All the essential data from the car world in 2022

A number of manufacturers made sales headway in 2022, despite a wider industry downturn

We round up global industry trends, from the US market falling further behind China to the EV uptick and more

Tesla, BYD, Toyota and Mercedes-Benz emerged as the big winners in the global automotive industry last year, as China extended its position as the dominant market for new vehicle sales.

The Tesla Model Y proved perfect for exploiting the growing global demand for family-friendly electric transport, while Chinese giant BYD had three models in the global EV top 10 – a better result than any European firm recorded. “The Model 3 lost its crown to the Model Y because the latter is an SUV and what most of the customers, even in the EV market, are looking for,” says Felipe Munoz, senior analyst at Jato Dynamics.

Global powerhouses Toyota and Mercedes both scored major successes last year. Toyota extended its lead over the Volkswagen Group as the world’s leading vehicle manufacturer, while Mercedes sneaked ahead of BMW as the world’s biggest maker of premium cars.

All these ups and downs played out against strategic strife in the shape of the energy crisis caused by the outbreak of war in Europe, the chip shortage and recovery from the pandemic. It’s therefore no surprise that only two global markets (China and India) grew, recovering to 2020 levels after the ravages of peak Covid.

In the face of this adversity, the car industry did what it does best: roll up its sleeves and find solutions to problems. In this case, that meant focusing on the most profitable models.

“The industry has learned from the three consecutive crises since the pandemic and posted record profits despite the sales drop,” explains Munoz.

*US falls further behind China; India races ahead*

China’s crushing domination of the global car market kept rolling in 2022, as this country of 1.4 billion people extended its sales lead over its nearest rival, the US, a country of 300 million.

EVs steered China’s recovery from three years of stagnation, with sales nearly doubling. But the gap between these two heavyweights stretched because the US market regressed back to 2011 levels, dragged down by shortages of many components, not just chips, and the dwindling availability of cheap lease finance.

India made a huge statement last year by overtaking Japan to become the world’s third-biggest market – a significant step forward for a country that has the potential to match China for new car sales, given its similar population.

Germany retained fifth position, despite not growing, while the other major European markets declined.

*Jato analysis: *“India was number three, ahead of Japan, thanks to a more dynamic market, better products, deals and a rapid recovery from the pandemic. Japan is a mature market that reached its peak many years ago.”

*The top 10 global markets and how many cars were sold in each *

*Energy crisis batters Europe, only Germany avoiding decline*

The best news in Europe came from the UK, at least for us Brits, as the country overtook France to become the second-largest market – a reversal of the 2021 outcome.

Jato tempers this welcome news, however, by pointing out that this was because the UK declined by 5% while France did by 10% and that both are suffering their own troubles.

The UK is trying to cope with Brexit and low consumer confidence, while France is being held back by a shortage of the small hatchbacks and SUVs that usually dominate as manufacturers prioritise bigger, more profitable models.

Specific issues affected other countries, such as Italy having a government that has yet to incentivise BEV sales.

*Jato analysis:* “In general, the whole of Europe is suffering the most compared with other regions. As the continent is the most exposed to the energy crisis generated by the war in Ukraine, the economies and their consumers are delaying purchases or simply not buying as many cars as in the past.”

*The top 10 European markets and how many cars were sold in each*

*Coupes in major decline but affordable sports cars and supercars grow*

Two bright spots for Autocar readers within the 2022 figures are affordable sports cars and supercars, which both increased sales, thanks largely to the new Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ siblings and increased European demand respectively.

However, overall, a significant decline in the coupé market – including for the Ford Mustang and Mercedes C-Class and E-Class – dragged the wider two-door car market down.

The evergreen Porsche 911, which resolutely sells around 30,000 units per year, narrowly got the better of the Chevrolet Corvette, but encouragingly both cars found more buyers in 2022 than they did in 2021.

