Dacia Sandero Beats VW Golf To Become Europe's Best-Selling Car

There’s a new vehicle sales king in town and it has no interest in golf. Behold the new top-selling vehicle in Europe for July 2021, the plucky Dacia Sandero hatchback. The Sandero narrowly edged out the Volkswagen Golf, which is the perennial winner of the best-selling European vehicle. What caused this shift in customer demand?

 This isn’t the first time Dacia Sandero beat out the VW Golf for sales. When the Sandero debuted in 2008 it took the top sales spot but was unable to hold this trend for very long. Hatchbacks are still the sales king in Europe with 4 of the top 5 representing the versatile little machines.

Overall new car sales fell by 24% after four months of growth in 2021. This shift shows a decreased interest and ability to purchase a brand-new car. This environment has allowed the more budget-friendly Dacia Sandero to shine as an affordable new car for customers with lowered levels of disposable income.

This shift is not all bad news for VW. The Golf was only beat out by the Dacia Sandero by about 1,000 units so it’s still a very close battle. VW also has 3 of the top 5 selling models in Europe which shows its product portfolio is capturing a huge amount of sales even in these challenging times. The Toyota Yaris was able to secure the number 3 spot in top-selling cars just behind the VW Golf.

With pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic and the chip shortage crisis, automakers are facing some of the toughest conditions in a long time. Customers with less disposable income are seeking more budget-friendly options which have allowed the Dacia Sandero to shine as the sales king of July 2021.