The German new car market went from its best true fleet month ever to its lowest total market in more than 30 years over the course of August and September.

BMW took the German true fleet brand ranking for the first time ever

Analysis by Benjamin Kibies at Dataforce finds that following August’s pre-WLTP rise of 18.2% in true fleet registrations, the channel fell 38.5% – reaching its lowest level in nine years. The private market took a similar punch (‑33.7%), but registrations of dealerships, manufacturers and short-term rentals were a little closer to their 2017 comparatives (‑22.7%). Total Market new registrations tumbled by 30.5% to reach 200,134 for September 2018; its lowest level since 1985.

Looking at the true fleet top 10 brand ranking, BMW took the crown for the first time ever from third-placed VW, with a 1.7% rise – the only positive figure in the top 10. Mercedes was second, despite posting negative figures compared to September 2017.

Positions 4-6 were claimed by Škoda, Ford and Opel who all climbed one step on the ladder.

Rank number seven went to Audi, a brand usually seen on the podium while Toyota, Volvo and Peugeot completed the top 10.

Outside the top 10, a sharp rise in CX-5 fleet registrations boosted Mazda to a +13.8% rise, into rank number 11, its best position since August 2006. Citroën was up 3.0% but Jaguar’s registrations surged by 33.9% while Jeep achieved an even higher +46.1%.