European new-car sales increased by 8.4% in the first half of 2015, reports JATO Dynamics.
Sales bounced back in June, with a rise of 14.6% compared to a year earlier, following a slowdown in sales during May.
The European new-car market ended H1 2015 in good health, indicating that the slower sales in May being a downfall in an otherwise strong start to the year. 25 of the 29 markets studied showed H1 2015 growth, with four recording growth of over 20%.
Brian Walters, Vice President of Data at JATO Dynamics, said, “Confidence in the European market last month was clearly well placed, as the car industry reported strong sales growth for the first half of the year in most markets.”
Volkswagen reinforced its position as the leading car brand in Europe, as it increased total H1 2015 sales by 9.1%. Renault took second place, with Ford in third. All the top ten brands recorded increased sales, with Mercedes-Benz and Renault achieving growth of more than 10%, benefitting from the success of modern products such as the latest Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Renault Captur.
New products have also driven increased sales for many brands outside the top ten, with Jeep, Lamborghini, smart, Infiniti and SsangYong all reporting strong growth in H1 2015.
JATO’s headline market analysis:
- Total car sales in H1 2015 were 7,410,510 units, the highest H1 sales since 2010
- Italy and Spain both recorded H1 2015 growth of more than 100,000 units
- All of the top ten models and top ten brands recorded higher H1 2015 sales
