Data released by ACEA shows that new car sales in the EU rose by 9.4% in the first half of the year as demand continued to recover, helped by a growing regional economy.
In the month of June, the EU’s car market expanded for the 34th consecutive month to 1,459,508 units (+6.9% versus last year). ACEA said that in volume terms, June’s result is close to June 2007, just before the automotive industry was hit by the economic crisis.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Among the major markets, Italy (+11.9%), Spain (+11.2%), Germany (+8.3%) recorded positive performance, while the French market remained stable (+0.8%). Demand in the UK fell slightly in June. Registrations went down by -0.8%, mainly due to a drop in private sales.
Over the first half of 2016, new passenger car registrations increased by 9.4% in the EU, totalling 7,842,965 units. All major markets posted growth, contributing to the overall upturn of the European market. The Italian (+19.2%) and Spanish (+12.5%) car markets saw double-digit growth over the period, followed by France (+8.3%), Germany (+7.1%) and the UK (+3.2%).
In the first half of the year, market leader VW Group’s share was down to 23.7% from 24.8% in the same period last year. The Volkswagen brand itself was the main source of the share loss, losing a full percentage point to stand at 11.2%.
See also: Car sales in Western Europe up 5.7% in June
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData
