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The Volkswagen Polo made a triumphant return to the most popular cars in the UK chart in May, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). With 3,518 Polos registered, the small VW was in an amazing third place, up six positions from April’s figures. May’s boost helped it re-enter the top 10 most popular cars chart for the year-to-date, where it sits in tenth place with 11,802 registrations.

The Vauxhall Corsa has topped the monthly chart for the past few months, but slipped to second place in May 2021, with 3,643 registrations. The Volkswagen Golf took the top spot with 4,181 registrations, the arrival of the newest eighth-generation model now fully embedded in the UK. Volkswagen as a brand is also the most-registered marque in the UK for 2021 so far, its 65,955 registrations beating Ford’s total of 60,464.

Eight-fold increase
In May, the SMMT reports that 156,737 new cars registered in May, which is significantly up from 2020 when retailers were closed because of the pandemic. This total is also almost an eight-fold increase on the same month last year, but is down -14.7 per cent on pre-pandemic May 2019, and -13.2 per cent on the 10-year May average. Once again, superminis – cars like the Polo – remained Britain’s most popular car choice, with a 31.1 per cent share. Total registrations for 2021 sit at 296,448 fewer units, or -29.1 per cent less than the average recorded across January to May during the last decade.

The UK’s top ten most popular new cars during May 2021 and the year-to-date (registration figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Volkswagen Golf: 4,181 (14,979 4th)
2 Vauxhall Corsa: 3,643 (20,024, 1st)
3 Volkswagen Polo: 3,518 (11,802, 10th)
4 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 3,922 (16,752, 3rd)
5 Ford Puma: 3,158 (13,755, 6th)
6 Kia Sportage: 2,956 (13,363, 7th)
7 Ford Fiesta: 2,794 (17,700, 2nd)
8 Toyota Yaris: 2,578
9 Mini: 2,561
10 Audi A3: 2,489

(The 2021 year-to-date top ten most popular cars absent from the May 2021 UK registration figures were the fifth-placed Nissan Qashqai, the eighth-placed Volvo XC40, and the ninth-placed BMW 3 Series with 14,447, 12,449 and 12,354 units recorded respectively.)

Volkswagen Group South Africa took the vehicle registrations top spot for 2020 in the local market, with the Polo Vivo once again crowned the country’s most popular new car. A total of 19,750 units of Volkswagen South Africa’s entry-level model were registered in the pandemic-hit year, almost a third of the VW-brand’s 53,319 recorded registrations.

The sixth-generation Polo-based T-Cross SUV was South Africa’s most popular imported car, with 5,693 units registered. Now the country’s second most popular vehicle in the A0 SUV segment, the T-Cross has fast found favour, on sale in South Africa for less than two years.

A total of 63,482 vehicles were registered by Volkswagen Group South Africa in 2020 and the Volkswagen brand’s market share of 21.6 per cent is the highest in the company’s long history in South Africa. Audi also ended the year with an improved market share, up to 18.5 per cent, and even Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles enjoyed a record full-year 3.7 per cent piece of the light commercial pie. The Audi Q2 and Volkswagen Caddy were the respective star players.

‘A challenging year’
‘2020 was a challenging year not just for our brands but for the motoring industry as a whole and to come out of 2020 still holding onto our leadership of the passenger car market is an incredible feat,’ stated Mike Glendinning, Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) sales and marketing director.

‘VWSA was severely affected by the pandemic which ground vehicle sales to a halt in April; our 2020 sales are down by 28.9 per cent year-on-year when compared to 2019,’ said Glendinning. ‘Despite the difficulties we faced, the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand posted a record market share last year; the 21.6 per cent market share is 1.2 per cent higher than that of 2019 and is the highest market share in the history of the brand, as well as the highest market share of Volkswagen markets across the world,’ Glendinning added.

