Japan May auto sales worst since 1968; Hyundai rises (01/06/11)

Japanese new car sales fell to their lowest level since 1968 in May, as a result of March's earthquake and tsunami.

Sales of vehicles, excluding minicars, fell 37.8 per cent from the year before to 142,154 units, with Toyota leading the descent with a 56.6 per cent drop.

Meanwhile, South Korean car makers had another strong month. Hyundai posted a 13.6 per cent rise in sales, while its affiliate Kia Motors increased sales by 22 per cent.

WRAPUP 1-Spain, France car sales slide in May (01/06/11)

French car sales slid 8.3 per cent in May following the end of the country's scrapping scheme, industry association CCFA said.

PSA Peugeot Citroen reported a rise of 12.5 per cent last month, while Renault's sales dropped 18.2 per cent.

Meanwhile, Spanish car association ANFAC reported new vehicle sales dipped for the 11th straight month by 23.3 per cent in May.

India car sales slow in May(01/06/11)

Higher costs and the rising price of fuel saw Indian car maker Maruti Suzuki report a relatively meagre 1.9 per cent year-on-year rise in sales in May to 104,073 units.

It follows rises of 4.4 per cent in April and 28 per cent in March for India's largest auto maker by sales.

Meanwhile, Hyundai posted a two per cent rise in Indian sales compared to May 2010, to 47,766 units.

Year-on-year car sales growth for General Motors India was "marginal" at 1.3 per cent to 8,329 units in May.

Tata Motors, however, posted a strong 19 per cent rise in domestic commercial vehicle sales, while Ford reported a similar set of figures.

Sales between April and May rose 19 per cent for the US car maker, representing a 10.6 per cent year-on-year increase.

UPDATE:Italy New Car Sales Up 3.6% In May; Prospects Still Dim (01/06/11)

New car sales in Italy rose for the first time in more than a year, increasing 3.6 per cent to 170,603 units.

The country's biggest auto maker Fiat SPA reported May sales jumped 4.6 per cent to 51,342 units.

UPDATE 1-Canada May auto sales dip as gas prices hit trucks (01/06/11)

Vehicle sales in Canada slipped during May, falling 3.8 per cent from 154,900 units in April to 149,000 last month.

Ford remained the country's number one seller, despite car sales dipping 2.6 per cent and trucks ten per cent.

General Motors recorded a fall of 4.7 per cent in May, driven by a 9.5 per cent drop in truck brands.

However, Chrysler bucked the trend with a 17 per cent jump in sales to 24,406 units, thanks in large part to fuel efficient vehicles.

Japanese car makers including Toyota and Honda also reported a significant fall in sales as they continued to face supply problems as a result of the earthquake and tsunami.

Toyota, Honda Lead Asia Carmakers’ U.S. Decline After Quake Slows Supplies (02/06/11)

Japanese car makers led a decline in new vehicle sales in the US in May, compared to the same month in 2010.

Sales of Toyota cars fell 33 per cent, while those for Honda dipped 23 per cent year-on-year and Nissan by over nine per cent.

South Korean firms posted strong figures, with Hyundai recording a 21 per cent rise and its sister company Kia a jump of 53 per cent.

VW surges ahead in May; new Micra makes big splash in entry-level pool (02/06/11)

Volkswagen has overtaken Toyota as the leading car seller in South Africa after the German auto maker posted a strong May.

Domestic sales of VW cars rose to 7,711 units last month, while Toyota slipped to 6,999.

Importers Associated Motor Holdings and Amalgamated Automobile Distributors managed a combined third place in the local sales ranking, at 5,344 units.

Overall, domestic sales for the first five months of 2011 were 16.4 per cent ahead of the same period last year.

Automobile sales fall again in May (02/06/11)

New passenger car sales in China fell again in May, dropping 11 per cent from April and down one per cent year-on-year to just over 850,000 units.

Li Xin, analyst for the Distribution Productivity Promotion Center of China Commerce, said: "The car industry has developed too quickly, so that whether it is transportation planning or fuel needs, they aren't able to catch up."

Number of new cars sold continues to fall (06/06/11)

UK new car sales fell 1.7 per cent year-on-year to 150,431 units in May, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reported.

Over the first five months of 2011, new registrations have fallen by 7.3 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year.

Diesel cars have increased their popularity, accounting for over half (52.9 per cent) of new cars in May, up from 46.9 per cent last year.

The VW Golf was the best-selling diesel vehicle, while the Ford Fiesta remains the most popular car overall.

German car sales gain 22% in May: VDA (03/06/11)

New vehicle sales in Germany jumped 22 per cent in May compared to the same period in 2010, according to the industry association VDA.

Domestic deliveries hit 304,700 units, with German brands accounting for over 70 per cent of this figure.

Exports also rose in May, taking the total for the first five months of 2010 to 1,953,000 units - an 11 per cent year-on-year increase.

UPDATE 2-India's car sales hit speed bump, seen decelerating further (09/06/11)

Car sales in India rose at their slowest pace in two years in May, increasing seven per cent year-on-year.

Indian car makers sold 158,817 vehicles in May, compared with 148,425 vehicles the same month a year earlier, figures from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers show.

"Interest rate is going up, availability of financing is down, prices are rising and sentiment is not very positive among customers. All this put together is impacting final sales," said Sugato Sen, senior director at the organisation.

UPDATE 2-China car sales suffer first decline in 2 years (09/06/11)

May car sales in China dipped 0.1 per cent compared to a year previously, marking the first monthly decline in two years.

After soaring by around two-thirds in 2010, sales of new vehicles in China have increased just 6.1 per cent in 2011.

Dong Yang, secretary general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, expects annual sales to fall short of the predicted ten per cent increase.

"Auto sales won't fall every month in the rest of the year, but we will certainly see more monthly declines ahead," he said.

Russian car sales up 48 percent y/y in May - AEB (08/06/11)

Car sales in Russia continued their strong upward trend, increasing 48 per cent year-on-year in May after a rise of 42 per cent in April.

"The industry continues to show signs of sustained recovery and although year over year increases will reduce reflecting the inclusion of scrappage sales in the prior year, the outlook for 2011 remains positive," said Mark Ovenden from the Association of European Businesses.

Car production falls back as shortages bite (17/06/11)

UK car production fell by 4.9 per cent in May, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

Despite slipping to 99,280 units last month, output in the first five months of 2011 is up 4.6 per cent year-on-year. Meanwhile, engine production in the UK rose four per cent in May.

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