Europe sales advance 9% in July as economies rebound
FRANKFURT — European new-car registrations rose 9.1 percent in July as recession-hit countries such as Portugal and Ireland, along with the major markets of Germany, the UK, France and Italy, performed strongly.
Registrations increased to 1.18 million vehicles from 1.08 million a year earlier, according to data from market analysts JATO Dynamics. Seven-month sales were up 8.6 percent to 8.59 million vehicles, marking 23 consecutive months of growth.
“Aided by high consumer confidence across much of the continent, the European new-car market continues to grow at a healthy pace, with both new and well established models performing well,” Brian Walters, head of data at JATO Dynamics, said in a statement.
JATO compiled data from the 27 EU countries plus Norway and Switzerland.
All major brands reported sales increases last month (see chart below). Volkswagen brand maintained its lead of the European car market, with a 7.7 percent increase in sales. Ford took second position with a 7 percent rise in volume, ahead of Opel/Vauxhall (3.3 percent) and Renault (4.9 percent).
Europe’s top five markets all reported robust demand in July, with sales in Germany jumping 7.4 percent, while registrations in the UK increased 3.2 percent and the French market was up 2.3 percent. Spain’s registrations rose 24 percent while in Italy, sales increased by 15 percent.
Source: Automotive News