Home » News » Latest News » Q1 new car sales fall in Europe

Q1 new car sales fall in Europe

New car sales fell 1.8 per cent in Q1 compared to the first three months of 2010, according to the latest figures from Acea.

Despite signs of the year-on-year market improving across Europe in February, sales dropped by 4.6 per in March.

Total sales for the period reached 3,677,926, compared with 3,746,652 in Q1 2010.

“While there had been some positive signals from the industry during the first three months of this year, economic instability in some of the more mature automotive markets have hit overall sales,” said Gareth Hession, Jato Dynamics’ vice president of research.

“Despite this, it is encouraging to see growth in Central and Eastern Europe, where manufacturers will no doubt be looking to expand further. Investment in vehicles tailored for this region will be crucial to their success there.”

Only two of the top five markets showed positive growth during Q1 2011: France and Germany were up 8.9 per cent and 13.9 per cent respectively while Great Britain, Italy and Spain were down 8.7 per cent, 23.3 per cent and 27.3 per cent. Out of these markets, Germany experienced the greatest growth in Q1, up 92,993 units, while Italy saw the biggest decline, down 156,269 units.

While sales in Central and Eastern Europe have performed consistently well during 2011, as automotive markets expand in the region, the well publicised economic troubles in countries such as Greece and Portugal have been clearly reflected in poor sales for the quarter.

Country Mar_11 Mar_10 % Change Mar Q1_11 Q1_10 % Change Q1
Austria 35,869 33,270 +7.8% 87,865 75,939 +15.7%
Belgium 63,533 64,330 -1.2% 169,904 161,297 +5.3%
Cyprus 1,238 1,243 -0.4% 3,696 3,621 +2.1%
Czech Republic 17,501 17,446 +0.3% 42,026 39,339 +6.8%
Denmark 12,918 13,964 -7.5% 36,828 33,235 +10.8%
Estonia 1,486 864 +72.0% 3,745 2,185 +71.4%
Finland 12,565 9,119 +37.8% 35,649 29,088 +22.6%
France 257,533 242,707 +6.1% 647,454 594,720 +8.9%
Germany 327,921 294,375 +11.4% 763,403 670,410 +13.9%
Great Britain 366,101 397,383 -7.9% 558,336 611,548 -8.7%
Greece 8,517 19,039 -55.3% 25,244 59,056 -57.3%
Hungary 4,479 4,430 +1.1% 11,546 10,308 +12.0%
Iceland 208 156 +33.3% 535 321 +66.7%
Ireland 14,426 13,641 +5.8% 48,032 42,102 +14.1%
Italy* 188,182 260,456 -27.7% 515,336 671,632 -23.3%
Latvia 873 466 +87.3% 2,372 1,064 +122.9%
Lithuania 1,096 501 +118.8% 2,867 1,375 +108.5%
Luxembourg 5,660 5,806 -2.5% 13,423 13,423 +0.0%
Norway 12,901 11,486 +12.3% 33,816 30,277 +11.7%
Poland* 21,583 22,586 -4.4% 62,048 56,568 +9.7%
Portugal* 23,734 23,835 -0.4% 50,397 53,750 -6.2%
Slovakia 6,489 5,679 +14.3% 15,723 13,277 +18.4%
Slovenia 5,909 5,895 +0.2% 16,653 15,748 +5.7%
Spain 88,427 124,869 -29.2% 208,483 286,649 -27.3%
Sweden 29,527 25,652 +15.1% 69,764 59,147 +18.0%
Switzerland 29,682 28,310 +4.8% 71,853 65,517 +9.7%
The Netherlands 56,757 44,746 +26.8% 180,928 145,056 +24.7%
Grand Total 1,595,115 1,672,254 -4.6% 3,677,926 3,746,652 -1.8%

* Denotes estimated data used for March 2011

Source: Jato Dynamics

Leave a Comment