After ending 2021 as Portugal’s most popular passenger car brand, ending Renault’s 23-year reign, Peugeot this year set out to solidify its dominance. And to prove this is the “double” of the Lion brand in the best-selling models in the first three months of the year.
Peugeot 2008 tops the list with 1,540 units delivered between January and March, although a marginal decrease – five fewer cars – compared to the first quarter of 2021. It is followed by 208, with 1,365 vehicles delivered, and also down from 1,451 of a a year ago. Stellantis, led by Carlos Tavares, managed to take all three positions on the podium, thanks to the Citroën C3, which closed the quarter with 1,138 registered units, an increase of 206 from the first three months of last year.
These are, in fact, the only models that recorded deliveries above a thousand at the beginning of the year. Renault Clio, with 735 units, occupies fourth place, surpassing only nine cars in addition to the Peugeot 3008 model.
Renault Captur remains in the top ten, beating Toyota Corolla by the bottom line: 692 to 691. If the Captur experienced a 180-unit drop in homogeneous terms, then the Japanese brand’s model saw a 301-vehicle increase in delivery.
Eighth place is shared by Dacia Sandero and Volvo XC40, with 645 vehicles each, followed by Hyundai Kauai, with just three fewer units.
The sharp drop in the Mercedes A-Class – from 1,275 to 638 cars – pushed the most famous model of the German brand to eleventh place, when in the first quarter of 2021 it took the lowest score on the podium.
Among the models that have experienced significant increases, the Fiat 500 stands out, which increased the number of delivered cars from 340 to 557, as well as Nissan Juke, which doubled the number of registered vehicles – 537 against 237.
The Model Y outperforms the Tesla Model 3
One surprise in the data that Negócios got from Associação Automóvel de Portugal (ACAP) is the Model Y’s sales leadership in Tesla compared to the less expensive Model 3.
The brand’s SUV driven by Elon Musk arrives in March with 300 units delivered, 50 more than the Model 3. The explanation may lie in the volume of pre-orders and orders for the latest model, which the brand is now beginning to respond to.
The Nissan Leaf remains in the all-electric segment, and ends the quarter with 243 deliveries, once again in the top 50.
Some of the heavyweights
The list also contains some of the models that debuted in the 50 favorites of the Portuguese. This is the case of Toyota Yaris Cross, with 470 units, which is less than the CH-R of the Japanese giant, which is in 23rd place, as well as Mitsubishi Space Star, in 27th place.
Mini also appears on the list, at number 37, with 265 vehicles delivered.
Compared with the top 50 in the first quarter of 2021, BMW 4 Series, Fiat Panda, Cupra Fomentor, Kia XCeed, Hyundai Bayon, Audi A4, Opel Mokka and Renault Arkana are also included in the list.
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