European Car Sales Plunge in September

Sales of new cars in Europe plunged by 10.8% in September from a year earlier, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association said on Tuesday.

In September, new-passenger-car registrations fell for the 12th consecutive month to 1.1 million units, with a 17.9% retreat in France, a 25.7% drop in Italy and a 36.8% fall in Spain.

Sales in Britain rose by 8.2%.

French manufacturer Renault SA (IW 1000/78) was hit particularly hard in the period, ACEA said, with new-car sales dropping 29.5%. PSA Peugeot Citroen (IW 1000/47) saw sales retreat 8.1% and Germany's Volkswagen AG (IW 1000/10) dropped 8%.

South Korean automakers, however, continued their successful push into the European market, with Hyundai Motor Co. (IW 1000/54) sales up by 3.9% and Kia Motors Corp. (IW 1000/122) gaining 3.4%.

Over the nine-month period through September, car sales EU-wide (excluding Malta) fell by 7.6%, with Italian sales plunging 20.5%. Sales of new units in Britain rose by 4.3% in the January-September period.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2012