibiting more and more strength. Hyundai experienced strong 15% sales growth, while Kia sold 10% more than in the immediately preceding period. If we count Genesis, Hyundai’s luxury brand, which grew by almost 700%, we see that South Korea already has both feet firmly planted in the UK, something that nobody would have imagined two or three decades ago.
With no numbers for 2022 released yet, the luxury and super luxury car segment showed a strong upward trend in 2021, when it grew 19% compared to 2020 and supercars such as Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Bugatti, Maserati and Koenniggsegg reached 18,000 new homes in the United Kingdom. The best-selling brands were Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, BMW, Volvo, Audi, Porsche, Lexus, LamborghiniFerrari, Land Rover, Cadillac, Jaguar, Rolls Royce, Bugatti and Aston Martin.
It is a delight for car lovers to walk around the United Kingdom, but some details certainly call my attention: 1. The presence of electric cars is still small. 2. Tesla and Cadillac, mainly the latter, have a lot of strength and, three, the sad note, not even in the land of the guayín, we can see them circulating as we would like.
