Passenger car: registrations in 2010 5.5% lower than in 2009
Brussels, 14/01/2011 – Over twelve months in 2010, the EU* market for new passenger cars declined by 5.5%, with a total of 13,360,599 new units registered throughout the year


Brussels, 14/01/2011 – Over twelve months in 2010, the EU* market for new passenger cars declined by 5.5%, with a total of 13,360,599 new units registered throughout the year. The 2010 results were marked by the ending of government fleet renewal schemes in many EU countries.
Registrations in December amounted to 1,009,638 units, 3.2% less than in December 2009. In December (-3.2%), demand for new cars declined significantly in Spain (-23.9%), Italy (-21.7%) and the UK (-18.0%). The French market remained stable (-0.7%) while the German expanded by 6.9%.
From January to December, the situation varied across the major markets, leading to an overall 5.5% downturn over 2010. Where Spain and the UK saw new car registrations increase by 3.1% and 1.8% respectively, Germany recorded a 23.4% decline. The Italian (-9.2%) and the French (-2.2%) markets also contracted. The biggest increase was observed in Ireland where the market grew by 54.7% after the sharp 62.1% drop in 2009. Bulgaria recorded the steepest downturn (-28.9%).
* EU27, data for Cyprus and Malta unavailable
NB: Commencing with the January 2010 new passenger car registrations figures, the ACEA data sheets will provide new vehicle registrations in alphabetical order for the countries of the European Union, and no longer separate for Western-Europe (15) and new EU Member States (10)*. Results for the EFTA countries will continue to be reported separately. The monthly press releases will quote the ‘EU’ figures first, followed by the ‘total Europe’ figures, adding up the EU and EFTA figures.
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About ACEA
- The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) represents the 14 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Renault Group, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group.
- Visit www.acea.auto for more information about ACEA, and follow us on www.twitter.com/ACEA_auto or www.linkedin.com/company/ACEA/.
- Contact: Francesca Piazza, Senior Statistics Manager, fp@acea.auto.
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About the EU automobile industry
- 13.0 million Europeans work in the automotive sector
- 11.5% of all manufacturing jobs in the EU
- €374.6 billion in tax revenue for European governments
- €101.9 billion trade surplus for the European Union
- Over 7% of EU GDP generated by the auto industry
- €59.1 billion in R&D spending annually, 31% of EU total