Success in the US remains key, as it has since the first British Jaguars and MGs created the market post-war, although Jato cautions that American demand for sports cars is fragile and that without new demand from China (which bought just 17,300 in 2022), the segment “doesn’t have a driver of growth”.

Proving that newest is best, at least for sales, the GR86 outsold Mazda’s perennial best-seller, the MX-5, in the affordable sports car segment.

*Jato analysis:* “For supercars, it’s pretty much the case as in the coupé segment. The US continued to drive the volume (59,600), but demand barely grew. Instead, growth was driven by Europe, where Ferrari and Porsche are still strong.”

*The best-selling sports cars in 2022*

*Tesla Model Y becomes new king of EVs while BYD leads the Chinese charge*

SUVs are the killer app in the car industry – so, as expected, the Tesla Model Y grabbed the global EV crown from the Tesla Model 3. The duo sold 1.15m combined – more than the next five EVs added together. And compared with Volkswagen, whose complete corporate strategy has been redrawn around EVs, Tesla sold four Model Ys for every one ID 4.

Last year’s surprise success, the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV (China’s cheapest car, at around only £4000), continued to prosper, but new rivals slowed its rate of growth.

With three models in the top 10, BYD is consolidating its position as a serious global EV player and one that Jato believes will only strengthen in coming years.

For Europe’s brands, the EV sector remains a challenge in terms of global sales. The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, an early adopter of EVs, is losing ground, although Stellantis had some strong launches and Volkswagen enjoyed success with the ID 4.

The onward march of Chinese EVs nudged Stellantis down two positions compared with 2021, behind Geely and BYD. Volume totalled 274,000 units versus the 1.24 million of Tesla.

*Jato analysis:* “New models are making the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe look aged compared with rivals. The Fiat 500 is well ahead of the [Stellantis] Peugeot and Opel models. And Volkswagen’s ID range is alive thanks to the ID 4 and seven-seat ID 6 SUVs, not the ID 3 hatchback.”

*The best-selling electric cars in 2022*

*European decline belies the global strength of Japanese firms*

Browse the back catalogues of Japanese firms and you will discover exceptional variety and creativity. Today, however, there’s a feeling of not so much energy in their ranges, which poses the question: are the Japanese losing their grip?

In global sales terms, and some markets certainly, volume has been lost, but Japanese models still took six spots in the global top 10, even though they didn’t have a single representative in the European chart.

Meanwhile, in the global brand ranking, Japan’s big three take key positions, with Toyota comfortably retaining its number one slot. Nissan and Honda did lose some ground in 2022, the former because its models and brand lost appeal and the latter because of several model changeovers during the year (the CR-V, Civic, Accord and Pilot).

*Jato analysis:* “Toyota is still strong everywhere. Honda may not be strong in Europe, but it’s very strong in Asia and North America. Nissan keeps playing a big role in China, South-East Asia, the Middle East and North America. And Suzuki is the largest in India, now the world’s third-largest market.”

*Toyota unchallenged on top of the world*

To be the global number one, a car maker needs the right models in as many markets as possible to sell strongly. That’s easy to say, but Toyota is still the only car maker that manages to deliver on all three elements.

The Volkswagen Group’s headlong rush into electrification hasn’t yet delivered the sales boost hoped for – although freeing production bottlenecks in 2023 may improve the situation.

Meanwhile, Honda retains its third-place ranking, just ahead of a resurgent Ford. Its European sales may have dwindled, but it’s increasingly prosperous elsewhere.

Jim Farley’s reinvention of Ford certainly seems to be paying off, with new models freshening the range and moving the brand ahead of Hyundai and Nissan into fourth spot.

*Jato analysis:* “The decisive models were the Toyota Corolla Cross in South-East Asia and Latin America; the Toyota Yaris Cross in Europe; the Volkswagen Lavida in China; the Honda City in South-East Asia and Brazil; the Ford Bronco in North America; the Hyundai Elantra in North America; and the Hyundai Tucson globally.”

