The number of passenger car registrations in the European market rose 10% in August in a year-on-year comparison, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
Sales increased to 819,126 units in August 2016, following a 1.4% year-on-year decline in July. The major European markets all saw an increase in registrations, with Italy experiencing the greatest, rising 20.1% to 71,576 units.
In the UK, car registrations in August rose slightly on last year’s figure, increasing 3.3% to 81,640 units. The Netherlands saw a decline however, with registrations down 12.1% to 27,110 units in August of this year.
The first eight months of 2016 also saw higher passenger car registrations than the same period in 2015. From January to August 2016, 9,787,760 units were registered, an increase of 8.1% from the previous year.
Volkswagen remained the most popular brand in the European Union market, selling 101,618 units in August 2016, and 1,107,287 from January to August this year.
However, Volkswagen’s market share declined, representing 12.4% of August’s sales and 11.3% from January to August, down from 12.9% and 12.3% in 2015 respectively.
The VW Group overall saw its market share fall to 25.7% of August sales and 23.5% of those during January to August 2016.
The group registered 2,198,481 units in the months to August, and retained its position as the foremost vehicle manufacturer in the European car market.
