The Leapmotor T03 becomes the first Chinese model to enter the Italian podium.

New car sales in Italy are up by a solid 7.6% year-on-year in March to 185,367 units, leading to a year-to-date tally up 9.2% to 484,802. Private sales are up 18% to 95,638 and 51.2% share vs. 46.7% a year ago (up 7.7% to 53.2% share YTD), self registrations are up 8.3% to 15,397 and 8.2% share, unchanged on March 2025 (up 19.1% to 9.2% share YTD), long term leases fall -11.8% to 40,781 and 21.8% share vs. 26.6% in March 2025 (down -3.2% to 21.1% share YTD), short term rentals are up 9.7% to 25,082 and 13.4% share vs. 13.2% last year (up 51.3% to 11.4% share YTD) and company sales gain 7.6% to 9,790 and 5.2% share, unchanged (up 2% to 5.1% share YTD).

BEVs shoot up 71.7% to 16,137 and 8.6% share vs. 5.4% in March 2025 (up 65.3% to 7.8% share vs. 5.2% YTD) and PHEVs soar 114.5% to 16,998 and 9.1% share vs. 4.6% a year ago (up 123.3% to 8.8% share YTD). This way, rechargeable cars gain 91.3% to 33,135 and 17.7% share vs. 10% in March 2025 (up 91.7% to 81,098 and 16.6% share YTD vs. 9.5% over the same period in 2025.

In the brands ranking, Fiat (+27.2%) continues to catch up on lost time but sees its share drop from 13.4% in February to 11.4% this month. YTD volumes are up 29.8% to 12.7% share. Volkswagen (+2.7%) overtakes Toyota (-5.6%) for second place while Dacia (+4.3%) climbs back up five spots on last month #4, overtaking sister brand Renault (+1.8%), a soaring Audi (+27.4%), a freefalling Peugeot (-26.7%), BMW (+8.2%) and Jeep (-7.8%). Citroen (+11%) closes out the Top 10 in sturdy fashion. Kia (+22.3%) also makes itself entice at #11, while Chinese Leapmotor (+2727.2%) breaks its volume record at 5,513 units and BYD surges 190.6% to #17 and 2.8% share.

Model-wise, the Fiat Panda (-11.6%) accounts for 6% of its home market vs. 8% last month, entirely responsible for the brand’s drop vs. February. The Jeep Avenger (+6.1%) repeats at a record 2nd place with 2.8% share. Once again the biggest event of the month is delivered by the Leapmotor T03 (+2889.3%) up to a surreal and record third place. This is because of its price reduced to an incredible €4,900 after incentives and a further €3,000 rebate from the manufacturer. Its advertising campaign promotes it as “cheaper than your bike”. Almost 10,750 units of the T03 have now been registered in Italy since the start of the year, earning it a fifth place YTD. The Dacia Sandero (-15.1%) rallies back up 17 ranks on February to #4 but remains well below its year-ago level. Although it drops two spots on February, the Fiat Grande Panda (+1073%) posts an encouraging third consecutive month inside its home Top 5. The Nissan Qashqai (+2.9%) and Dacia Duster (+25.7%) are back inside the Top 10, with the Fiat 600 (+21.6%) lodging its best ranking since May 2025 at #12.

Previous month: Italy February 2026: Fiat Grande Panda up to #3, €4,900 Leapmotor T03 up to #4

One year ago: Italy March 2025: MG breaks into Top 10, sales up 6.2%

Full March 2026 Top 55 All brands and Top 50 models below.

