Data released by ACEA shows that the EU passenger car market surged by 13.7% to 1,085,259 units in November, the 27th consecutive month of growth. In the cumulative 11 months car sales are up 8.7% to 12.6m units.
The data confirms figures for Western Europe issued earlier this month by LMC Automotive.
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All major passenger car markets rose strongly during the month, significantly contributing to the positive outcome. Spain (+25.4%), Italy (+23.5%) and France (+11.3%) posted double-digit percentage gains, followed by Germany (8.9%) which also performed better than in November 2014.
The UK market recovered in November (+3.8%) also after showing decline in October.
ACEA noted that the EU car market is "only now reaching the levels registered in immediate post-crisis years [when the car market was lifted by scrappage schemes]". It still has some way to go to get to pre-crisis peaks.
Manufacturer level detail shows that November was a poor month for the market leading Volkswagen Group as it wrestled with its emissions scandal. The Volkswagen brand itself saw a sales rise of just 2.8%, with its market share cut to 12.1% from 13.4% in the same month last year. Ford, Opel and FCA saw significant market share gains during the month.
