The B segment, where cars such as the Fiat Punto, Opel Corsa, Renault Clio and Nissan Micra sell is down from 18.8% to 17.2% of new car sales for the first two months of the year compared to the same period last year.

The top sellers in the B league were Opel Corsa, 1,822; Toyota Yaris, 1,734; Ford Fiesta, 1,690;

Peugeot 207, 1,420;

Nissan Micra, 1,107;

Renault Clio, 926; VW Polo, 879; and Fiat Grande Punto, 752.

Analysts say the segment is being squeezed between the arrival of new mini models, such as the Toyota Aygo and Citroen C1, and the bigger family cars.