Data issued by LMC Automotive shows that car sales across Western Europe grew by 5.8% in September, suggesting that the modest recovery is continuing.
LMC said that the Seasonally Adjusted Annualised Rate (SAAR) for September sales was higher than the previous month’s result, standing at 12.2m units a year.
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The West European car market remains on course for a 4.5-5% improvement for 2014. For 2015, LMC expects the recovery in the region’s car market to continue. However, the LMC forecasters also said that for a sustained recovery over the coming years, the focus for growth must “shift away from the likes of the UK and Germany and towards some of the currently depressed markets in the region”.
The West European car market is forecast at 12.07m units in 2014, rising to 12.47m units in 2015. That is still way under the last peak of 14.8m units in 2007.
September was a key month in the UK (due to a registration plate change), where the month tends to account for around a third of the region’s volume; UK sales grew once again (+5.6%), though the pace of growth slowed.
The German market was up by 5.2% in September with car sales so far this year up by 2.9%. The selling rate stood at 3.05m units a year in September and LMC said it expects the German car market to finish at that level for the year.
LMC noted that while there is some scope for additional expansion of the German car market over the next few years, it is “somewhat closer to our medium-term expectations than some of its southern European neighbours”.
LMC also said that after a couple of weaker months, the French car market put in a better performance in September. In Spain, an improving economic outlook, as well as ongoing government scrappage support, ensured further double-digit growth. The Italian market was also higher year-on-year, though the growth in the market is far from sure-footed, LMC cautioned.
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