Brussels, 18 April 2018 – In March 2018 the EU passenger car market declined (-5.3%) for the first time this year, with registrations totalling 1,792,599 new cars – the first March drop since 2014.
In March 2018 the EU passenger car market declined (-5.3%) for the first time this year, with registrations totalling 1,792,599 new cars – the first March drop since 2014. However, it must be noted that last year’s results (with the best March figures on record) constituted a high basis of comparison. Momentum is starting to slow in some markets and especially in the United Kingdom, where sales dropped by 15.7% in March. New car demand also declined in Italy (-5.8%) and Germany (-3.4%), but growth was posted in France (2.2%) and Spain (2.1%).
In the first three months of 2018, demand for new cars in the European Union remained slightly positive (+0.7%) despite last month’s decline. Passenger car registrations grew in Spain (+10.5%), Germany (+4.0%) and France (+2.9%), while car demand fell in Italy (-1.5%) and the UK (-12.4%). The strong performance of the new EU member states is worth highlighting here, as demand increased by 11.9% so far this year. Overall, 4,171,628 new cars were registered in the European Union during the first quarter of 2018.