The latest figures issued by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) show that in April this year European Union (EU) new car registrations grew for the first time on year-on-year basis since September 2011, rising by 1.7 percent to 1,038,343 units. However, the ACEA noted that the region counted on average two more working days compared to the same month last year. Meanwhile, in the first four months of this year, new car registrations totaled 4,026,946 units in the EU, with a decrease of 7.1 percent from the same period of 2012.
In April, passenger car demand increased in Germany by 3.8 percent, in Spain by 10.8 percent and in the UK by 14.8 percent, while France and Italy faced a downturn with declines of 5.3 percent and 10.8 percent respectively, all year on year.
In the first four months of 2013, the UK remained the only major market in the EU to see increased passenger car demand compared to the same period of 2012, with a rise of 8.9 percent, while passenger car demand decreased by 12.3 percent both in Italy and in France, by 8.5 percent in Germany and 6.7 percent in Spain, all on year-on-year basis.
