The latest figures issued by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) show that in the first half of this year new car registrations totaled 6,204,990 units in the European Union (EU), with a decrease of 6.6 percent from the same period of 2012. In June this year, EU new car registrations declined 5.6 percent year on year to 1,134,042 units, constituting the lowest level recorded for a month of June since 1996. However, new car registrations in the EU rose by 8.75 percent in June compared to May.
Source: ACEA
In June, the UK was the only country to post year-on-year growth in new car registrations, with a rise of 13.4 percent, while most major markets indicated a decline, ranging from 0.7 percent in Spain to 4.7 percent in Germany, 5.5 percent in Italy and 8.4 percent in France, all year on year.
In the first half of 2013, Spain and Germany saw their markets shrink by 4.9 percent and 8.1 percent respectively, while Italy and France recorded double-digit declines, of 10.3 percent and 11.2 percent respectively, all year on year. The UK continued its positive trend in January-June, expanding by 10 percent on year-on-year basis.