September 2014: European Union & EFTA car sales increased for the 13th consecutive month with year-to-date growth of 5.8% to  9.9 million vehicles. During the first nine months of 2014, Germany and the UK remained the largest single-country vehicle markets in the European Union while Portugal had the highest growth. New passenger vehicle registrations contracted in only four countries during the first three quarters of 2014 compared with a year ago.
The European Car Market in 2014 (Q1-3)
The European car market (European Union and EFTA) grew in September 2014 for the 13th consecutive month. During the first three quarters of 2014, new passenger vehicle registrations increased by 5.8% to 9,906,668 cars.
Growth in the European Union was even higher at 6.1%. Year-to-date in 2104, car sales were only weaker in The Netherlands, Austria and Belgium (and Switzerland in EFTA).
Car Sales per European Country in 2014 (Q1-3)
New passenger vehicle registrations in the European Union (EU) and EFTA countries per country according to car sales statistics released by the ACEA during the first three quarter of 2014 were as follows:
| Jan-Sep 2014 | Jan-Sep 2013 | % Chg | |
| AUSTRIA | 237’363 | 248’111 | -4.3 |
| BELGIUM | 388’095 | 389’471 | -0.4 |
| BULGARIA | 15’150 | 13’898 | 9 |
| CROATIA | 27’623 | 21’964 | 25.8 |
| CYPRUS | 6’414 | 5’437 | 18 |
| CZECH REPUBLIC | 141’470 | 120’154 | 17.7 |
| DENMARK | 142’105 | 135’177 | 5.1 |
| ESTONIA | 15’874 | 15’168 | 4.7 |
| FINLAND | 83’087 | 80’972 | 2.6 |
| FRANCE | 1’337’315 | 1’309’813 | 2.1 |
| GERMANY | 2’281’671 | 2’217’019 | 2.9 |
| GREECE | 53’844 | 44’010 | 22.3 |
| HUNGARY | 49’384 | 41’048 | 20.3 |
| IRELAND | 93’176 | 71’762 | 29.8 |
| ITALY | 1’036’499 | 1’000’893 | 3.6 |
| LATVIA | 9’239 | 7’763 | 19 |
| LITHUANIA | 11’071 | 8’893 | 24.5 |
| LUXEMBURG | 38’147 | 36’026 | 5.9 |
| NETHERLANDS | 285’397 | 301’140 | -5.2 |
| POLAND | 245’042 | 213’017 | 15 |
| PORTUGAL | 107’391 | 79’385 | 35.3 |
| ROMANIA | 51’564 | 41’073 | 25.5 |
| SLOVAKIA | 53’264 | 47’080 | 13.1 |
| SLOVENIA | 40’569 | 39’753 | 2.1 |
| SPAIN | 640’673 | 546’435 | 17.2 |
| SWEDEN | 222’636 | 193’065 | 15.3 |
| UNITED KINGDOM | 1’958’196 | 1’794’924 | 9.1 |
| EUROPEAN UNION | 9’572’259 | 9’023’451 | 6.1 |
| ICELAND | 8’169 | 6’218 | 31.4 |
| NORWAY | 107’104 | 105’784 | 1.2 |
| SWITZERLAND | 219’136 | 226’266 | -3.2 |
| EFTA | 334’409 | 338’268 | -1.1 |
| EU28+EFTA | 9’906’668 | 9’361’719 | 5.8 |
*All statistics exclude Malta.
Car Sales in European Countries in 2014 (Q1-3)
Germany remained the strongest single-country car market in Europe during the first nine months of 2014 but growth was slower than the broader market. France and Italy similarly dragged the market down.
In contrast, new passenger vehicle registrations remained robust in the UK during the first three quarters of 2014. The British car market expanded for the 31st consecutive month in September 2014.
The highest growth in car sales during the first nine months of 2014 was in Portugal – sales increased by 35%. Other market larger than 100,000 cars with strong growth included the Czech Republic (+18%), Spain (+17%), Sweden (+15%), and Poland (+15%).
The new car market contracted in only four EU or EFTA countries during the first three quarters of 2014: Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and The Netherlands. As these markets are relatively large, the contraction put considerable downward pressure on the overall market.
Volkswagen remained the top-selling car manufacturer and brand in Europe during the first three quarters of 2014 with the VW Golf Europe’s favorite car model.
