LMC Automotive European Passenger Car Sales Update (April 2019)

2019/05/09

Summary

  • West European car registrations fell 1% year‐on‐year (YoY) in April. The selling rate rose slightly, to 14.3 mn units/year in April, from 14.1 mn units/year in March.
  • German sales fell 1.1% YoY in April, which was enough to tip the year to date (YTD) position into negative territory (‐0.2%, YoY). Overall, though, German demand appears to be holding up well in the face of a sluggish economy. UK sales were down 4.1% YoY in April, as the market remains in the doldrums amid economic uncertainty.
  • French registrations grew 0.4% YoY in April, continuing a theme of unremarkable sales figures. The selling rate dropped to 2.1 mn units/year. In Spain, seven consecutive months of YoY decline came to an end, with an increase of 2.6% YoY, though for the first four months of the year, sales are still down 4.5% YoY. Similarly, Italy delivered its first YoY gain of 2019 in April, with car registrations growing by 1.5% YoY, as the selling rate climbed to 1.9 mn units/year.
  • April saw a slight improvement in the selling rate across most of Western Europe, but the relative stagnation in sales indicates that demand is not yet at the level required to put the region on track for solid growth. That said, there are some indications that macroeconomic conditions are looking more positive, with Italy exiting recession, the threat of a no deal Brexit more distant, and signs of a potential trade deal between the US and China. Overall, we still see a slight improvement in West European sales for 2019 as a whole, to the tune of 0.2% YoY.

This report is for paid members only.

If you register as a free member, you can read the rest of this article for a limited time.
In addition, you can also enjoy the following content for free:

  • Market & Tech Reports
  • Global automotive production/sales
  • Launch schedule forecasts
  • Latest news on the automotive industry
  • Market share and supply information of 300 automotive parts (Who Supplies Whom)
  • MarkLines Customer Support

    9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. (excluding national holidays)
    japan Japan
    Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
    +81-3-4241-3907
    USA USA
    Southfield, Michigan, USA
    +1-248-327-6987
    MEX Mexico
    León Guanajuato, Mexico
    +52-477-796-0560
    DEU Germany
    Frankfurt am Main, Germany
    +49-69–904-3870-0
    CHN China (Shanghai)
    Huangpu District, Shanghai, China
    +86-21-6212-6562
    CHN China (Shenzhen)
    Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong
    +86-755-2267-1725
    THA Thailand
    Klongtoey, Bangkok, Thailand
    +66-2-665-2840
    IND India
    Gurgaon, Haryana, India
    +91-124-4048779