LMC Automotive European Passenger Car Sales Update (December 2018)

2019/01/10

Summary

  • West European car registrations fell by 8.5% year‐on‐year (YoY) in December. The selling rate dropped to 12.8 mn units/year in December, compared to 13.3 mn units/year in November. Full‐year registrations across Western Europe were down 0.7% YoY, with a total of 14.2 mn units sold, the first YoY decline since 2013.
  • In France, 2018 closed with a disappointing 14.5% YoY fall in December, but the market still grew 3% for the full year, to deliver its best annual performance since 2011. The German market was down 6.7% YoY in December, resulting in a contraction of 0.2% in 2018. Italy saw a 2% YoY increase in December sales, but this was not enough to prevent a 3.1% full‐year decline.
  • December’s Spanish sales were also down YoY, by 3.5%, but Spain was still the pick of the major West European markets in 2018, growing by 7% YoY. In the UK, sales fell 5.5% YoY in December; it was the worst‐performing of the ‘Big 5’ markets in 2018, with a 6.8% YoY decline.
  • With very little momentum being carried into the New Year, we now see 2019 Western European sales growing by just 0.8% YoY. This assumes that a ‘no‐deal’ Brexit is avoided – otherwise Western European sales could fall again in 2019. France and Spain are expected to be the primary contributors to 2019 growth; in contrast, Italy is expected to see another YoY decline.

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