European registrations rose marginally in May, helped by a jump in deliveries in Germany.
Sales in the EU and EFTA markets climbed 0.04 percent to 1.44 million cars compared to a year ago, industry association ACEA said in a statement on Tuesday.
Among the winners for the month were Lexus, whose registrations rose 26 percent; BMW, up 15 percent; Seat, also up 15 percent; Citroen, up 14 percent; and Toyota brand, up 11 percent.
Losers included Alfa Romeo, whose volume plunged 49 percent; Nissan, down 18 percent; Jeep, down 13 percent; Renault brand, down 10 percent; and VW brand down 8.6 percent.
Sales in Germany surged 9.1 percent. Automakers in Europe's biggest market, including Volkswagen and BMW, are offering as much as 7,500 euros ($8,424) in incentives toward purchasing cleaner models as a number of cities weigh or have put in place bans on older diesel cars.
Sales fell 4.6 percent in the UK, where declining diesel demand and uncertainty over Brexit continues to put off consumers from purchasing new vehicles.
Spanish registrations fell 7 percent in May because of a slowdown following an Easter surge in April.
The French and Italian new-car markets were both down 1.2 percent.
The gain in Germany came despite gloomy economic data showing an unexpected rise in unemployment in May as well as consumer confidence coming in below predictions.