Car Sales in the EU Strongly Increased in October

Car sales in the EU strongly increased in October, while in Croatia the growth was significantly weaker than the European average, data from the car manufacturers’ association ACEA showed on Thursday.

In October, 745,855 new cars were registered in 26 EU countries, excluding Malta, which is 12.2 percent more than in the same month last year.

In September, their number increased by 9.6 percent, and in August by 4.4 percent, when a 13-month period of declining demand for cars in the EU was interrupted.

However, demand has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels, as approximately 290,000 fewer new cars were registered in October compared to the same month in 2019, ACEA noted.

Among the four main European markets, demand increased the most in Germany and Italy, by 16.8 and 14.6 percent, respectively.

Spain also recorded double-digit growth, with 11.7 percent more registered cars. In France, their number increased by only 5.5 percent.

In Croatia, according to ACEA data, 3,024 new cars were registered in October, which is 7.5 percent more than in the same month last year. In September, the number of registrations jumped by 22.6 percent.

Difficult First Half of the Year

From January to October, the passenger car market in the EU decreased by 8.1 percent, with 7.53 million vehicles registered, ACEA determined.

The improvement in sales in recent months was not enough to compensate for the losses from the first half of the year, the association emphasized.

Among the leading markets, demand fell the most in Italy in the first 10 months of this year, by 13.8 percent. France also recorded a double-digit decline, by 10.3 percent.

In Spain and Germany, the number of registered cars fell by 5.8 and 5.5 percent, respectively, from January to October.

In Croatia, in the first 10 months of this year, according to ACEA data, 37,589 new cars were registered, which is 5.9 percent less than in the same period last year.