In February, new car registrations were down by 9.7% in the EU, compared to February 2011, totaling 888,878 units. In the region, the month counted on average one more working day than last year. In the first two months of 2012, the EU recorded 1,858,066 new cars, or 8.3% less than in the same period a year earlier.

In February, demand for new cars dropped in all major markets, except Germany where registrations remained stable (-0.0%). Spain (-2.1%), the UK (-2.5%), Italy (-18.9%) and France (-20.2%) all saw their markets shrink.

From January to February, downturn prevailed in the EU*. While results in Spain (-0.1%), Germany (-0.2%) and the UK (-0.8%) were slightly negative, Italy (-17.8%) and France (-20.5%) recorded double-digit drops. @PREVIEWEND@