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