Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News
  • Automobilwoche
  • Automotive News Canada
  • Automotive News China
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Login
  • HOME
    • Latest news
    • Automakers
    • Suppliers
    • New Product
    • Environment/Emissions
    • Sales By Market
    • On The Move
    • Auto Shows
    • Munich Auto Show
    • Geneva Auto Show
    • Paris Auto Show
    • Beijing Auto Show
    • Shanghai Auto Show
  • Features
    • Long Read
    • Interview of the Month
    • Focus on Electrification
    • Focus on Technology
    • Segment Analysis
    • Cars & Concepts
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Europe By The Numbers
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Commentary
    • Guest columnists
  • Photos
    • Photo Galleries
    • Geneva Photo Gallery
    • Beijing Photo Gallery
    • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
    • Paris Photo Gallery
    • Shanghai Photo Gallery
  • Podcasts
  • Car Cutaways
  • EVENTS
    • ANE Congress
    • ANE Rising Stars
    • ANE Eurostars
    • Meet the 2021 winners
    • Browse photos from the 2021 awards ceremony
  • More
    • Publishing Partners
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
    • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
    • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
    • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
    • TUV Rheinland: Battery testing center for large battery packs and more
    • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
    • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
    • Toyota Europe
    • UFI Filters
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Automotive News Europe
June 15, 2012 01:00 AM

European car sales drop in May with PSA, Renault, Opel hardest hit

David Jolley
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    FULL NUMBERS

    Download the PDF at the end of this story for full numbers by automaker for May and 5 months.

    FRANKFURT -- European new-car sales for May continued to reflect weak consumer confidence in the crisis-hit markets of the region, with PSA, Renault, Opel and Ford suffering the biggest drops last month.

    New-car registrations in the 27-nation European Union and EFTA countries dropped 8.4 percent to 1.15 million vehicles in May, which had one less working day than May 2011, auto industry association ACEA said in a statement on Friday. Five-month sales shrank 7.3 percent to 5.64 million vehicles.

    Sales of PSA vehicles, which are heavily exposed to southern European markets at the sharp end of the region's debt crisis, fell 19.6 percent last month to 135,874, accelerating the year-to-date decline to 14.9 percent or 675,323 vehicles. At Renault, sales fell 12.8 percent to 97,053 in May.

    GM's loss-making Opel brand posted a 12.6 percent decline to 83,071 cars, while Ford too saw sales drop 12.6 percent to 86,893.

    Fiat, which today announced plans to reduce this year's European investment spending by 500 million euros, reported a sales drop of 12.1 percent to 82,501 in the same period.

    Volkswagen, Europe's largest carmaker, saw its new car registrations slip 5.5 percent last month to 283,382 autos, extending the five-month drop at the German manufacturer to 1.9 percent or 1.385 million.

    Sales at premium carmakers BMW and Mercedes fell by 5.8 percent and 4 percent respectively last month, but there was good news for Toyota, Hyundai and Kia, which all posted significant volume growth.

    UK defies downturn

    The UK emerged as the only major market to avoid losses last month, growing 7.9 percent to 162,288. In Germany, the region's biggest market, sales fell 4.8 percent to 289,977.

    Sales in the battered economies of southern Europe continued to plummet, with French sales falling 16.2 percent to 165,691, ahead of Italy, whose sales dropped 14.3 percent to 147,102. Sales in Spain fell 8.2 percent to 72,442.

    Reuters contributed to this report

    CA80081618.PDF

    ACEA May 5 months

    CA80081618.PDF >
    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Punch CEO Guido Dumarey to speak at Automotive News Europe Congress
    Recommended for You
    Guido Dumarey Punch
    Punch CEO Guido Dumarey to speak at Automotive News Europe Congress
    Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath 2022
    Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath to speak at Automotive News Europe Congress
    Maria Grazia Davino Stellantis 2020
    Stellantis Europe sales and marketing chief to speak at Automotive News Europe Congress
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up and get the best of Automotive News Europe delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Get 24/7 access to in-depth, authoritative coverage of the auto industry from a global team of reporters and editors covering the news that’s vital to your business.

    SUBSCRIBE NOW
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram

    Founded in 1996, Automotive News Europe is the preferred information source for decision-makers and opinion leaders operating in Europe.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI  48207-2997
    Tel: +1 877-812-1584

    Email Us

    ISSN 2643-6590 (print)
    ISSN 2643-6604 (online)

     

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Awards
    • Rising Stars
    • Eurostars
    • Leading Women
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Automotive News Europe
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
      • Latest news
      • Automakers
      • Suppliers
      • New Product
      • Environment/Emissions
      • Sales By Market
      • On The Move
      • Auto Shows
        • Munich Auto Show
        • Geneva Auto Show
        • Paris Auto Show
        • Beijing Auto Show
        • Shanghai Auto Show
    • Features
      • Long Read
      • Interview of the Month
      • Focus on Electrification
      • Focus on Technology
      • Segment Analysis
      • Cars & Concepts
      • Supplier Spotlight
      • Europe By The Numbers
    • Opinion
      • Blogs
      • Commentary
      • Guest columnists
    • Photos
      • Photo Galleries
      • Geneva Photo Gallery
      • Beijing Photo Gallery
      • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
      • Paris Photo Gallery
      • Shanghai Photo Gallery
    • Podcasts
    • Car Cutaways
    • EVENTS
      • ANE Congress
      • ANE Rising Stars
        • Meet the 2021 winners
      • ANE Eurostars
        • Browse photos from the 2021 awards ceremony
    • More
      • Publishing Partners
        • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
        • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
        • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
        • TUV Rheinland: Battery testing center for large battery packs and more
        • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
        • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
        • Toyota Europe
        • UFI Filters
      • Social Media
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • LinkedIn
        • Twitter
      • Contact Us
      • Media Kit
      • About Us