Production milestone
In November 2020, Volkswagen South Africa’s Uitenhage factory celebrated the four millionth car to roll off its lines. Currently the home of the Polo for local and export markets, as well as the Polo Vivo, the plant built 75,521 Polos for export up until the celebratory milestone, as well as 12,804 units for local consumption. A total of 17,038 Polo Vivos were also produced for the local market, the only one in which it is sold.

It looks to be another busy year for Volkswagen South Africa, with the brand celebrating its 70th birthday in August 2021. The year will be kickstarted by the arrival of the eighth-generation Golf GTI, followed later by the new Golf R and refreshed Tiguan. New versions of the Caddy and T6.1 Kombi will also debut. In the wider group sphere, Audi’s new A3 will also appear, along with refreshed versions of the RS 4, RS 5, RS 6, RS 7, RS Q8, RS Q3, and R8.

Steffan Knapp has also replaced Martina Biene as the head of the Volkswagen Passenger Car Brand in South Africa, and joins from Volkswagen India where he successfully turned the brand around. The fifth-generation Polo and its Vento saloon sister were launched there in 2010.

Elsewhere in the world, the sixth-generation Polo was the eighth most popular car in the UK, with 26,965 units registered (with grey the most popular colour – what a very imaginative bunch the British car buying public is!). According to focus2move.com, up until December 2020, the Polo was also the third most popular car in Europe during the year, its 225,941-unit total down 27.5 per cent compared to 2019. Behind its second-placed Golf sibling (283,614 units) and the top-spot Renault Clio (314,357 units), over 14 million Polos have been produced since its introduction in 1975.

The Volkswagen Polo returned to the most popular cars in the UK chart in July, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). With 2,932 Polos registered, the small Volkswagen was in seventh place, marking the first time it had been in the rundown since February 2020. However, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Polo maintained its eighth position in the year-to-date top ten figures – 13,046 Polos have been registered since the start of 2020.

The Vauxhall Corsa topped the chart, with 5,455 registrations, no doubt a benefit of the all-new model now hitting the UK. The Ford Fiesta was in second place with 5,421 units, with another blue oval-badged model, the Focus, third, 4,981 cars finding homes. The Volkswagen Golf and Mercedes-Benz A-Class rounded out the top five cars, with 3,936 and 3,922 units respectively.

Pent-up demand
Unsurprisingly, UK registrations were down 41.9 per cent when compared to 2019 year-to-date figures. The SMMT reports that pent-up demand saw registrations rally in July with an 11.3 per cent increase to 174,887 vehicles. By the end of the year, though, it forecasts overall tallies to be down by 30 per cent, totalling £20bn in lost sales.* The UK’s top ten most popular new cars during July 2020 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Vauxhall Corsa: 5,455 (23,101, 3rd)
2 Ford Fiesta: 5,421 (23,126, 1st)
3 Ford Focus: 4,981 (23,126, 2nd)
4 Volkswagen Golf: 3,936 (21,825, 4th)

5 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 3,922 (17,648, 6th)
6 Nissan Qashqai: 2,971 (17,777, 5th)

7 Volkswagen Polo: 2,932 (13,046, 8th)
8 Mini: 2,906 (15,146, 7th)
9 Volkswagen Tiguan: 2.880 (12,822, 9th)
10 Ford Kuga: 2,686

(The 2020 year-to-date top ten most popular car absent from July 2020’s UK registration figures was the tenth-placed Toyota Yaris with 12,646 units recorded.)

* Based on an expected shortfall of c708,000 units at an average cost from JATO of c£28,000 per vehicle.

The Volkswagen Polo was the seventh most popular car in the UK during February 2020, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). With 1,451 Polos finding new homes, the small Volkswagen is eighth in the year-to-date top ten rundown – a total of 3,787 have been registered since the start of 2020.

The Volkswagen Golf topped the chart with 3,457 registrations, just as the eighth-generation model starts to appear in UK retailers, with the Ford Fiesta in second place. Longstanding chart stalwarts Ford Focus, Vauxhall Corsa and Mercedes-Benz A-Class rounded out the top five.

