According to the Italian automotive industry association (Anfia), Italy's new car registrations amounted to 108,826 units in July, down 21.4 percent year on year, recording the eighth consecutive double-digit year-on-year decrease. In the first seven months of 2012, new car registrations declined by 19.9 percent year on year to 923,739 units.
In a statement, Anfia said that the July new car registration figure is the lowest recorded since 1978. It said it hoped that recent signs of a slowdown in inflation would boost the purchasing power of Italian consumers, while it also expressed hopes that mid-to-long-term measures implemented by the Italian government would help revive the Italian auto market.