Passenger car registrations in the EU reached 7,169,984 in the first six months of 2015, up 8.2% year-on-year, according to figures released by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).

All major markets posted growth over the period, contributing to the overall upturn in the EU market. Registrations in Spain and Italy posted double digit growth compared to the first half of 2014, up 22% and 15.2% respectively, while new car sales also increased in the UK (7%), France (6.1%) and Germany (5.2%).

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The highest growth was recorded in Portugal where registrations increased by 32.8% over the period.

A year-on-year decrease in H1 registrations was only witnessed in four countries, with the biggest declines recorded in Luxembourg (5.4%) and Finland (3.5%).

Anil Valsan, global analyst, automotive and transportation at EY said: "The European car market continued with its growth momentum owing to combination of favorable factors like weakening of Euro, new model launches and a robust economic growth. However, self-registrations and heavy discounting continue to distort the true level of demand in many countries.

"As we move further into 2015, the European car market is expected to witness moderate growth of 3%-5% during the year. However, a decline in economic confidence due to the Greece crisis may dampen the pace of growth."

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Manufacturer performance

Volkswagen remained the most popular brand in the EU, as it sold 867,147 cars in the first half of 2015, 8.2% more than the same period in the previous year.

Ford sales rose by 6.8% year-on-year to 528,902, while Renault exceeded Opel/Vauxhall in registrations in this period. Renault sold 508,850 vehicles while Open/Vauxhall sold 491,340 vehicles. In comparison, Renault sold 462,718 in H1 2014 and Opel/Vauxhall sold 464,121 in the period.