Scrappage schemes boost European car sales by 6.3% in September

Europe new-car registrations rose 6.3 percent to 1,388,136 in September thanks largely to incentives-driven double-digit increases in four of the five European major markets.

Germany had the biggest sales rise, by percent, in the region while the UK outsold Germany in the month. Last month’s German registrations were up 21 percent to 316,166, while the UK rose 11.4 percent to 367,929, according to figures from the European automakers association, ACEA.

Spain gained 18.0 percent to 77,374 units, and France increased 14 percent to 183,110.

All four countries have supported automakers by offering car buyers thousands of euros in government-funded subsidies to trade in their old cars for newer, more fuel-efficient models.

European countries that have not offered scrapping or other types of sales incentives have been hit hard by the recession. New-car registrations were down 34.7 percent in Ireland in September and dropped 74.5 percent in Romania.

Through three quarters, overall European registrations are down 6.6 percent to 10,946,161. The only countries to report increased sales during the first nine months of the year were Germany (+26.1%), Austria (+6.7%) and France (+2.4%).

Source: Automotive News