Source:ACEA

21 June 2011

New PASSENGER CAR REGISTRATIONS in the European Union (EU 27) surged +7.1% in May year-on-year to 1 208 583 million units pushed up by the Union's largest markets, France, Germany, Italy and the UK. France's new registrations climbed +6.1% to 197 701 new vehicles and in Germany a +22% leap led new vehicles registered to over 300 000. Auto manufacturers substantial incentives, up to 5K savings, and advertising campaigns to attract buyers to compensate for the end of the car fleet incentives paid off: Germany recorded its fifth consecutive increase and France its fourth due to the previous month gap. In Italy, new passenger car registrations turned positive for the first time since December 2009 and climbed +3.6% to 170 603 new units. The UK's new registrations improved further and moved up to -1.7% or 150 431 new vehicles registered.

By contrast, in Spain, the automobile market, in the red for over a year, contracted further, -23.3% to 78 870 new vehicles registered,  as difficult economic conditions brought about by the economic bust forced households to tighten their belts.

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland , Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Sweden contributed to lifting new registrations in western Europe, an average 30 000 each.

East European member states performed equally with registrations turning positive +4.2% to 67 454 new units thanks to Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania. Slovakia and Poland, the region‘s strongest economies posted contrasted figures, respectively +32.1% to over 6000 new vehicle registered and -3.4% to over 22 400 new units. In Romania, new registrations jumped to -2.1% to 8 474 new units, from the previous month abyssal levels, while the Czech Republic, a best of class with Poland, ran out of steam with new registrations decreasing by 2.4% to 15 482, the second consecutive drop.

EFTA countries automobile market stayed vibrant with new registrations up 25% to 44 016 vehicles thanks to Switzerland's uninterrupted momentum, +22% to 29 949 new units, followed by Norway's +31.4% 13 005 new vehicles and Iceland's +172.3% to 1062, the country's strongest performance in over a year.

On the same period, and per manufacturers, PSA new passenger car sales surged +4.4% to 164 670 new units, while Renault's fell -8% to 109 003.

Five months into the year, each car manufacturers' new registrations stayed negative but improved, respectively -6.1% to over 770 000 units and -8.4% to over 570 000. PSA Group's market share dipped by a few notches to 13.2% (from 13.9%) while Renault's nearly dropped one percentage point to 9.7%. VW Group remained the leader of western Europe's top ten auto manufacturers list in positive territory followed by GM, BMW, Daimler, Nissan, Hyundai, Volvo Car Corp and Mitsubishi.   

Overall new registrations in France on the same period grew + 4.4% to 1 014 912 and over performed western Europe's auto market, down -0.8% to 5 885 831 million. In Germany, new passenger car registrations jumped +13.1% to 1 334 197 vehicles. In Italy and in the UK, new registrations stayed mechanically in the red, respectively -15.3% and -7.3% due to their recent respective improvements but each country recorded a vibrant average 800 000 new units.

East European member states new registrations grew +3.4% to 305 325 vehicles as the Czech Republic's previous months performances allowed for +2.3% increase to over 72 000 units along with Slovakia's +29.4% to 27 885 new vehicles, Slovenia's +1.6% to 23 173, Hungary‘s +9.5% to 18 900, Bulgaria‘s +25.6% to 7 343 and Latvia's +122.4% to 3 318 new cars.
Poland's -4.9% drop to 113 962 new registrations nevertheless impacted downwards the region's overall figures.

EFTA countries +13.1% new passenger car increase confirmed Switzerland's lead or +11.7% to 130 388 new vehicles, followed by Norway +14.4% to 58 151 new vehicles and Iceland's +139.2% to 1 890 new cars.