The Automotive Update: Carmakers achieving triple-digit new-car market growth in the EU

28 May 2026

As the EU new-car market grows, three carmakers are seeing their shares expand rapidly. But how has this growth impacted incumbent players? Autovista24 journalist Tom Hooker speaks with editor Tom Geggus in the latest podcast episode.

The brand dynamic within the EU new-car market continues to shift in 2026, with further registration growth in April.

Some of the biggest carmaker groups recorded year-on-year improvements in new-car deliveries. However, market share movements do not reflect this across the board. Meanwhile, newer marques are responsible for an increasing amount of registrations.

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Leapmotor leaps forward

One such example is Leapmotor, which accounted for 0.8% of all new-car deliveries in the EU during April. This was up 0.6 percentage points (pp) year on year.

The dramatic leap was due to the brand’s 407.6% registrations surge last month. An even greater rise of 558.8% was recorded between January and April, with 28,709 new models taking to the road. This made Leapmotor the fastest-growing brand in the EU, in both the monthly and cumulative figures presented by ACEA.

Two other carmakers are seeing their grip on the market tighten at an even faster rate. Chery Automobile, including Chery, Jaecoo, Jetour and Omoda, claimed a 1.3% share across the first four months of the year. This was up 0.9pp compared to 12 months prior, thanks to a 267.1% registrations rise.

Chery Automobile saw a steeper climb of 1.1pp to a 1.5% share in April alone, after a similar delivery increase. Despite a smaller year-on-year improvement of 116.6%, BYD also achieved a 1.1pp share surge last month to 2.1%. The same rise was recorded cumulatively, with BYD taking a 1.9% slice of the new-car market, up from 0.8%.

Non-European brand growth

Further standout performances were seen from other non-European brands. Tesla managed a 67.2% growth rate in April as its market share rose from 0.6% to 0.9%.

SAIC Motor posted a 24.6% delivery improvement last month. The brand accounted for 2.2% of overall volumes, up 0.3pp year on year. On a smaller share of 0.5%, Honda recorded a similar increase of 22.7% in April. Mazda saw a slightly stronger rise of 28.2% last month, as its slice of the market widened to 1.1%.

So, while based on relatively smaller shares, many non-European brands are making gains across the bloc. But how has this affected some of the region’s biggest automotive groups?

A saving grace for Stellantis?

Stellantis’ market share has remained broadly stable, despite its year-on-year delivery growth. The group accounted for 16.4% of overall deliveries in April, up 0.1pp, with a 5.5% registrations rise to 159,147 units.

A greater rise in the cumulative figures also provided the group with a bigger jump in market share. Stellantis’ deliveries grew by 7.8%, while its share was up 0.6pp to 17.1%.

Two of the group’s brands played an important part in both results. Fiat saw deliveries soar by 32.6% in the year to date. Meanwhile, Opel, branded as Vauxhall in the UK, saw a registration increase of 22%.

Meanwhile, Stellantis’ two largest-volume brands, Peugeot and Citroen, have seen contrasting fortunes so far in 2026. The former experienced a 4.9% drop in deliveries between January and April, while the latter enjoyed a 9.9% rise. However, both were aligned in April, with a 2.8% improvement for Peugeot and a 3.5% increase for Citroën.

This came as other Stellantis brands endured sharp declines. Alfa Romeo and DS saw deliveries slump by 34.7% and 24.6%, respectively.

Growth for Skoda and Audi

Volkswagen (VW) Group also relied on two brands to pull deliveries forward, according to ACEA data. Skoda and Audi saw a 10.6% and 13.6% surge in registrations, respectively.

VW Group recorded a 3.2% growth in April, reaching 266,139 units. However, with other brands making rapid inroads in the market, its share fell by 0.5pp to 27.4%.

In the first four months of 2026, VW Group’s grip also loosened by 0.4pp to 26.7%. This was despite a 2.9% delivery increase compared to the same period last year, with 1,013,771 units. The figures were again helped by strong Skoda and Audi performances. Registrations rose by 15.5% for the former and 8.6% for the latter.

Meanwhile, VW, the best-selling brand in the EU new-car market, suffered a slowdown. Deliveries dipped by 2.7% in April and 3.2% in the cumulative figures. Cupra also endured a tough April with a 4.3% decline, as fellow Spanish carmaker SEAT achieved a 6.3% increase.

Other big automotive groups decline

While Stellantis and VW managed growth in the EU, the same could not be said for other automotive groups.

Renault Group faced a 4.3% year-on-year decline in April to 98,055 units. In turn, its share loosened by 1pp to 10.1%. This trend accelerated to a 7.4% registration drop in the first four months of the year. The company’s market hold thinned by 1.3pp in this period to 10.1%.

Its cumulative result was propelled by a 15.3% slump for Dacia models, as the Renault brand felt a shallower decline.

Toyota Group posted a 1.8% fall in registrations during April, as its share went from 7.3% to 6.8%. This was caused by a decline in both the Toyota and Lexus brands. The group suffered a 2.5% drop across the first four months of the year.

Kia and MINI prevent steeper fall

Hyundai Group also recorded a decline in April, with deliveries down 2.5% compared to 12 months prior. Consequently, its share shrank by 0.6pp to 7.3%. The result was based upon two counteracting forces.

Kia enjoyed a 6.1% growth in registrations last month. However, with both brands posting similar figures, Hyundai’s 10.6% slump eroded Kia’s improvement. The same trend occurred between January and April, with Hyundai Group suffering a 3.1% fall year on year as a result.

Meanwhile, MINI was BMW Group’s shining light, with a 7.9% increase in deliveries last month. Yet this was not quite enough to overturn a 1.8% drop recorded by the BMW brand.

This resulted in a 0.4% downturn for the group, as it made up 6.8% of the market, down 0.4pp. However, with growth across both marques, its cumulative registrations rose by 3.9%.

Nearly identical growth was seen at Mercedes-Benz, with a 3.8% improvement in the first four months of 2026. Despite this, its share remained stable at 4.8%.

Geely Group, including its Geely, Geely‑Emgrand, LEVC, Lotus, Lynk & Co, Polestar, Smart, Volvo Cars, and Zeekr brands, also saw stagnation. It accounted for 2.7% of overall volumes in April, down 0.1pp year on year, as deliveries rose by just 0.4%.

Incumbent players struggling

Other incumbent players in the EU new-car market did not enjoy year-on-year gains. JLR, labelled by ACEA as Jaguar Land Rover Group, suffered a 20.4% delivery drop in April. This meant it represented 0.4% of overall volumes, down 0.2pp. Meanwhile, Ford felt a 17% delivery decline, as its share slumped by 0.6pp to 2.4%.

Nissan posted a 6% fall in registrations during April compared to 12 months prior, as its share fell by 0.1pp to 1.4%. Suzuki suffered a steeper slump of 13.7% last month, making up 1.2% of overall volumes, down 0.2pp year on year. Mitsubishi saw a 56.1% drop. The carmaker captured 0.2% of total deliveries, down 0.3pp from one year ago.