French New Car Registrations Down 11% On Year (02/05/11)

French new car registrations fell to 169,453 in April, marking a decline of 11.2 per cent year-on-year, the sector group CCFA said.

For the first four months of the year, registrations still saw an annual gain of four per cent thanks largely to the late delivery of cars ordered before the expiration of the public car-scrapping scheme.

Domestic production continued to expand in the first two months of this year, rising 0.9 per cent in January and one per cent in February for a seven per cent year-on-year increase in February.

Italy new car sales down 2.2 pct in April (02/05/11)

New car sales in Italy fell 2.2 percent year-on-year in April, the country's Transport Ministry said.

Fiat SpA's market share dropped 8.5 per cent to 28.7 per cent from the same time last year and is slightly down from the 29.34 per cent registered in March.

Italy's new cars totalled 157,309 units last month, the data showed.

UPDATE 2-Canada auto sales boosted by fuel-efficient shift (03/05/11)

Canada's new car sales rose seven per cent in April as consumers moved to fuel-efficient models to reduce spending on petrol.

Canada's three biggest auto players, Ford, GM and Chrysler, all said the strongest sales in April were in compact cars.

Total sales in the country were nearly 160,000, though this was still down on the levels seen before the recession.

Ford achieved its best April in 11 years, with sales jumping 33 per cent, largely driven by its new fuel-efficient Fiesta.

Chrysler's sales rose 16 per cent, while GM registered a 24 per cent increase in its core brand.

Total vehicle sales in Canada have risen 3.6 per cent so far in 2011, though the impact of supply shortages caused by the Japan disaster may be felt later in the year.

GM Exceeds Estimates as U.S. Auto Sales Climb to 13.2 Million Annual Pace (03/05/11)

GM beat predictions to register a 26 per cent year-on-year rise in new car sales to 232,538 vehicles in the US.

Ford also recorded a boost in sales of 13 per cent to 189,778 units, while Toyota saw deliveries increase 1.3 per cent to 159,540.

Meanwhile, Nissan saw a 12 per cent rise in US sales while fellow Japanese automaker Honda posted a 9.8 per cent gain.

SMMT: UK New Car Market Fell By 7.4% To 137,746 Units In April (06/05/11)

The UK's new car sales fell 7.4 per cent in April to 137,746 units, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

Registrations over the first four months of 2011 were down 8.5 per cent to 696,082 units.

Despite supply chain problems and the downward trend in April, SMMT's full-year forecast remains at 1.93 million units.

Demand for fleet vehicles and diesel models remained strong, the organisation added.

UPDATE 1-Brazil auto output, sales drop in April (06/05/11)

Car production in Brazil fell 4.9 per cent and sales dropped 5.5 per cent in April from March, the national automakers' association Anfavea said.

Some 280,128 new cars and trucks were produced in April, while sales reached 289,189 units.

Fiat remains Brazil's number one car maker, selling 60,452 vehicles, a 6.3 percent drop from the previous month.

Volkswagen was second with sales of 52,498 cars and trucks, marking a ten per cent fall from March.

India's April local car sales up 13.2 pct - industry (09/05/11)

New car sales in India increased 13.2 percent in April, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said.

It is thought the rise was driven by a growing middle class in India, as well as easier access to loans and a wider choice of models.

Automakers in India sold 162,825 cars in April, compared with 143,862 vehicles in the same month a year ago.

Sales of trucks and buses, meanwhile, rose 8.2 per cent to 53,202 units in April.

UPDATE 2-BMW to invest $1.4 bln in China to tap Asia growth (09/05/11)

German luxury carmakers including Audi and BMW saw high demand from China in April.

Audi, which is owned by Volkswagen, sold 13.2 percent more cars in April than a year earlier, boosted by a 21.2 per cent rise in vehicle sales in China.

BMW sold 17.9 per cent more cars globally last month, helped by 67 per cent growth in China.

China is fast becoming a key market for BMW. In the first four months of 2011 the German maker increased sales in the country by 70.1 per cent to 79,306 units.

"We are on track to reach record sales of significantly more than 1.5 million vehicles as well as records for our three brands BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce," BMW's sales chief Ian Robertson said.

UPDATE: China April Vehicle Sales Down 0.25% On Year At 1.55 Units (10/05/11)

Car sales in China fell 0.25 per cent year-on-year to 1.55 million units in April.

It was the first such decline in two years and is thought to be the result of the disaster in Japan and the cancellation of government subsidies.

RUSSIA: Russian car market continues recovery (13/05/11)

The Russian light vehicle market rose by 42 per cent in April, according to the Association of European Businesses (AEB).

It reported that the car and light commercial vehicle sales in Russia reached 235,711 units in last month.

Sales are up 64 per cent in the first four months of the year to 754,081 units.

David Thomas, chairman of the AEB Automobile Manufacturers Committee, commented: "The sustained growth leads us to increase our consensus forecast to 2.35 million [units] for 2011, up from our previous 2.24 million."

UK car output falls after supply shortages from Japan (19/05/11)

UK car production fell seven per cent in April to 86,306 vehicles, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Toyota, Honda and Nissan, which have all been significantly affected by the disaster in Japan, all have plants in Britain.

The SMMT said car production in the UK during the first four months of 2011 was still seven per cent higher than a year earlier, rising to 443,536 units. 

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