The EU passenger car market posted gains in March of 6% overall, the 31st consecutive month of growth. Registrations during the month grew (+6.0%) compared to March 2015, reaching more than 1.7 million units (1,700,683). In volume this is close to March 2007 levels, just before the economic crisis clobbered the automotive industry.
Among the major markets, Italy (+17.4%) recorded the strongest performance with a double‐digit percentage gain, followed by France (+7.5%) and the UK (+5.3%). Spanish (‐0.7%) and German (‐0.04%) passenger car registrations remained stable. However, this year Easter fell in March, reducing the number of sales days, while it was April in 2015.
EU Q1 2016 Sales
In the first quarter of 2016, new passenger car registrations increased by 8.2%, totaling 3,819,269 million units. All major markets posted growth, contributing to the upturn of the EU market. The Italian (+20.8%) passenger car market posted double‐digit growth over the period. The increase was also followed by France (+8.2%), Spain (+6.9%), the UK (+5.1%) and Germany (+4.5%). They also expanded during the first quarter of 2016, although at more modest rates.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