Italy March 2026 – brands:

Pos	Brand	Mar-26	%	/25	Feb	2026	%	/25	Pos	FY25
1	Fiat	21,168	11.4%	+ 27.2%	1	61,408	12.7%	+ 29.8%	1	1
2	Volkswagen	12,356	6.7%	+ 2.7%	3	31,720	6.5%	+ 3.3%	3	3
3	Toyota	11,983	6.5%	– 5.6%	2	33,290	6.9%	– 1.7%	2	2
4	Dacia	9,732	5.3%	+ 4.3%	9	22,713	4.7%	– 26.9%	5	4
5	Renault	8,804	4.7%	+ 1.8%	4	23,121	4.8%	+ 12.1%	4	6
6	Audi	8,059	4.3%	+ 27.4%	6	22,224	4.6%	+ 18.5%	7	8
7	Peugeot	7,827	4.2%	– 26.7%	5	22,382	4.6%	– 12.5%	6	5
8	BMW	7,421	4.0%	+ 8.2%	7	20,648	4.3%	+ 5.4%	8	7
9	Jeep	6,971	3.8%	– 7.8%	8	19,716	4.1%	– 0.2%	9	9
10	Citroen	6,892	3.7%	+ 11.0%	11	18,028	3.7%	– 0.5%	10	11
11	Kia	6,089	3.3%	+ 22.3%	20	13,587	2.8%	+ 9.9%	14	15
12	Ford	5,956	3.2%	– 20.1%	13	15,311	3.2%	– 15.2%	13	10
13	Nissan	5,945	3.2%	– 7.7%	18	13,273	2.7%	– 2.8%	15	18
14	MG	5,907	3.2%	– 10.3%	10	15,647	3.2%	+ 1.9%	11	13
15	Mercedes	5,810	3.1%	– 10.0%	14	15,521	3.2%	+ 3.2%	12	12
16	Leapmotor	5,513	3.0%	+ 2727.2%	12	11,639	2.4%	+ 1927.7%	19	32
17	BYD	5,193	2.8%	+ 190.6%	15	12,854	2.7%	+ 224.4%	16	21
18	Skoda	4,385	2.4%	+ 23.9%	17	11,641	2.4%	+ 16.0%	18	16
19	Opel	4,336	2.3%	– 16.2%	16	12,058	2.5%	+ 4.5%	17	17
20	Omoda+Jaecoo	3,535	1.9%	+ 258.2%	22	8,991	1.9%	+ 337.3%	21	25
21	Suzuki	3,392	1.8%	– 7.8%	21	8,726	1.8%	– 6.7%	22	19
22	Hyundai	3,202	1.7%	– 34.0%	19	10,617	2.2%	– 16.2%	20	14
23	Alfa Romeo	3,037	1.6%	– 22.4%	23	7,387	1.5%	– 13.1%	23	20
24	Tesla	2,920	1.6%	+ 31.7%	32	4,419	0.9%	+ 27.4%	26	27
25	Cupra	2,468	1.3%	– 6.8%	24	6,052	1.2%	+ 16.5%	24	22
26	Mazda	2,064	1.1%	+ 72.9%	26	4,395	0.9%	+ 45.7%	27	28
27	Mini	1,878	1.0%	+ 33.3%	25	4,797	1.0%	+ 34.7%	25	24
28	Volvo	1,319	0.7%	– 3.1%	27	3,725	0.8%	+ 0.8%	28	26
29	Lancia	1,187	0.6%	+ 6.9%	30	3,200	0.7%	+ 9.4%	29	30
30	Honda	1,079	0.6%	+ 36.8%	28	3,132	0.6%	+ 40.3%	30	29
31	Seat	1,062	0.6%	– 29.2%	29	2,540	0.5%	– 8.4%	32	31
32	DR Motor	1,034	0.6%	– 28.4%	31	2,680	0.6%	– 37.3%	31	23
33	EVO	790	0.4%	+ 16.2%	36	1,962	0.4%	– 0.9%	34	35
34	Land Rover	713	0.4%	– 27.5%	33	1,983	0.4%	– 13.0%	33	34
35	EMC	667	0.4%	+ 211.7%	38	1,478	0.3%	+ 140.3%	37	38
36	Lexus	639	0.3%	– 2.1%	35	1,749	0.4%	– 0.2%	35	36
37	Porsche	625	0.3%	– 10.8%	37	1,503	0.3%	– 15.6%	36	33
38	DS	571	0.3%	– 16.4%	39	1,277	0.3%	– 7.5%	38	37
39	Geely	536	0.3%	new	46	909	0.2%	new	40	–
40	Subaru	428	0.2%	+ 56.2%	43	822	0.2%	+ 41.2%	41	39
41	DFSK	292	0.2%	+ 247.6%	40	799	0.2%	+ 189.5%	42	43
42	KGM	239	0.1%	+ 1738.5%	42	594	0.1%	+ 1000.0%	43	50
43	Sportequipe	220	0.1%	+ 38.4%	34	963	0.2%	+ 156.8%	39	40
44	Lynk & Co	142	0.1%	+ 343.8%	41	514	0.1%	+ 367.3%	44	45
45	Maserati	115	0.1%	– 24.8%	45	277	0.1%	– 41.6%	47	41
46	Ferrari	106	0.1%	+ 21.8%	48	270	0.1%	+ 17.9%	48	44
47	Lamborghini	94	0.1%	+ 77.4%	49	220	0.0%	+ 41.9%	49	48
48	Mitsubishi	79	0.0%	– 53.5%	51	111	0.0%	– 78.9%	51	42
49	Ich-X	66	0.0%	+ 247.4%	47	307	0.1%	+ 707.9%	46	n/a
50	Polestar	56	0.0%	+ 55.6%	50	162	0.0%	+ 80.0%	50	49
51	Tiger	46	0.0%	+ 4.6%	44	396	0.1%	+ 760.9%	45	n/a
52	Smart	40	0.0%	– 31.0%	52	87	0.0%	– 65.2%	52	46
53	Alpine	25	0.0%	– 7.4%	53	84	0.0%	+ 68.0%	53	n/a
54	Lotus	22	0.0%	– 29.0%	55	48	0.0%	– 37.7%	54	51
55	Aston Martin	12	0.0%	+ 50.0%	54	44	0.0%	+ 18.9%	55	53
56	Jaguar	0	0.0%	– 100.0%	56	4	0.0%	– 97.3%	56	52
57	Mahindra	0	0.0%	– 100.0%	–	1	0.0%	– 99.8%	57	47
–	Others	320	0.2%	+ 39.1%	–	796	0.2%	+ 40.9%	–	–

Italy March 2026 – models:

Pos	Model	Mar-26	%	/25	Feb	2026	%	/25	Pos	FY25
1	Fiat Panda	11,123	6.0%	– 11.6%	1	37,029	7.6%	– 2.1%	1	1
2	Jeep Avenger	5,259	2.8%	+ 6.1%	2	16,403	3.4%	+ 14.7%	2	3
3	Leapmotor T03	5,022	2.7%	+ 2889.3%	4	10,749	2.2%	+ 1947.4%	5	n/a
4	Dacia Sandero	4,393	2.4%	– 15.1%	21	9,353	1.9%	– 43.8%	9	2
5	Fiat Grande Panda	4,387	2.4%	+ 1073.0%	3	13,186	2.7%	+ 3180.1%	3	37
6	Citroen C3	4,152	2.2%	– 18.8%	6	10,801	2.2%	– 30.1%	4	4
7	Nissan Qashqai	3,686	2.0%	+ 2.9%	16	8,176	1.7%	+ 13.9%	11	22
8	Renault Clio	3,653	2.0%	+ 22.8%	8	9,399	1.9%	+ 34.4%	7	9
9	Dacia Duster	3,600	1.9%	+ 25.7%	11	8,572	1.8%	– 20.2%	10	7
10	Toyota Aygo X	3,537	1.9%	+ 74.1%	7	9,689	2.0%	+ 79.3%	6	14
11	Toyota Yaris Cross	3,404	1.8%	– 8.9%	5	9,371	1.9%	+ 0.8%	8	5
12	Fiat 600	3,291	1.8%	+ 21.6%	31	5,859	1.2%	– 7.6%	25	19
13	VW T-Roc	3,261	1.8%	+ 29.9%	24	7,524	1.6%	+ 7.8%	15	11
14	MG ZS	3,118	1.7%	– 17.4%	10	8,024	1.7%	– 14.5%	12	10
15	Kia Sportage	2,931	1.6%	+ 14.7%	22	6,480	1.3%	+ 15.5%	22	20
16	BYD Atto 2	2,900	1.6%	new	37	4,218	0.9%	new	33	n/a
17	Toyota Yaris	2,894	1.6%	– 23.7%	13	7,936	1.6%	– 22.9%	14	6
18	Renault Captur	2,892	1.6%	– 2.6%	9	8,013	1.7%	+ 2.8%	13	13
19	Ford Puma	2,836	1.5%	– 3.1%	20	6,987	1.4%	– 1.2%	17	12
20	BMW X1	2,699	1.5%	+ 21.7%	18	6,961	1.4%	+ 20.9%	19	16
21	VW T-Cross	2,695	1.5%	+ 15.0%	12	6,980	1.4%	+ 8.3%	18	17
22	Peugeot 208	2,581	1.4%	– 46.8%	15	7,410	1.5%	– 36.5%	16	8
23	Opel Corsa	2,494	1.3%	– 29.9%	17	6,816	1.4%	– 14.4%	21	18
24	VW Tiguan	2,439	1.3%	+ 14.1%	14	6,865	1.4%	+ 15.0%	20	15
25	Peugeot 2008	2,237	1.2%	– 2.5%	25	5,419	1.1%	– 12.5%	26	21
26	Audi Q3	2,086	1.1%	+ 84.0%	19	6,291	1.3%	+ 67.7%	23	40
27	Fiat 500	1,960	1.1%	+ 1109.9%	39	4,190	0.9%	+ 574.7%	34	n/a
28	Peugeot 3008	1,922	1.0%	+ 7.0%	26	6,096	1.3%	+ 37.2%	24	23
29	Kia Picanto	1,906	1.0%	+ 73.4%	45	4,286	0.9%	+ 22.5%	32	30
30	Nissan Juke	1,764	1.0%	– 17.7%	40	3,936	0.8%	– 21.4%	38	34
31	MG 3	1,758	0.9%	– 18.0%	23	5,078	1.0%	+ 15.7%	27	31
32	Jeep Compass	1,698	0.9%	+ 28.1%	n/a	2,854	0.6%	+ 3.6%	49	n/a
33	VW Golf	1,647	0.9%	+ 7.6%	28	4,190	0.9%	– 1.1%	35	29
34	Tesla Model 3	1,628	0.9%	+ 4.0%	n/a	2,002	0.4%	– 9.3%	n/a	n/a
35	Suzuki Swift	1,553	0.8%	+ 22.1%	30	4,001	0.8%	+ 40.8%	37	35
36	Citroen C3 Aircross	1,546	0.8%	n/a	35	3,867	0.8%	n/a	39	n/a
37	Toyota C-HR	1,533	0.8%	– 14.6%	36	4,775	1.0%	– 14.8%	28	24
38	Hyundai Tucson	1,420	0.8%	+ 8.6%	27	4,429	0.9%	+ 23.7%	30	32
39	Ford Kuga	1,411	0.8%	+ 11.0%	n/a	3,037	0.6%	– 7.1%	47	43
40	Alfa Romeo Tonale	1,408	0.8%	– 23.8%	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	39
41	Audi A1	1,403	0.8%	+ 61.4%	41	3,415	0.7%	+ 27.9%	41	46
42	BYD Seal U	1,398	0.8%	– 4.2%	32	4,614	1.0%	+ 63.0%	29	26
43	Omoda 5	1,388	0.7%	n/a	34	4,021	0.8%	n/a	36	n/a
44	Skoda Fabia	1,328	0.7%	– 0.3%	33	3,528	0.7%	+ 15.5%	40	36
45	Tesla Model Y	1,283	0.7%	+ 97.4%	n/a	2,390	0.5%	+ 90.4%	n/a	n/a
46	Alfa Romeo Junior	1,277	0.7%	– 18.3%	29	4,380	0.9%	+ 1.2%	31	28
47	Skoda Kamiq	1,251	0.7%	+ 48.9%	44	3,156	0.7%	+ 6.7%	46	38
48	Suzuki Vitara	1,230	0.7%	+ 10.5%	42	3,163	0.7%	+ 1.0%	45	41
49	Lancia Ypsilon	1,187	0.6%	+ 6.9%	46	3,200	0.7%	+ 9.4%	44	44
50	Mercedes GLC	1,179	0.6%	+ 33.5%	n/a	2,852	0.6%	+ 24.8%	50	n/a
n/a	Audi A3	1,135	0.6%	– 14.5%	43	3,373	0.7%	– 14.5%	42	25
n/a	Mercedes GLA	985	0.5%	– 34.8%	47	3,236	0.7%	– 10.2%	43	33
n/a	Hyundai i20	922	0.5%	n/a	38	2,896	0.6%	n/a	48	n/a

Source: UNRAE

Just as rumors begin to swirl around Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, a new leak from tipster Digital Chat Station is shedding light on what MediaTek has in store next.

According to recent reports, the Dimensity 9600 will be built on TSMC’s 2nm N2P process. But the more interesting shift could be in its CPU design. The chip is rumored to adopt a new 2+3+3 layout, two “prime” cores paired with six high-performance cores.

If true, this would be the first time MediaTek’s Dimensity 9 series will move to a dual prime-core configuration. For context, Dimensity 9500 has one ARM C1-Ultra (4.21GHz) for peak performance, three ARM C1-Premium (3.5GHz) for sustained power, and four ARM C1-Pro (2.7GHz) for efficiency. 

Digital Chat Station says the dual prime-core setup in Dimensity 9600 is internally referred to as “Canyon.”

Even its competitor has a similar setup

On paper, this setup should make the Dimensity 9600 better equipped to handle demanding workloads, especially as AI tasks continue to grow more complex. Paired with the new process node, the chip is expected to deliver a noticeable jump over its predecessor.

As for graphics, the Dimensity 9600 is said to include a new GPU with neural network shader technology that should improve coordination between the GPU and NPU. Better collaboration between these components could reduce power draw while maintaining smoother performance.

Meanwhile, its competition isn’t standing still. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is also rumored to adopt a similar 2+3+3 CPU layout. Not to forget, Qualcomm’s solution relies on its in-house Oryon cores, while the Dimensity 9600 will feature ARM’s upcoming Cortex-C2 series cores. 

This sets up a familiar situation where both companies are chasing similar architectural goals, even if their execution differs.

For more daily updates, please visit our News Section.

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The post MediaTek Dimensity 9600 to feature dual prime cores in a first for the Dimensity 9-series appeared first on Gizmochina.

It's unusual to see a hardware maker recommend older, slower hardware, but ASRock justifies it by noting that the Arc A380 now supports the latest XeSS 3. ASRock Says DeskMeet Series + Intel Arc A380 Will Deliver "Strong Performance" While Providing an "Outstanding Value" The sky-high prices of memory and SSDs have made it extremely difficult for gamers to build a budget gaming PC. Previously, it was easy to build a powerful gaming PC for 1080p gaming for a sub-$1000 gaming PC. It's still possible, assuming you can manage both memory and a storage drive at good prices or by […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/asrock-recommends-intel-arc-a380-for-deskmeet-series-for-gamers-on-a-budget/