Ford may have topped the January sales in this segment, but it didn't maintain the momentum over the two months. VW's Passat (1,311/1,346) took the crown against Mondeo (1,245/1,506).
Third runner was Renault's Laguna II (1,177/1,529). Nissan's Primera (1,133/999) continued improvement, while the big winner was the Mazda6 (898/0), a big jump on the 125 626s sold in the same period last year.
Toyota's "everything must go" sales of outgoing Avensis (784/1,925) are not a forecast of the eventual year end figures, as the new model has finally arrived and will work hard to bring Avensis back to the segment leadership it has enjoyed for 16 out of the last 17 years.
Opel's Vectra (694/211) showing indicated the arrival of the new model, but a ninth overall placing in unit sales must be somewhat disappointing. Mitsubishi's Carisma (301/382) drop was yet another flag to the need for a replacement here. Volvo's 40 series (297/303) held its own well in what was the beginning of its last full year of existence. Peugeot's 406 (233/437) is in a similar position, but losing sales more heavily.
The elite end of this segment includes the BMW 3-series (991/1,017) selling steadily, and the Alfa 156 (223/362), falling off as the the market looks down the road towards a replacement maybe next year.
Hyundai's Santa Fe (515/328) continues its lead of the SUV element in this segment, with Land Rover's Freelander (235/308) sliding as Nissan's X-Trail (167/56) is in an ascendancy. Honda's excellent CR-V (159/17) is also moving upwards. Hyundai also leads the MPV field with its Trajet (332/337), though Ford increased its units sales of the Galaxy (134/114). The American daddy of the species, the Chrysler Voyager (49/45) maintained a steady speed.