After months of declining sales of new cars, February has finally provided a plus. Last month, 6 percent more new cars were sold than in February 2021.
For the last month in which a sales increase was recorded compared to a year earlier, we have to go back to June last year. Then it was doom and gloom for months. Although 2020 was already a dramatic year due to the corona measures, 2021 went even further due to global chip shortages. January 2022 didn’t look much better, but now there is another small boost. In February, 22,860 new cars were put on Dutch registration plates, 6 percent more than in February last year. This is evident from figures from Bovag, the Rai Association and RDC.
However, 2022 will still lag behind 2021 after two months, because then the counter stood at 56,456 units after two months, now at 53,724, almost 6 percent less. Even compared to February 2020 (just before the corona crisis), things are not looking very good. Then 29,665 new cars found an owner, almost 30 percent more than last month.
The Bovag and the Rai Association also think it is too early to hang out the flag. Global chip shortages are expected to remain a dark cloud over car sales until the second half of this year. More new cars are expected to be sold this year than last year. It is now counting on 391,000 new cars, compared to 322,831 cars last year.
In any case, Kia can smile with satisfaction again, because that brand is again at the top of the brands top 5. It is also at the top of the models top 5 with two models. The Kia Picanto was surprisingly the best-selling car last month, followed by the ever-popular Niro. Even though the next Niro is just around the corner, the first generation still manages to attract buyers.
Most popular brands February 2022
- Kia (2,500 cars, 10.9 percent market share)
- Toyota (1,958 cars, 8.6 percent market share)
- Peugeot (1,717 cars, 7.5 percent market share)
- BMW (1,571 cars, 6.9 percent market share)
- Hyundai (1,480, 6.5 percent market share)
Most popular models February 2022
- Kia Picanto (753 units, 3.3 percent market share)
- Kia Niro (727 units, 3.2 percent market share)
- Volvo XC40 (608 units, 2.7 percent market share)
- Peugeot 2008 (569 units, 2.6 percent market share)
- Peugeot 208 (557 units, 2.4 percent market share)
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl