European passenger car registrations up slightly in first nine months of 2007
Brussels - By the end of the third quarter of 2007, passenger car registrations in Europe (EU27+EFTA) were 0.7 percent higher than last year, according to figures released by ACEA, the federation of European car manufacturers. In September, new car registrations slowed down by 1.5 percent and reached 1,420,043 units. This result has been influenced by one working day less than in the previous year in the whole region. The September decline in Western Europe (-2.1 percent) contrasted with a sustained upturn in the new EU member states (+9.5 percent).
Falling registrations on three main markets over the nine-month period pulled West European figures downwards (-0.2 percent) whereas the new Member states improved their last year result by 14.2 percent. Italy (+6.6 percent) and the UK (+2 percent) retained their rising trend and France has slowly started to recover (+0.3 percent). Germany (-8 percent) and Spain (-2.0 percent) remained on a slipping path, as did five smaller EU15 countries. Apart from Hungary (-7.1 percent) all other new member states positively contributed to the overall result.
In September 2007, German registrations fell by 11 percent compared to September 2006. Last year's figures were sharply marked by a rush in purchases ahead of increase in VAT announced for January 2007. The Spanish market also downsized considerably (-7.7 percent) and the situation in Italy remained flat (+0.2 percent). Registrations in France and the UK were higher than last year (+3.2 percent and +1.3 percent, respectively) and half of the remaining EU15 markets also posted growths. The September registrations in most of the new member states were significantly above last year's results, with Lithuania (+39.6 percent), Bulgaria (+26.9 percent), Poland (+19.6 percent) and Romania (+19.5 percent) accounting for the highest increases.
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Press release from ACEA
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