Ford Fiesta overtakes VW Golf as Europe's favorite drive

(Ford)

The Ford Fiesta has overtaken the VW Golf in the battle for Europe's heart according to analysis released Monday by JATO Dynamics.

The Fiesta became Europe's best-selling car in both March 2010 and year-to-date sales for 2010, pushing the Golf behind it for the first time since March 2009.

In total, 68,630 Fiestas were sold in March 2010, a 25.8 percent rise in sales compared to March 2009 and 11,785 more than Volkswagen's second-placed Golf. In Great Britain, the Fiesta accounted for a whopping 34 percent of all cars sold through the month - over 23,000 models.

"Fiesta's achievement is even more impressive considering Golf sales also increased during last month and the year's first quarter," said JATO Dynamics in a statement. "Fiesta sales simply outpaced Golf, with its move to pole position particularly due to its strong March sales in the UK (up 14.7 percent) and Italy (up 87 percent), where 57 percent of all Fiestas sold (11,251) were LPG-powered."

It also helped push Ford to the top of the table in terms of overall sales; the US firm sold 1,818 more vehicles than German rival Volkswagen in March. Renault took third place and Opel/Vauxhall fourth.

Europe's Favorite Cars - March 2010

1. Ford Fiesta
2. Volkswagen Golf
3. Renault Clio
4. Opel/Vauxhall Corsa
5. Peugeot 207

Data from JATO Dynamics - http://www.jato.com