New car sales across Europe fell 7.1% in January compared with a year earlier, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association said today.
The total number of new cars sold in 26 of the 27 European Union states minus Malta, where no data was given, was 968,769 in the month.
Sales in France slumped 20.7%, Italy was down 16.9% and Portugal tumbled a whopping 47.4%. The key German market saw a slight drop of 0.4%, Britain was flat and Spain logged a rise of 2.5%.
The big winners among brands were South Korea's Kia and Hyundai, up 30.6% and 17.9% respectively, with the French and Italian champions Renault, Fiat and Peugot Citroen groups losing 25.2%, 16.2% and 14.9% respectively.
