The German automotive trade association VDA has reported that January car sales in Germany were up by 17% on last year, continuing the positive trend that began in December.

The VDA said that car sales rose to 211,100 cars in January.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

The VDA also said the export market for German cars grew 10% in January to 312,800 cars.

“German car manufacturers have got off to a dynamic start in 2011,” VDA President Matthias Wissmann said in a statement. “Domestic demand is increasing,” he added.

The German car market went into decline in 2010 after a scrappage scheme induced boom in 2009 that spilled into the early part of the year. However, a market gain in December marked the end of the reversal.

VDA forecasts a recovery in the German car market to 3.1m units this year (it was down 23% to 2.9m units in 2010) as consumer demand gradually picks up on the back of a relatively strong German economy.

See also: ANALYSIS: Germany’s car market turns a corner

Just Auto Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Auto Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Continental has secured the Window Displays Innovation Award in the 2025 Just Auto Excellence Awards for its Window Projection solution, transforming side windows into dynamic, data-rich canvases. Discover how this compact projection technology and intelligent software are reshaping in-car UX and opening fresh revenue streams for OEMs and mobility providers.

Discover the Impact