Passenger car registrations in the EU reached 1,061,150 in January, up 6.2% year-on-year, according to figures released by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). It was the 26th consecutive month of registration growth.

All major markets posted growth compared to January 2015. Registrations in Italy and Spain witnessed double digit growth of 17.4% and 12.1% respectively.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Italy’s rapid growth meant it was the third largest market in the EU in January, overtaking French car sales. Passenger car registrations in France grew 3.9% year-on-year themselves.

UK new passenger car registrations rose by 2.9% year-on-year, while in Germany they were up by 3.3%.

Italian car sales were less than 6,000 below the number registered in the UK for the month.

The country with the highest increase in registrations in January compared to the same month in 2015 was Ireland, where they grew by 33.6% to 39,812.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Out of the EU members only the Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia, Greece and Latvia recorded a year-on-year decrease in units sold. The highest decrease was recorded in the Netherlands, where registrations dropped 14.4%.

Manufacturer performance

Despite a 3.8% year-on-year fall in sales Volkswagen remained the most popular brand in the EU, as it sold 124,149 cars in January.

Ford remained the second largest brand with 75,710 vehicles sold, 11.4% more than January 2015.

Opel/Vauxhall saw its sales rise by 12.8% year-on-year to 70,649, while Renault sold 1.1% more vehicles reaching 65,822.

In January, Peugeot and Audi sold 64,632 and 60,933 vehicles respectively.

The brands which witnessed the highest rates of growth in car sales were Jaguar (162.4%), Honda (41.9%) and Land Rover (37%).

The VW Group – which includes Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Seat and Porsche – was the manufacturer group that sold the most cars between January and September. 256,989 cars from this group were sold in January, marking a 0.8% year-on-year increase.

The manufacturer group with the highest year-on-year growth in sales was Jaguar Land Rover Group, with a 53.8% rise.