Decline in European car sales eases

ERJ staff report (DS)

Brussels -- Registrations of new cars in the EU declined for the third consecutive month in June (-6.9 percent), with 1,341,092 units registered. However the rate of decline appears to have stabilised. Over the first semester, EU* registrations (+0.2 percent) leveled with the result over the same period last year. Compared with the first six months of 2008, the market decreased by 10.3 percent.

From January to June, 7,285,487 new cars were registered, or 0.2 percent more than over the same period a year ago. Looking at the main markets, only Germany contracted (-28.7 percent), while Italy (+2.9 percent), France (+5.4 percent), the UK (+19.9 percent) and Spain (+39.5 percent) all posted growth. The steepest fall was recorded in Hungary (-43.8 percent) and the most important increase by Portugal (+57.7 percent).

In June, Germany (-32.3 percent), Italy (-19.1 percent) and France (-1.3 percent) were the main markets with lower registrations, whereas the UK (+10.8 percent) and Spain (+25.6 percent) recorded a rise in numbers, leaving the overall result at -6.9 percent. The largest drop was recorded in Slovakia (-40.6 percent), while the biggest increase occurred in Ireland (+75.8 percent).

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Press release from ACEA