EU new car sales up in March but VW loses market share

New car sales in the European Union rose 6% in March to 1.7m units, according to the latest figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).

“In volume terms this result is close to March 2007 levels, just before the economic crisis hit the automotive industry,” it said.

Italy enjoyed the best performance, with sales up 17.4%. Sales in France grew 7.5% and the UK saw a 5.3% increase. In Spain, however, sales fell 0.7%, while German sales were flat.

The ACEA pointed out that this year Easter fell in March, reducing the number of sales days.

Sales at beleaguered German car maker Volkswagen slid 1.6% in March, according to the figures, as it continues to suffer the fallout from the emissions scandal.

The data also showed that VW’s market share of new registrations in the three months to the end of March fell to 23.4% from 24.4% the year before, marking the worst performance in five years.