2018.10.1703:22:00UTC+00Europe's Passenger Car Sales Plunge In September

Europe's passenger car registration declined sharply in September as the introduction of the new WLTP test at the beginning of last month caused an exceptional surge in registrations in August, the Automobile Manufacturers Association reported Wednesday.

Passenger car sales declined 23.5 percent annually in September, reversing a 31.2 percent rise in August. This was the first fall in six months.

Due to the introduction of the new test, most EU countries suffered double-digit losses in September, including the five major markets.

Over the first nine months of 2018, EU demand for passenger gained 2.5 percent, in line with growth expectations for this year.

Looking at the five biggest markets, demand went up by 11.7 percent in Spain and by 6.5 percent in France. Sales in Germany grew 2.4 percent, while it contracted 2.8 percent in Italy and by 7.5 percent in the United Kingdom.