Peugeot, Jeep plug-in hybrids surge in down Italian market

Peugeot, Dacia and the plug-in hybrids led by Jeep and Cupra were bright spots in the Italian market last month.

Peugeot rose into the top three in sales by brand for the first time this year, edging Dacia and overtaking former No. 3 Toyota.

Peugeot increased sales 18 percent because of a 134 percent increase in registrations for the 208 small car and a 180 percent gain for the 308 compact.

Dacia also passed Toyota, dropping the Japanese brand into fifth place last month. The Renault Group budget brand had a 33 percent sales gain in June on strong demand for the Duster (+89 percent).

Fiat finished the month No. 1 despite a 29 percent decline, while Volkswagen was second in June, according to figures from market researcher Dataforce (see table, below).

Peugeot got 37 percent of its registrations from fleet customers in June, which was a 64 percent gain on the same period last year.

This helped the overall fleet sales channel gain 6.2 percent last month in an overall market that was down 28 percent.

Italy's ranking of top 20 brands included VW Group subsidiary Cupra and DR Automobiles.

"Cupra already made it first top-20 appearance in May and confirmed it position last month," Dataforce Senior Automotive Analyst Benjamin Kibies said.

DR, which entered the top 20 for the first time, adapts models build by China's Chery Automobile to the specifications of the Italian market. The company is also active in France, Spain and Bulgaria.

"With a better delivery situation, it can provide a welcome shot in the arm for the car-starved [Italian] car market," Kibies said. "DR cars were also popular in the short-term rental channel, where the brand was on rank No. 8 in terms of registrations."

Kibies said that Italy has suffered during the chip crisis because the shortage has force automakers to favor larger, more expensive models, while price-conscience car buyers in Italian favor small, affordable cars.

Italy's plug-in hybrid market leaders were Jeep and Cupra, with a combined market share of 40 percent.

The Jeep Renegade is Italy's best-selling plug-in hybrid -- and its No. 1 small SUV -- followed by Jeep Compass and Cupra Formentor (see table, below).