Italian auto market: body‑shop dip, city‑car surge

The shift away from diesel‑powered and larger vehicles in Italy continues to deepen. Diesel registrations, already down to 4.8% of new sales, have fallen further as EU emissions rules tighten and low‑emission zones expand. Meanwhile, the two‑wheeler segment kept growing, with electric scooters still surging.

City‑car (A‑segment) sales remained the standout of 2026, rising 29% year‑on‑year to 127,000 units and expanding their market share to 13.5%. The Fiat Panda held its lead with 62,852 units sold, while the electric Leapmotor T03 recorded an extraordinary 1,651% jump. Other compact models such as the Toyota Aygo X, Fiat 500 and Kia Picanto also posted double‑digit gains.

A new Federcarrozzieri survey for the first half of 2026 confirms that 39.7% of body‑shops reported a recent decline in work, with the steepest falls still in Piemonte (50%), Emilia‑Romagna (46.2%) and Veneto (44.8%). Workshops that remain busy continue to cite staff shortages, underscoring that the slowdown is uneven across regions.

Stellantis’ Pro One unit increased sales by 7% in the first half of 2026, maintaining a 28.7% European market share and strengthening its position in battery‑electric commercial vans, which made up 15% of June orders. Industrial vehicle sales also rebounded in June.

Infrastructure and digitalisation are advancing. Public fast‑charging points are being installed faster than electric‑car registrations, highlighted by a new partnership between Powy and IGD to add 200 fast chargers in shopping centres by 2027. A fintech survey revealed that 78% of dealers and workshops still devote at least a quarter of their time to manual payment processes, with only 21.8% achieving fully automated workflows.