Passenger car registrations up by 1.3% in May

Demand for new passenger cars in Europe (EU) increased for the twenty-first consecutive month in May, by 1.3% (1,109,893 units), according to ACEA.

However, it was the lowest percentage increase since the beginning of this period of consecutive growth.

Major market statistics showed France (-3.5%) and Germany (-6.7%) faced a downturn, while Spain (+14.0%), Italy (+10.8%) and the UK (+2.4%) contributed positively to the overall expansion. Demand for new passenger cars was largely supported by the EU’s new member states (EU12), especially Poland (+11.0%) and the Czech Republic (+17.6%).

Five months into the year, new passenger car registrations increased (+6.8%) totalling 5,805,367 units.

Registrations in Spain (+21.7%), Italy (+15.2%), the UK (+5.7%), France (+3.8%) and Germany (+3.6%) increased compared to the same period one year ago.

Director of the National Franchised Dealer Association (NFDA) Sue Robinson said: “The growth in the European car market demonstrates that European economies are experiencing a gradual recovery from the economic downturn. It shows European consumers are feeling more confident as their employment prospects improve and household budgets come under less pressure. We are hopeful this trend will continue as European economies grow and make up for the lost sales of the recession years.”