PARIS -- The chip shortage has shaken up the traditional ranking of best-selling models in Europe, with a surprise winner in October: The Peugeot 2008 small SUV.
The longtime overall best seller, the Volkswagen Golf, was nowhere to be seen in the Top 10, according to figures from JATO Dynamics.
The 2008, which was launched in the current generation in 2019, is available with internal-combustion engines or full-electric drivetrains. There were 18,109 2008s sold in October, just 877 more than in October 2020 – but in a market that was down 29 percent because of the chip shortage.
Automakers are prioritizing production of higher-margin and emissions-critical models during that shortage. That means SUVs, which can command prices thousands of euros higher than their hatchback or sedan equivalents, as well as full-electric and plug-in hybrids.
There were just 11,174 Golfs sold in October, a 59 percent decrease from October 2020. VW's bestseller was the T-Roc small SUV, in ninth place with 12,116 sales.
That was due to production stoppages and slowdowns at VW’s huge Wolfsburg plant, which builds the Golf. Production at Wolfsburg is running at its lowest levels since 1958, according to a report in October.
