European new car market down in August
The European new car market decreased just over five per cent in August, when compared to the same month last year, and remains down year-to-date by the same figure, statistics released by Jato Dynamics confirm.
The European new car market decreased by 5.3 per cent in August compared to August 2012, contributing to the 5.2 per cent deficit year-to-date.
Over two thirds of the 30 markets analysed reported a decrease in year-to-date sales compared to 2012, with 19 markets posting decreases in August
BMW achieved an increase of 9.3 per cent in August compared to 2012, with the 3-Series finishing fourth in the top 10, outselling the Ford Fiesta and Peugeot 208
Volkswagen continued to lead both the manufacturer and model top 10 tables for the month and year-to-date
Four of the ‘Big Five’ markets have all experienced a decrease in sales for both the month and year-to-date. Of the five, Spain posted the largest decrease for the month of August, down 23.0 per cent on 2012, and France for year-to-date, down 9.8 per cent on the same period in 2012.
Great Britain, however, posted increases for both August and year-to-date, increasing sales by 10.9 per cent and 10.4 per cent respectively compared to 2012.
Of the top 10 manufacturers, only three brands posted an increase for August; Renault were up 0.8 per ent, Mercedes 5.9 per cent and BMW 9.3 per cent compared to 2012; only one however, Mercedes, posted an increase for the year-to-date, up 3.9 per cent over the same period in 2012.
Nine of the top 10 manufacturers have posted a decrease in sales for the year-to-date; even market leaders Volkswagen weren’t exempt from the overall downturn. BMW, however, saw only a nominal decrease in year-to-date figures; selling only 502 fewer cars, this equated to a mere 0.1 per cent decrease on the same period in 2012.