New car sales in Europe fell by 6.1% in April,
compared to April 2011, according to statistics published by auto
information supplier Jato Dynamics.
New car sales for the year-to-date to April
2012 also fell, by 7.1%, compared to the year-to-date figures to
April 2011.
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Of the big five markets, the UK (+3.3%) and
Germany (+2.9%) achieved better April sales than April 2011; France
recorded a small decrease in sales (-1.9%), while Italy (-18%) and
Spain (-21.7%) recorded significant declines.
With 139,124 April sales, Volkswagen remains
Europe’s best-selling brand for the month, followed by Ford
(79,632), Renault (70,654) and Peugeot (70,557).
The highest-selling model in Europe in April
was the Volkswagen Golf (37,151) followed by the Ford Fiesta
(25,927) and the Volkswagen Polo (24,193). All the models in the
‘top-10’ list of best-sellers registered fewer April sales,
compared to April 2011, except the Fiat Panda in eighth place (up
3.3%) and the BMW 3 series in ninth spot (up 16.8%).
Despite the market’s decline, April experienced the lowest drop
in month-on-month sales so far this year.
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By GlobalDataJato Dynamics vice-president of research Gareth Hession said:
“The April sales results again demonstrate the importance of new
models in driving increased sales, in an environment as uncertain
and highly competitive as the European new car market.”
