The South African plant of Nissan is acquired by Chery
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The South African plant of Nissan is acquired by Chery
- The Japanese carmaker Nissan recently announced that it would make some of its underutilized assembly plants available to its competitors, either by selling them to a carmaker or by leasing them. It has already been observed that the Nissan plant in Barcelona, Spain, was acquired by the Chinese company Chery to assemble some of its models for the European market. Chery has now set its sights on another Nissan plant, which it has just acquired: the Rosslyn plant in South Africa. This plant had been producing the Nissan Navara pickup truck for African markets for about twenty years (mid-range pickups are highly sought-after vehicles on this continent) at a rate of 10,000 to 20,000 units per year, although the model experienced a production peak in 2018 (39,000 units produced). By 2025, production volume had fallen back to 10,000 units.
- While this factory is not of paramount importance to Nissan, for Chery it will represent its first production site in Africa capable of supplying the whole of Africa without being subject to high customs duties.
- South Africa benefits from a skilled workforce and modern logistics infrastructure. Furthermore, the South African government offers significant tax incentives to carmakers who produce locally.
- Chery, the third-largest Chinese automaker by production volume after BYD and Geely, can solidify its image as a global carmaker through this acquisition and prepare for the massive arrival of its electric vehicles, as South Africa seeks to attract this type of investment to modernize its automotive industry. For now, it remains unclear which Chery models will be produced at the Rosslyn plant.
Porsche has seen its global sales decline again by 10% in 2025
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Porsche has seen its global sales decline again by 10% in 2025
- After spectacular growth between 2009 and 2019, the sports carmaker Porsche (a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group) experienced a second poor year in 2025 , following the underperformance of 2024. Its global sales fell by 10% to 279,449 vehicles (22% BEVs and 12% PHEVs), compared to 310,718 the previous year. Peak production was reached in 2022, with 337,523 vehicles produced. In two years, Porsche's global sales have decreased by nearly 57,000 units.
- The Chinese market is primarily responsible for the decline in Porsche sales, as the carmaker's sales plummeted by 26% in 2025 compared to 2024, despite this market having been Porsche's largest in recent years. Porsche sales in China reached only 41,900 units in 2025, compared to 56,900 in 2024 and 79,300 in 2023. What are the causes of this drop in Porsche sales in China over the past two years?
1. An economic slowdown in China which is weighing on premium purchases.
2. Local competition has become extremely aggressive, with Chinese brands having made a spectacular technological leap. Their selling prices can be 20% to 40% lower.
3. A difficult electric transition for Porsche.
4. A brand image that is less distinctive than before.
5. Saturation of the Chinese premium market. The Chinese luxury car market has reached a certain level of maturity with a dozen different brands. Growth is no longer automatic as it was in the 2010s. Brands now have to fight to maintain their market share.
The Tesla Model Y remains the best-selling BEV in Europe in 2025
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The Tesla Model Y remains the best-selling BEV in Europe in 2025
- In a European market (30 countries = EU + UK + Switzerland + Norway) of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) which represented 2,579,209 units in 2025 (19.5% of the market), compared to 1,993,102 in 2024 (15.5% of the market), andso, with a 29.4% increase, the Tesla Model Y remains the best-selling BEV in Europe last year, but with great difficulty, since the model is losing 30% of its sales compared to 2024.
- Tesla Model Y sales reached 144,097 units in 2025, compared to 204,967 in 2024. This sharp drop in sales can be attributed to customer fatigue with a model that has remained virtually unchanged since 2019, the appeal of new battery electric Chinese models, and also the political stances of Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
- In second position, the Skoda Elroq made a spectacular breakthrough, since its career began in December 2024 and it managed to sell 87,960 units in 2025, becoming the best-selling 100% European vehicle, ahead of the Volkswagen ID3, ID4 and ID7. The Tesla Model 3 comes in third place, with 82,299 units, but down 24.5% compared to 2024, for the same reasons as for the Tesla Model Y.
