Car registrations dip
Wednesday 16 January 2013 10:00
The number of new car registrations in the EU last year fell by 8.2% on 2011, hitting their lowest level since 1995, the region's biggest carmakers claim.
Carmakers across the 27 EU countries saw 12.05 million new registrations last year, figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association show.
The UK was the only major market to grow, up 5.3% from 2011, but Spain, France and Italy saw double-digit declines in car sales.
The association said: "In December, new car registrations declined by a sharp 16.3% in the EU, continuing a downward trend commenced 15 months ago. The decline is the steepest recorded in a month of December since 2008."