European new car registrations down in 2012

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has revealed that new car registrations in Europe fell 8.2 per cent in 2012.

Compounding this is a 16.3 per cent drop in new car registrations in December that, ccording to the ACEA, is the steepest recorded decline in sales since 2008.

Over the whole of 2012, demand for new cars reached the lowest level recorded since 1995, totalling 12,053,904 units. According to the ACEA, the resulting 8.2 per cent fall in registrations year-on-year is “the most important experienced since the 16.9 per cent downturn in 1993.”

The news is in contrast to domestic UK sales which grew by 3.7 per cent in December, while markets like Germany fell 16.4 per cent, Spain 23 per cent and France 14.5 per cent.

It’s a slightly different story for European new car sales across the whole of 2012, with UK sales expanding 5.3 per cent, while Germany fell by 2.9 per cent. However, the significant EU markets of Spain, France and Italy fell 13.4, 13.9 and 19.9 per cent respectively in 2012.