On the other hand, the EU car market shrank 5% in August to 653,900 units, due to recession and rising unemployment, after it increased 4.9% in July.
In January-August, new car registrations in Europe fell 5.2% on the year to 7.84 million units from 8.26 million units.
New car registrations in Romania dropped 17.6% in the first eight months to 36,000 units from 44,400 units.
The sharpest declines in January-August were registered in the Netherlands (-31.6%, to 270,300 units), Cyprus (-40%, to 4,900 units) and Romania.
Germany registered a 6.6% decrease in new car registrations in the first eight months to 1.97 million units. Its new car sales fell 5.5% in August to 214,000 units.
New car registrations in France declined 10.5% in August to 85,950 units and 9.8% in January-August to 1.16 million cars.
The UK is the sole large EU market which saw a significant increase in new car sales, of 10.9% in August to 65,900 units, and of 10.4% in the first eight months to 1.39 million units.
In Hungary and Poland, new car sales rose both in August and in the January-August interval.
The Dacia brand saw the highest increase in new registrations in the first eight months. Dacia car registrations in EU rose 18.7% in January-August to 189,900 units. The brand increased its market share from 1.9% to 2.4%.
In August, Dacia car sales increased 16.5% to 21,000 units and its market share was 3.2%.
French group Renault, owner of carmaker Dacia, registered a 2% decarese in new car sales in EU in the first eight months to 699,850 cars. On the other hand, its new car registrations rose 6% in August, to 64,100 units.
Europe’s largest carmakers, Volkswagen and PSA Peugeot Citroen, saw significant decreases in car registrations in August.
Volkswagen’s new car registrations in EU fell 11.2% in August to 171,400 units and 4.6% in the first eight months to 1.95 million units.
PSA Peugeot Citroen registered a 17.3% decline in new car sales in EU in August to 64,900 units. In January-August, its sales dropped 12.3% to 878,600 units.