This is a real surprise. The new Octavia won the 1st place in the number of registered cars in January here in Slovenia. 

And check the 5th place. There were also 146  VRSs registered.  

 

Popular car over there and in the continent. Over here in Scotland the roads are full of audi's So the VRS is quite niche and i only ever see a few of the last gen. I like it like that and dont usually follow the lack of imagination. No Audi's on your list i see

No, no audis. At lease a new ones. Audi is premium brand over here. Quite expensive. But we have a lot used ones, usually imported from northerner countries like Austria and Germany.

that's pretty impressive. Especially since the Clio is made in Slovenia (am I right about that?)

It is impressive if the cars are on the road with buyers that paid Dealerships for cars to drive or lease companies have bought to lease out and they are on the road.

Not so impressive if it was a case of Skoda / VW Group getting cars first registered to get the low average C02 emissions that Skoda require.

So cars at Dealership, with Skoda / VW Group employees etc & owned by VW Finance to be sold as used cars soon.

38 minutes ago, Branigan said:

that's pretty impressive. Especially since the Clio is made in Slovenia (am I right about that?)

You are correct. 

21 minutes ago, e-Roottoot said:

It is impressive if the cars are on the road with buyers that paid Dealerships for cars to drive or lease companies have bought to lease out and they are on the road.

Not so impressive if it was a case of Skoda / VW Group getting cars first registered to get the low average C02 emissions that Skoda require.

So cars at Dealership, with Skoda / VW Group employees etc & owned by VW Finance to be sold as used cars soon.

I'm sure there are also such cars in those numbers. But not so many that could largely affect the final numbers. But thank you for pointing that out since I didn't think about it.
In the first week of January, when I collected my car, there were already 6 VRS's sold (actually sold to buyers) at that particular dealer alone. 

It happens in the UK all the time.  Vauxhall, Ford & VW Group first registering cars to stay in the top 5 or 10 for a quarter or a year.

Also so that cars that are pathetic sellers will have the manufacturer / importer first register at least 50 in a month so that buyers of new cars are not put off ordring.

This also helps manipulate the Parkers / Autotrader type guides on Used car prices as they are actually new cars then sold as Used.  They were only new to the Manufacturer.

Skoda will be making sure there are Media Cars, cars sold or leased to the Emergency Services / Fleet, Hire Car Companies at special prices not available to private buyers.

Keep turning these around regularly and bump the numbers of cars First Registered and then Used cars into the market.

Have the 'Sales tables' looking good when it is 'First Registered' and not actually 'Cars sold' other than to The Manufacturers themselves.

 

Last year early in lockdown Vauxhall have 2 demonstrator e-Corsa out to each Dealership and 1 or 2 first registered and more being in transit but these never got First Registered and the cars ordered by Motability were not delivered.  (Lots of Ex Demonstrator / Pre Reg e-Corsa sitting needing sold.)

 

That did not stop the SMMT in the UK saying how high the Electric Car Sales were and how the percentage first registered was higher with EV's.

That was TESLA and others doing Click & Collect, Delivery to your door and Vauxhall lending cars to the NHS or Front Line Staff.

 

So much kidology goes on with First Registering, or as Skoda did a few years back 'Car Manufactured' to get them over a Million Cars sold in a year.

They manufactured over 1 million maybe, but sold some of them to themselves / VW Group not to Paying Individuals..

Edited 5 February, 20215 yr by e-Roottoot

@e-Roottoot thanks for explaining. 

 

I just think if Skoda did that with Octavia this year, then it is quite a jump from the January last year.