EU passenger car demand jumps 9.6 pct in April

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - This April the European Union's demand for passenger cars soared 9.6 percent year-on-year, said a European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) report on Thursday.

Demand also rose 2.7 percent year-on-year in the first four months of 2018, said the ACEA report.

The association said new car registrations totaled 1.3 million units during April and 5.47 million units in the January- April period.

It added that all five major EU markets posted growth in April. Spain and the U.K. showed the "strongest" growth with 12.3 percent and 10.4 percent, respectively.

They were followed by France (9 percent), Germany (8 percent), and Italy (6.5 percent).

The report showed that the VW Group, including major brands Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Seat, and Porsche, holds the lion’s share with 25.7 percent of passenger car sales in April, a rise of 13.8 percent year-on-year.

The PSA Group -- Peugeot, Citroen, and Opel -- and the Renault Group followed with 16.3 percent and 10.8 percent of car sales, respectively.