- In fourth position, the Renault 5 E-Tech also made a spectacular breakthrough, with 80,487 units sold, though slightly less than the Skoda Elroq. This model outsold the Volkswagen ID.3 (77,834 sales), ID.7 (75,455 sales), and ID.4 (74,483 sales), as well as the Skoda Eyaq (77,315 sales).
- In ninth position, the Kia EV3 made a breakthrough (64,629 sales), but less so than the Skoda Elroq or Renault 5. Among the few surprises, there was a sharp drop in sales for the Volvo EX30, likely due to its high price. The rise of the B-segment in the European BEV market is primarily attributable to the breakthrough of the Renault 5 and Kia EV3.
The BYD Seal U was the best-selling PHEV in Europe by 2025
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The BYD Seal U was the best-selling PHEV in Europe by 2025
- In a European market (30 countries = EU + UK + Switzerland + Norway) of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) which represented 1,267,969 units in 2025 (9.5% of the market) compared to 952,058 in 2024 (7.5% of the market), and therefore which is growing by 33.2% (after a stagnation in 2024 compared to 2023), we note the arrival of completely new models, such as the Toyota CHR PHEV, the Jaecoo 7 PHEV, the MG HS PHEV, the Skoda Kodiaq PHEV, the CupraTerramar PHEV, the Volkswagen Passat PHEV and even the Volkswagen Golf PHEV which is making a spectacular comeback, having tripled its distribution in 2025 compared to 2024.
- But is is the BYD Seal U D-segment SUV that became the best-selling plug-in hybrid model in Europe in 2025, just one year after its launch. This marks the first time a Chinese model has become the sales leader in its category on the European continent. The BYD Seal U PHEV recorded 65,866 sales in Europe in 2025 (compared to 6,200 in 2024), surpassing the Volkswagen Tiguan PHEV (61,614 sales) and the Volvo XC60 PHEV (57,450 sales).
- The Volkswagen Tiguan made a spectacular breakthrough (+177%) in 2025 compared to 2024 thanks to the new generation of the model, but this was not enough to overtake the BYD Seal U.
- It should be noted that the Chinese carmaker BYD produces both battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, but it is surprising that this carmaker has so quickly surpassed all other established European players like the Volkswagen Tiguan PHEV or the Volvo XC60 PHEV with the Seal U. This is a significant event.
The Dacia Sandero remains the best-selling car in Europe in 2025
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The Dacia Sandero remains the best-selling car in Europe in 2025
- In a European market (30 countries = EU + UK + Switzerland + Norway) for passenger cars which represented 13.25 million units in 2025 (i.e. +2.3% compared to 2024), the Dacia Sandero (B-segment sedan) remained the best-selling car last year, even though it saw its sales decline by 8.2%, to 237,461 units.
- In second place, the Renault Clio (Clio V; 217,427 units; +2.4%), which is being renewed at the beginning of 2026 (Clio VI), takes the place of the Volkswagen Golf, which falls to fifth place (190,986 units; -10.4%), behind the Volkswagen T-Roc (205,901 units; +2.7%) and Volkswagen Tiguan (191,814 units; +0.9%). The German carmaker thus has three of its cars in the top five best-selling cars in Europe in 2025. In sixth position, the BMW X1 makes a strong breakthrough with a 9.8% increase in sales, to 185,049 units, far surpassing all other BMW models, including the 3 Series, formerly the brand's flagship.
- In seventh position, the Peugeot 208, competitor of the Renault Clio, did not exceed 184,282 units, which represents a decrease of 7.5%, while its SUV version, the Peugeot 2008, progressed by 6.5% to 169,693 units, which places it in ninth position. The Toyota Yaris Cross (182,224 units; -2.9%) is in eighth position between the two Peugeots.
- It is interesting to note that the Tesla Model Y (147,875 units; -28.8%), the only BEV vehicle in this top 25, suffered the biggest drop among the Top 25, falling from fourth place in 2024 to fifteenth in 2025.
- By segment, we note that the B segment gains one and a half percentage points in 2025, while the A segment loses one. There are ten B-segment models in the top 15 best-selling cars in Europe in 2025.