Registrations for the European Union excluding Malta and Cyprus, plus EFTA countries, totalled 1,304,583, the lowest September level since 1998. In western European markets, September new registrations fell 9.3% compared with September 2007 to 1,211,308.
Among these, the French and German markets resisted best, with France growing 8.4% after a 7% percent drop in August, while Germany’s September sales edged down just 1.5% after falling 10.4% in August.
The steepest declines were in the UK market, where sales fell 21%, and in Spain, down 32%. Italy was down 5%
In the new European member states, growth was 7.8 percent in September, with 93,275 vehicles registered.
Among manufacturers, General Motors recorded a drop of 18% in vehicle registrations in September to 129,746.