Amsterdam, July 18th, 2005
January/June
2005 Sales Results
21.8%
increase over 2004
137,088 sales – Top Three confirmed with Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom – Strong recovery in Germany with + 43% - Colt, Lancer and L200 leading the pack – Good progression for Grandis – New Colt: 37,615 sold with 1.5 % market share of European B-segment.
Leaving behind the corporate hardship of 2004, European sales of Mitsubishi Motors cars for the January-June period have showed that the momentum started two years ago has been maintained. Witness, a robust year-on-year increase of 21.8% (137,088 sales vs. 112,579 in the same period of 2004).
Month after month, the progression has been steady, with June closing the period with a further increase of + 13.2 %.
Colt
After its sequential launch spread over nearly a year (Spring 2004 – Spring 2005), NedCar-built Colt is now Mitsubishi Motors´ best-seller in Europe with 37,615 sales and a 1.5% market share of the European B-segment. It should be noted that these sales were achieved without resorting to mass fleet channels such as daily rentals.
In the most demanding German market for instance, Colt performed strongly, ranking 9th in its segment, outselling established quality competitors like the Toyota Yaris or the Honda Jazz.
Introduced during the first quarter of this year, the 3 door versions contributed strongly to this success, representing 29 % of the total Colt sales. Next Spring, the launch of a third variant – the coupé-cabriolet – should prove a further booster.
Russia
Mitsubishi Motors´s second best seller remains Lancer (28,395 sales, i.e.: + 62%) and in particular the 4-door Sedan version with represents 80 % of the total Lancer sales.
Primary reason for this good performance is its success in Russia, where it has proved to be right car for the Russian customer, since its European premiere at the Moscow Motor Show in August 2003. This year, it was also distinguished by the readers of five automobile magazines, receiving the prestigious "Car of the Year in Russia 2005" award.
No matter the right match between product and market, this result could not be achieved without the support of a professional distribution system. In this case, Rolf Holding - Mitsubishi Motors´ Distributor for Russia – has brought its excellent organization and network, making Lancer the №1 imported car in Russia. Furthermore, this country is now Mitsubishi Motors´s №1 European market with 24,726 sales during the period, vs. 12,151 for January-June 2004 (+ 103%).
260,000 units
For this first half-year, other highlights include:
- L200 and the United Kingdom: Whereas the Mitsubishi pickup increased its European sales over the period by 3 % (19,186 units), it was also one of the main factors of continuing success for the brand in the United Kingdom, which now ranks third in Mitsubishi Motors Europe´s Top Ten with 21,618 units, or + 18% over the same period of last year.
- Germany: Over a year after Mitsubishi Motors was badly hit in this market by DaimlerChrysler´s
announcement of April 23rd, 2004, Germany is definitely back on track with a remarkable increase of 43 % (23,363 sales vs. 16,317), built upon the success of Colt or the confirmation of German customers´ trust in the brand, as highlighted recently through independent customers´ satisfaction surveys.
With positive results in most markets – starting with The Netherlands (+ 16%) - Mitsubishi Motors will be continuing its FY 2005 product drive in the region with the introduction of Grandis DI-D with its 136ps pump-jet engine, 280 ps Lancer Evolution IX, Colt coupé-cabriolet, etc,. This should allow Mitsubishi Motors Europe to reach its target of 254,000 units (FY 2005) / 260,000 units (CY 2005).
Contact:
Daniel Nacass / General Manager – Public Relations, Mitsubishi Motors Europe B.V.
+ 31 6 10 92 38 42 or d.nacass@mitsubishi-motors-euro.com
Alex Thomas / Manager – Public Relations, Mitsubishi Motors Europe B.V.
+ 31 6 51 31 37 11 or a.thomas@mitsubishi-motors-euro.com
MITSUBISHI MOTORS EUROPE
- Jan./June 2005 Sales Results* -
2005 2004 Variation
1 – Russia 24,726 12,151 + 103 %
2 – Germany 23,363 16,317 + 43 %
3 – The United Kingdom 21,618 18,306 + 18 %
4 – Italy 8,689 8,022 + 8 %
5 – Spain 8,554 9,479 - 10 %
6 – France 6,121 5,853 + 5 %
7 – The Netherlands 5,201 4,498 + 16 %
* Some minor discrepancies might appear between MME figures (sales) and officially published figures on various markets (registrations). Beyond the possible difference between sales and registrations, it also comes from grey imports, pickup trucks and other light commercial vehicles converted from passenger cars, sales from existing stock in countries, etc,…
| - Overall market (ACEA)* | 8,201,020 | 8,288,482 | - 1.1% |
| - Mitsubishi Motors (ACEA)* | 72,098 | 65,435 | + 10.2% |
| - Mitsubishi Motors (MME)** | 137,088 | 112,579 | +21.8% |
* ACEA estimated figures / 23 EU countries + 3 EFTA countries / do not include pickups like L200.
** MME figures / 36 countries / includes L200
1 – Russia: |
24,726 sales |
+ 103% |
2 – Germany: |
23,363 sales |
+ 43% |
3 – The United Kingdom: |
21,618 sales |
+ 18% |
4 – Italy: |
8,689 sales |
+ 8% |
5 – Spain: |
8,554 sales |
- 10% |
6 – France: |
6,121 sales |
+ 5% |
7 – The Netherlands: |
5,201 sales |
+ 16% |
8 – Portugal: |
3,685 sales |
+ 14% |
9 – Ireland: |
3,216 sales |
+ 20% |
10 – Ukraine: |
3,090 sales |
+ 6% |
11 – Israel: |
3,044 sales |
+ 28% |
12 – Greece: |
2,780 sales |
- 15% |
13 – Sweden: |
2,778 sales |
- 9% |
14 – Belgium: |
2,752 sales |
+ 5% |
15 – Switzerland: |
2,569 sales |
+ 16% |
* MME figures / includes L200
1 – New Colt 37,615 launched May 2004* -
2 – New Lancer 28,395 17,573 + 62 %
3 – L200 19,186 18,662 + 3 %
4 – Pajero** 13,031 14,573 - 6 %
5 – Space Star 11,418 20,654 - 45 %
* New Colt / May-December 2004: 20,452 sales
** Montero in Spain / Shogun in the UK