The European car market failed to reach the 1 million mark in January

In the first month of 2026, the European market for new passenger cars amounted to 961,382 units, which is 3.5% lower than in January 2025. This was reported by the analytical agency Autostat with reference to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).

“By the end of January 2026, Volkswagen sold the largest number of cars among brands in European countries – 100,228 units (-11.2%),” the publication says.

Skoda took second place with 65 thousand cars sold, which is 10.1% more than a year ago. The top three was closed by Toyota, which sold 64 thousand cars (-11.8%). The top five also included BMW and Peugeot.

Prior to this, economist and head of the Institute of World Economics in Kiel, Moritz Schularik, warned of the collapse of three auto giants from Germany. In his opinion, if they do not radically change the approach to work, by 2030 companies may cease to exist in their current form. Shulyarik bases his conclusions on an analysis of the current situation in the European automobile industry.

Earlier it was reported that Russians began to buy fewer used Ladas.