Sales of cars surge in EU
AFP
AFP, PARIS: Sales of cars in the European Union surged by 16 per cent in May compared to a year earlier, continuing a 33-month rise and nearing pre-recession levels, manufacturers said yesterday.
A total of 1.29 million new cars were sold in the 28-nation bloc, a tally close to that of May 2008, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (EAMA) said.
Among the major markets, Italy (+27.3 per cent), France (+22.3 per cent), Spain (+20.9 per cent) and Germany (+11.9 per cent) all recorded strong performances with double-digit percentage gains, it said in a press release.
From January to May 2016, new passenger car registrations increased by 9.9 per cent, totalling 6.4 million units. All major markets posted growth, contributing to the overall upturn of the EU market.
Big gains were notched up in May by Renault (28.7 percent), the Fiat group (25.7 per cent), Jaguar Land Rover (26.1 percent), the BMW group (21.2 per cent) and Toyota (19.5 percent).
VW group-- hit last year by an emissions-fixing scandal -- recorded a gain of 9.3 per cent, retaining its position as the biggest car manufacturer by numbers.
