New car registrations in the European Union decreased to 1,027,036 units in October, marking a 16.6 percent contraction compared to October 2009, according to a report released by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA). Meanwhile, in the first ten months of the year, demand for new cars has decreased by 5.5 percent in the EU, totaling
11,279,542 new vehicles registered.
In October, all major markets faced a double-digit downturn, ranging from -18.5 percent in France, to -20.0 percent in Germany, -22.2 percent in the UK, -28.8 percent in Italy and -37.6 percent in Spain, which recorded the steepest decrease across the EU. In comparison, October 2009 saw an 12.1 percent upturn in EU registrations compared to 2008, when figures were down 14.9 percent compared to October 2007.
From January to October, the UK (+4.8 percent) and Spain (+9.4 percent) saw their markets expand, while France (-1.4 percent), Italy (-7.0 percent) and Germany (-26.8 percent) performed less well than over the same period last year. The largest drop was noted in Bulgaria (-35.6 percent) and the biggest increase in Ireland (+53.2 percent).