Approximately 935,600 cars were sold in the EU in January, up by 5.5 percent y-o-y. Demand has been increasing for five consecutive months, according to figures released by the European Automobile Manufacturer’s Association (ACEA). However, compared to December’s 13.3-percent surge, growth has slowed, with the number of registrations the lowest it’s been since 2003. The EU’s total sales volume for 2013 also decreased by 1.7 percent to 11.85 million cars, the sixth consecutive annual drop and the lowest it’s been since 1995. ACEA is predicting a 2-percent increase for 2014.
In the Czech Republic, car sales accelerated by 13 percent y-o-y to 13,638 cars in January. The dominant Czech carmaker, Škoda Auto, increased its sales in EU markets by 11 percent y-o-y to 41,091 cars in January. The company has increased its market share to 4.4 percent from the last year’s 4.2 percent.