Overall, UK registrations fell 2.9 per cent in February to 79,594 units, as demand from private buyers declined again. It was a good month for battery electric and plug-in hybrid cars, though, with 4,566 joining the UK roads but at just 5.8 per cent, their market share remains low. The UK’s top ten most popular new cars during February 2020 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Volkswagen Golf: 3,457 (7,484, 3rd)

2 Ford Fiesta: 3,123 (9,210, 1st)
3 Ford Focus: 2,784 (8,051, 2nd)
4 Vauxhall Corsa: 1,871 (6,244, 4th)
5 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 1,648 (4,862, 6th)
6 Vauxhall Grandland X: 1,540 (3,801, 7th)
7 Volkswagen Polo: 1,451 (3,787, 8th)
8 Mini: 1,339
9 Nissan Qashqai: 1,293 (5,901, 5th)

10 BMW 5 Series: 1,286

(The 2020 year-to-date top ten most popular cars absent from February 2020’s UK registration figures were the ninth-placed BMW 3 Series and the tenth-placed Kia Sportage with 3,648 and 3,386 units recorded respectively.)

Polo Vivo is registration champion
Once again, the Polo Vivo topped the new car registrations charts in South Africa, with 2,417 cars rolling out of retailers. The latest National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) figures state that the sixth-generation Polo was again in second place with 2,120 units sold, with an additional 10,409 exported from Volkswagen South Africa’s Uitenhage plant. The Polo-based T-Cross registered a total of 463 cars, while 540 traditionally styled Polo Sedans left the forecourts.

The latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal that the Volkswagen Polo was the ninth most popular car in the UK during January 2020. A total of 2,336 Polos found new homes in the first month of the year, which also means the long-standing model is also ninth in the year-to-date top ten chart.

The Ford Fiesta was the clear leader with 6,087 registrations, ahead of its larger relative, the Ford Focus, in second place with 5,287 units. The Nissan Qashqai rounded out the top three with 4,608 registrations. The Volkswagen Golf’s 4,027 units put it in fifth place. Soon to usher in a new generation, the Vauxhall Corsa took fourth place with 4,373 registrations.

As a whole, UK registrations fell 7.3 per cent in January to 149,279 units, but demand for battery electric cars enjoyed a year-on-year rise of 2,720 units. Plug-in and ‘self-charging’ hybrids also enjoyed a peak in demand. The UK’s top ten most popular new cars during January 2020 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 6,087 (6,087, 1st)
2 Ford Focus: 5,287 (5,287, 2nd)
3 Nissan Qashqai: 4,608 (4,608, 3rd)
4 Vauxhall Corsa: 4,373 (4,373, 4th)
5 Volkswagen Golf: 4,027 (4,027, 5th)
6 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 3,214 (3,214, 6th)
7 Kia Sportage: 2,457 (2,457, 7th)
8 BMW 3 Series: 2,242 (2,242, 8th)
9 Volkswagen Polo: 2,336 (2,336, 9th)
10 Vauxhall Grandland X: 2,261 (2,261, 10th)

Across Europe, a total of 20,037 Polos were registered according to Jato Dynamics, making it the fifth most popular car across the continent. The Golf was topped the popularity stakes with 26,303 registrations. Volkswagen was the most popular brand across Europe with 133,558 registrations, and the Polo-based T-Cross SUV’s 12,880 units saw it declared top market share winner.

Polo Vivo is the South African chart-topper
Seemingly never putting a tyre wrong, the Polo Vivo once again topped the new car registrations charts in South Africa, with 2,811 new cars on driveways. The latest National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) figures show that the sixth-generation Polo was in second place once more with 1,761 units sold, with 7,959 exported from Volkswagen South Africa’s Uitenhage factory. The Polo-based T-Cross registered 764 units, and 503 fifth-generation Polo Sedans were registered.