Passenger car: new registrations slightly up over three quarters 2007

Brussels, 16/10/2007 – Nine months into 2007, passenger car registrations in Europe (EU27+EFTA) were 0.7% higher than last year. In September, new car registrations slowed down by 1.5% and reached 1,420,043 units. This result has been influenced by one working day less than in the previous year in the whole region. The September decline in Western Europe (–2.1%) contrasted with a sustained upturn in the new EU member states (+9.5%).

In September 2007, German registrations fell by 11% compared to September 2006. Last year’s figures were sharply marked by a rush in purchases ahead of increase in VAT announced for January 2007. The Spanish market also downsized considerably (–7.7%) and the situation in Italy remained flat (+0.2%). Registrations in France and the UK were higher than last year (+3.2% and +1.3%, respectively) and half of the remaining EU15 markets also posted growths. The September registrations in most of the new member states were significantly above last year’s results, with Lithuania (+39.6%), Bulgaria (+26.9%), Poland (+19.6%) and Romania (+19.5%) accounting for the highest increases.

Cumulative figures over the first nine months of 2007 showed an increase of 0.7% in new passenger car registrations. Falling registrations on three main markets pulled West European figures downwards (–0.2%) whereas the new Member states improved their last year result by 14.2%. Italy (+6.6%) and the UK (+2%) retained their rising trend and France has slowly started to recover (+0.3%). Germany (–8%) and Spain (–2.0%) remained on a slipping path, as did five smaller EU15 countries. Apart from Hungary (–7.1%) all other new member states positively contributed to the overall result.