The European market for new cars fell by 3.1% or 44,178 units in May 2007 compared with May 2006, to a total volume of 1,402,757 units, according to latest figures released by Jato Dynamics.

Year-to-date, the total market also fell, by 1.2% or 83,234 units to 6,834,243 units.

Peugeot’s new 207 was Europe’s best-selling car in May, with 40,446 units registered. The Ford Focus jumped three places into the second slot with 39,996 units and the Volkswagen Golf remains in third position with 36,471 units.

Volkswagen continues to be Europe’s top-selling car brand in May, ahead of Ford and Opel/Vauxhall, which is up 12.3% thanks to strong sales of the Corsa. Year-to-date, the top five brands are Volkswagen, Opel/Vauxhall, Ford, Renault and Peugeot.

Nasir Shah, JATO’s international sales and marketing director, said: “Today’s European car market is a challenging environment. We continue to see the importance of new products in the fight for market share. The product lifecycles for cars are getting progressively shorter as manufacturers clamour to win the attention of consumers with new models, and those manufacturers with aggressive product development strategies continue to reap the rewards.

“In recent months, the strong sales performances posted by the new Peugeot 207, Vauxhall Corsa and Fiat Grande Punto are testament to this.”

Model May 07 May 06 Difference
1. Peugeot 207 40,446 16,822 +23,624
2. Ford Focus 39,996 44,831 -4,835
3. Volkswagen Golf 36,471 41,287 -4,816
4. Fiat Punto 35,850 37,200 -1,350
5. Vauxhall Astra 34,301 41,928 -7,627
6. Ford Fiesta 33,253 30,715 +2,538
7. Vauxhall Corsa 32,779 25,610 +7,169
8. BMW 3 Series 31,630 27,057 +4,573
9. Renault Clio 31,575 38,045 -6,470
10. Volkswagen Passat 28,851 29,789 -938