But the list doesn´t stop there. An estimated 433 Minis were sold along with 383 Teslas, 150 Land Rovers, 13 Jaguars and even two Bentleys. Even the INEOS Grenadier, the 4x4 which is the brainchild of one of Britain´s richest men, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, sold 12 of their new vehicles in the islands.
The top selling vehicle in the Balearics was the Hyundai, with 1.892 cars being sold last year. Toyota was in second place followed by Opel and Dacia. The Chinese-built MG sold 970 vehicles a rise of 300 percent.
Overall, 12, 270 vehicles were sold to members of the general public, 5,421 to companies and 3,263 to rent-car-companies. The Balearics at one time had one of the largest car fleets per capita of the population in Spain.
The large number of vehicles on the islands has led to the call for the constructions of more roads, a move which is deeply opposed by environmentalists. Many key roads are gridlocked at peak times.
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Tawny TweacleTo clarify, the term "general Mallorquin population" is misleading. In the far east a popular refrain was " you never see a poor chinese". Well in Mallorca you never see a poor Mallorquin. There can be few who do not have an extended family with land locked up around the island. A finca here, a parcela there. The poor are the incomers, ' foresters' from the mainland and increasingly europeans from the east who thought they would find gold paved streets.
@Pimple-Chumley You are incredibly naive (polite term for stupid) if you think for one minute that the general Mallorquin population benefit from this! Its quite sickening to read when there is such poverty and suffering for many Mallorquin families due to farangs benefitting from living here and earning wages at foreign levels. I dont have the answers, but something needs to be done to level the playing field.
Charles Dalrymple-ChumleyBollocks.
Just TogetpublishedDon't knock it. For each luxury car sold there's an active business, jobs, parts, suppliers, taxes and servicing. All delivering cash to the island and to Mallorcans. No luxury cars sold = no cash for the island.
Well that just about says it all about the fact that the island is an expensive place to live.