The latest figures issued by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) show that new car registrations in the
European Union (EU) in January this year totaled 968,769 units, decreasing by 7.1 percent year on year and up 1.6 percent compared to December 2011.
Considering the major markets in the EU, in January
Spain was the only market to post growth with an increase of 2.5 percent, while passenger car demand decreased 20.7 percent in
France and 16.9 percent in
Italy, all compared to the same month of the previous year. Demand in the German and British markets remained stable on year-on-year basis in January. On the other hand, the biggest contraction in the given month was noted in Portugal with a year-on-year decrease of 47.4 percent, while the largest increase was seen in Romania with growth of 86.4 percent compared to January 2011.