The passenger car market in the EU shrank 7.1% to 8.26 million new car registrations between January and August 2012, and fell by 8.9% to around 688,000 units in August, ACEA said in a press statement Tuesday.
Registrations of new Dacia cars in the EU rose to nearly 18,100 units in August this year, compared to 15,600 units in the same period in 2011, but fell slightly to a little below 160,000 units between January and August, compared to around 162,000 units in the same period in 2011.
French Renault, owner of Romanian carmaker Automobile Dacia, has seen a sharp decline of 16.3% to 713,700 units since the start of 2012. Renault saw a 13% decrease in new car registrations in the EU to nearly 60,400 units on the year in August.
Volkswagen, Europe’s largest automaker, which also produces Skoda, Audi and Seat cars, saw stagnation in new car registrations to nearly 2.05 million units in the first eight months of 2012, followed by French group PSA Peugeot Citroen with a 13% decline to one million new car registrations.
Dacia’s owner Renault ranks third and is followed by General Motors with a 12% decline to 685,700 new car registrations, Ford with a 12.3% decrease to 625,100 units and Fiat with a 17.1% decline to 543,300 units.
Toyota ranks ninth with a 1% decrease to 345,200 new car registrations and Renault partner, Japanese carmaker Nissan, ranks tenth with a 4.3% decline to 285.200 new car registrations.
South-Korean carmakers Hyundai and Kia saw strong increases in the number of new car registrations in the EU, namely of 10.1% and of 23.1%, respectively, to nearly 278,700 and 217,000 units, respectively.