Car sales in Western Europe grew by 4.5% in May, although the annualised selling rate fell back, according to data released by LMC Automotive.
LMC noted that the lower selling rate highlights the challenges that continue to be faced in the region. The region's selling rate stood at 11.8m units a year, a little weaker than the April result of 12.1m.
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Across the region the news was a little mixed. Car sales in the UK increased for the 27th consecutive month as factors such as improving consumer confidence, low interest rates and solid economic growth continue to provide support to the market.
Another positive was sales up by 5.2% in Germany after last month's fall. The German car market is up 3.4% in the first five months of the year. LMC said that Germany's positive May result came from was helped by an extra selling day and ongoing heavy incentive use. LMC says the German car market should reach 3m units this year.
In Spain, recovery from a low base continues helped by a scrappage scheme; Spain's car market was up by 16.9% in May with an annualised selling rate now over 800,000 units a year.
On a more negative note, car sales in Italy were down 3.8%, while the French market was flat despite extra selling days in May.
LMC forecasts that the West European car market will reach 12m units for the 2014 full year as economic growth and consumer confidence continue to head in the right direction.
"May's figures confirm that the weak recovery to Western Europe's car market continues," said LMC analyst Jonathon Poskitt. "But given the state of economic fundamentals in the region, the road to recovery remains a bumpy one."
West European Car Sales
|
Sales ( units) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
May '14 |
May '13 |
% change |
YTD '14 |
YTD '13 |
% change |
|
|
WESTERN EUROPE |
1064481 |
1018622 |
4.5% |
5242396 |
4949307 |
5.9% |
|
AUSTRIA |
32264 |
29094 |
10.9% |
142785 |
139925 |
2% |
|
BELGIUM |
42955 |
44519 |
-3.5% |
244806 |
246715 |
-0.8% |
|
DENMARK |
16871 |
16631 |
1.4% |
81224 |
74414 |
9.2% |
|
FINLAND |
10109 |
10235 |
-1.2% |
49927 |
47744 |
4.6% |
|
FRANCE |
148573 |
14 8,490 |
0.1% |
762189 |
739454 |
3.1% |
|
GERMANY |
274804 |
26 1,316 |
5.2% |
1260654 |
1219717 |
3.4% |
|
GREECE |
6434 |
5242 |
22.7% |
28485 |
24716 |
15.2% |
|
IRELAND |
6291 |
5944 |
5.8% |
64192 |
51584 |
24.4% |
|
ITALY |
131602 |
136850 |
-3.8% |
626168 |
60 9,506 |
2.7% |
|
LUXEMBOURG |
4640 |
4614 |
0.6% |
22171 |
22089 |
0.4% |
|
NETHERLANDS |
31092 |
29903 |
4% |
167294 |
175732 |
-4.8% |
|
NORWAY |
12337 |
12012 |
2.7% |
60944 |
59696 |
2.1% |
|
PORTUGAL |
13773 |
10090 |
36.5% |
60032 |
42299 |
41.9% |
|
SPAIN |
82480 |
70537 |
16.9% |
364782 |
313576 |
16.3% |
|
SWEDEN |
27652 |
25782 |
7.3% |
122998 |
106074 |
16% |
|
SWITZERLAND |
28572 |
27252 |
4.8% |
124771 |
127400 |
-2.1% |
|
UK |
194032 |
180111 |
7.7% |
1058974 |
948666 |
11.6% |
|
Selling rate (units/year) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
May '14 |
YTD '14 |
Year '13 |
% change |
|
|
WESTERN EUROPE |
11787543 |
11878065 |
11544050 |
2.9% |
|
AUSTRIA |
328738 |
326414 |
319035 |
2.3% |
|
BELGIUM |
470707 |
487162 |
486065 |
0.2% |
|
DENMARK |
173984 |
198352 |
182198 |
8.9% |
|
FINLAND |
106036 |
101678 |
103456 |
-1.7% |
|
FRANCE |
1702010 |
1775434 |
1788976 |
-0.8% |
|
GERMANY |
2889287 |
3030736 |
2952431 |
2.7% |
|
GREECE |
64613 |
62554 |
58696 |
6.6% |
|
IRELAND |
76622 |
91294 |
74309 |
22.9% |
|
ITALY |
1398664 |
1339836 |
1302480 |
2.9% |
|
LUXEMBOURG |
50879 |
44147 |
46624 |
-5.3% |
|
NETHERLANDS |
345142 |
351012 |
417156 |
-15.9% |
|
NORWAY |
136671 |
146477 |
142151 |
3% |
|
PORTUGAL |
145951 |
140878 |
105926 |
33% |
|
SPAIN |
826349 |
814729 |
722693 |
12.7% |
|
SWEDEN |
288011 |
301147 |
269232 |
11.9% |
|
SWITZERLAND |
302499 |
295185 |
307885 |
-4.1% |
|
UK |
2481380 |
2371030 |
2264737 |
4.7% |
Austria, Greece, Luxembourg and Switzerland: estimates for latest month. The percent change in the final column compares the average selling rate in the year-to-date with the last full year.
