The UK was the only major European new car market to grow from January to June 2013, according to the ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association).
The number of new registrations in the first half of 2013 grew by 10% year-on-year in the UK according to the Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders, while sales fell by 4.9% in Spain, 8.1% in Germany, 10.3% in Italy and 11.2% in France.
Overall EU new car sales for the first six months of 2013 were 6,204,990, a 6.6% drop, year-on-year.
While the UK market grew 13.4% year-on-year in June, overall EU car sales fell 5.6% to 1,134,042 units, the lowest recorded monthly number since 1996.
Individually, the Spanish market fell by 0.7%, the German by 4.7%, the Italian by 5.5% and the French by 8.4%, similar to May’s figures when overall EU sales were down 6.8%, despite strong UK growth.
