EU demand for new passenger cars picks up, UK remains weak

Brussels – European Union (EU) demand for new passenger cars returned to growth in October after a decline in September, according to latest monthly report by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).

Registrations of new cars totalled 1,169,672 units, showing a 5.9% increase compared to October 2016.

In September, the year-on-year rate fell 2% at 1,427,105 units.

During the month of October nearly all major EU markets performed well, particularly Spain and France which both posted 13.7% increases.

The UK, by contrast, saw new car registrations fall by 12.2% compared to October 2016.

For the first 10 months of the year, passenger car registrations across the EU rose 3.9%, totalling more than 12.8 million new vehicles.

Among the five big markets, Italy and Spain posted biggest gains at 8.9% and 7.3% respectively. Demand for new cars in the UK fell 4.6% so the 10 months to end of October.