Source:ACEA

17 FEB. 2011

New PASSENGER CAR REGISTRATIONS in the European Union (EU 27) dipped -1.4% in January year-on-year to 1 041 650 million vehicles although Germany and France, the Union's major markets along with Italy, Spain and the UK, recorded positive figures respectively +16.5% the second consecutive rise and +8.2% the first rebound since April of last year. France's surge, a direct result of auto manufacturers extra perks to compensate for the end of car fleet incentives effective from December, pushed up sales +14.9% in December allowing for new registrations to reach 185 521 new units this month.

By contrast, contractions worsened in Italy -20.7% to 164 356 new vehicles registered, followed by Spain's -23.5% to 53 632 the seventh consecutive decline since June. In the UK, new registrations stayed in negative territory but moved up to -11.5% to 128 811 new units. Other markets revealed tangible signs of an upturn with the exception of Portugal and Luxembourg were new registrations stayed in the red. Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, Austria and the Netherlands contributed in lifting the Union's automobile market performance as new registrations rose on average above +15%.

East European member states recorded a noticeable slow down with new registrations rising +7.4% to 51 502 new units or half the previous month year-on-year leap although nine countries out of a total 10 maintained momentum. New passenger car registrations climbed +28.4% in Bulgaria, +8% in the Czech Republic, an estimate +24.6% in Hungary and +24.1% in Romania. Poland, eastern Europe's largest economy, remained the exception with new registrations dropping -9.2% to 19 966 new units.

In EFTA countries, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, new passenger car registrations rose +7.8% to 30 898 units as Norway's +7% rebound to 10 372 vehicles added to Switzerland's +7% increase to 20 329 new cars.

Per manufacturer, VW, GM, BMW, Daimler, Nissan, Volvo, Hyundai, Mitsubishi
and Jaguar Land Rover made the top ten list while Kia's results entered into negative territory. PSA Group's new registrations stayed in the red but moved up by half to -3.4% to 143 660 new vehicles and market penetration edged down to 13.8% (from 14%). Renault Group's new registrations declined -5.2% to 108 392 new vehicles and market share slid to 10.4% (from 10.8%), but the Group's best of class, Dacia, saw new registrations jump +17.8% to 19 968 new units lifting market penetration to 1.9% compared with 1.6% a year earlier and 1% in 2009.