Car sales in July 2024: slight increase driven by private individuals

Car registrations in Spain in July grew slightly. Specifically, by 3.4% compared to July 2023, with a total of 83,979 units sold. Despite not reaching the 100,000 units that were usually registered this month before the pandemic, the data must be viewed with optimism. In the accumulated total of the year, 619,224 units were registered in the first seven months of the year, which is 5.6% more than in 2023… but -23.4% more than in 2019.

The market for electrified cars needs attention. Because the market should be trending in that direction… but it fell by 4% in July, with just 8,242 units sold. Electric cars and plug-in hybrids have barely accounted for 9.8% of the total market, when in the same month of 2023 they were 10.6%. In the whole year, they accumulated 64,127 units, 10.36% of the total market.

This means that the average CO2 emissions of passenger cars sold in July were 118.5 grams of CO2 per km travelled, just 0.7% lower than the average emissions of new passenger cars sold in the same month in 2023. The same is true for the year as a whole, with an average of 117.8 grams of CO2 per km, 0.64% lower.

Why are sales of electrified vehicles not increasing? The cause must be sought in the Falling sales to companieswhich are the ones that bet the most on this type of vehicle. In July they fell by -10.1%, to 31,599 units. The market has been supported for the first time in the year by the private channel, with an increase of +16.8%, to a total of 40,993 units in July. Sales to rental companies grew by 3.9% last July.

According to ANFAC, the manufacturers’ association, “recovering the market’s pre-pandemic figures is not only an economic issue, but a further step towards the required emissions reduction targets”, as well as helping to “rejuvenate a fleet that is 14.2 years old”. The extension of the MOVES until the end of the year should serve as an important stimulus for buyers.

According to dealers, “dealers and brands have been able to mobilize customers thanks to a greater promotional effort”, and the private channel is close to 50% of all registrations “breaking a little from the dynamics of previous months where its contribution was lower”. Ganvam highlights that “there were two more working days than in July 2023 and that distributors have increased discounts by an average of almost 18% compared to last year”.

Best-selling brands and models

Is Toyota the brand that led the market in July, followed by Hyundai and Volkswagen. In the year-to-date, Seat and Volkswagen are the ones that occupy the podium behind the Japanese.

Toyota’s sales success is not only due to the Toyota Corolla, which took third place among the best-selling cars after the Dacia Sandero and the MG ZS. The brand’s two recently renovated SUVs have made it into the Top 10 in a month with many sales to private individuals. We are talking about the Toyota C-HR and the Toyota Yaris Cross:

This is the full list:

More interesting are the cumulative sales for the year, especially once we have passed the halfway point of 2024. The Dacia Sandero is again the model with the most sales, with the Corolla in second position, but it is the Seat Ibiza and Seat Arona that are fighting for the podium with the Hyundai Tucson (recently renovated):