The downtrend in European new car registrations continued in June, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association reported Tuesday. However, the rate of decline was the weakest in eight months.
Passenger car registrations across the European Union member states, except Malta, dropped 2.8 percent year-on-year in June to 1,201,578 units. This followed an 8.7 percent slump in May.
The latest decline was the weakest since October last year, when the market shrank 1.8 percent.
German market rebounded in June with registrations rising 2.9 percent. In U.K., registrations rose 3.5 percent.
Meanwhile, demand in Spain declined 12.1 percent and in Italy, it plunged 24.4 percent. In France, registrations were 0.6 percent lower than a year ago.
From January to June, registrations fell 6.8 percent compared to the first half of 2011. During the period, German sales rose 0.7 percent and UK posted a 2.7 percent increase.
Spanish market shrank 8.2 percent, while France fell 14.4 percent. Italian demand dropped 19.7 percent during the six-month period.
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