European passenger car demand continues to fall in November

Brussels – Demand for passenger cars in Europe fell 8% in November, compared to the same month the previous year.

According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), November marked the third consecutive month of decline, offsetting a 31.2% surge in demand in August.

The August hike, ACEA noted, was mainly in anticipation of the introduction of the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) for measuring exhaust-gas emissions in September.

The WLTP test has been mandatory in the EU for newly registered passenger cars and light commercial vehicles since 1 Sept.

Over the first 11 months of the year, registrations of new passenger cars in the EU increased only slightly at 0.8%, compared to the year before.

Demand continued to be fueled by Central Europe, where new car registrations have gone up by 9.6% so far this year. Across Europe, Spain continued to lead the demand with 8% growth compared to the year before, followed by France at 4.7%.

Registrations fell in Italy at a rate of 3.5% and the UK at 6.9% over the 11-month period.