*The top 10 best-selling brands in 2022:*

*JLR has torrid time as model changeovers and supply shortages bite*

Jaguar Land Rover is struggling to grow, despite an extensive range of premium SUVs and strong demand for new models.

Jato’s provisional figures suggest the model changeovers to the new-generation Range Rover and Range Rover Sport have been difficult, with both models recording double-digit sales drops, but it looks like they will bounce back in 2023.

However, waiting lists stretch well into the year, so JLR needs to work to resolve its supply issues and return production to healthier levels.

On a positive note, the Land Rover Defender has established a very strong position, increasing volume by 6% in 2022 to 61,321 – around three times the volume of the old model.

*Jato analysis:* “JLR’s smaller models also suffered double- digit sales drops, like the Range Rover Evoque with 53,000 (-13%) and the Discovery Sport with 37,000 (-32%). But we should wait for 2023 for conclusions about the company’s success.”

*Toyota does it again with Corolla and RAV4; pick-ups remain hot property*

In 2021, the Toyota Corolla just beat the Toyota RAV4 to the global vehicle sales title, and that result was repeated in 2022. Together, Toyota’s two best-sellers sell almost enough to break into the global brand top 10 and comfortably outsell the entire Audi line-up.

Just look at those full-size pick-up truck sales: America’s Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado and Ram range took third, seventh and eighth in the global vehicle top 10. As the electric Ford F-150 Lightning gets established, it will be an interesting sector to watch in 2023.

Tesla maintained a spot in the top 10 with the Model Y SUV, a new entrant straight in at number four. It replaces the Model 3, with the saloon slipping just outside the top 10 ranking.

*Jato analysis:* “Despite the strong growth posted by the Model Y, Toyota retains the top positions, thanks to the strong popularity of the RAV4 and Corolla in all of the five continents."

*The best-selling cars in 2022:*

*Tesla still reigns supreme in American EV market – but Ford makes up for lost time*

Conceived and built in the US, Teslas dominate sales of new EVs in their home market. They scored 460,000 sales last year – equivalent to 37% of the company’s global total.

Given that the overall US market contracted, the percentage increases in EVs show strong demand for them. The Ford Mustang Mach-E put in a strong showing as the best of the rest, splitting the four Teslas in the sales chart.

While in pure numbers the Mustang Mach-E remained a distant third behind the Model Y and Model 3, Ford is mounting the most serious challenge to Tesla in the US, having launched the F-150 Lightning pick-up, while General Motors waits for its own electric trucks to make an impression in 2023.

An eye-catching performance also came from the Koreans, as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 massively ramped up the volume to finish ahead of the ID 4, and the Kia EV6 in its debut year matched the established Volkswagen.

*Jato analysis:* “The big three are moving into EVs, although the pace needs to speed up. Ford came second, thanks to the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E. General Motors wasn’t a big star, pinning its hopes on trucks, and was outsold by Volkswagen. Stellantis was still out of the race, as it had no EVs available in the US.”

*The best-selling electric cars in the US in 2022:*

*Mercedes and BMW fight for premium lead while Tesla threatens Audi*

The story in the premium segment is Mercedes versus BMW and C-Class versus 3 Series.

Although Mercedes as a brand barely grew in 2022, it did receive a strong boost from the new C-Class, which offset significant declines of the A-Class and the GLB.

The principal effect of the new C-Class being introduced was it considerably outselling the 3 Series, which dropped 23%. Because the 3 Series contributed much of BMW’s growth in 2021, its decline had a magnified negative effect on the company’s sales in 2022.

Two other BMW models fell back in 2022, the X3 and X1, both in the hot-selling SUV segment. The latter entered a new generation, skewing the figures. As BMW’s third and fifth best-sellers, these drops had a sizeable effect on overall sales.

The case of Audi is different, as it didn’t introduce a single all-new model last year.

*The best-selling premium brands in 2022:*