18.09.201903:21:00UTC+00Europe Passenger Car Sales Decline In August: ACEA

Europe's passenger car registrations declined in August on high base effect, data published by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, or ACEA, showed Wednesday.

Passenger car registrations contracted 8.4 percent on year, reversing a 1.4 percent rise in July. Registrations totaled around 1.3 million units.

The latest decline was mainly the result of the high base of comparison, as August 2018 saw exceptional growth of about 31.2 percent ahead of the introduction of the new WLTP emissions test on September 1, 2018.

Spain posted a sharp decrease of 30.8 percent in August. Sales fell 0.8 percent in Germany and 14.1 percent in France. Italy's car sales were down 3.1 percent.

During January to August period, car demand decreased 3.2 percent from the same period last year. Only Germany logged a slight positive growth, while all other major EU car markets posted falling demand.