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.

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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

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