EU car registrations rise as diesel decline continues
European car registrations increased 7.1% in January but drivers continued to turn away from diesels.
Top market share winner in Europe was the Vauxhall/Opel Crossland X
A total of 1.28 million cars were registered, 84,000 more than in January 2017, according to Jato Dynamics figures, with double-digit growth in key markets such as Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland, while the UK market recorded its lowest decrease since June 2017.
However, the diesel decline seen in 2017 continued, with registrations down by 12.5% in January 2018, recording just 40.6% of market share. Petrol car demand soared by 18.8% to 535,800 units, recording 52.2% of market share. AFV registrations also benefited, growing by 28.2% to 57,000 units, a record market share of 5.5%.
SUVs continued to boom, with the segment’s volume up by 26.2% to 428,300 units, a record level for January and equating to one in three registrations.
Natalie Middleton
Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.
