Total European new car registrations rose 3.1 per cent last
month, mostly thanks to growth in the UK. According to latest figures released
by ACEA*, the rise was caused ‘mainly by the exceptional result in the UK’ where
registrations soared 25.4 per cent in September.
So far this year the UK market has reported growth each month,
bucking a downward trend across Europe. Total registrations in Europe fell 0.5
per cent from January to September, but in the UK the market has grown by 9.2
per cent. Registrations dropped by 1.4 per cent in Italy and 2.1 per cent in
Germany over the same period.
Following twelve months of growth the UK new car registrations
are expected to ease in the final quarter of 2001. However total registrations,
which stand at 1,962,700 units, are set to hit 2.3 million by the end of the
year, and the market is still on course to beat the previous record of 2,300,944
units set in 1989.
*ACEA – Association des Constructeurs Européens d’Automobiles
is the European organisation that represents national automotive trade associations.
If you need it, you can find the figures broken down by country on the ACEA
website: www.acea.be
