New-car registrations in Germany rose by 19% to nearly 380,000 units in April as motorists continued to cash in on a government incentive to scrap old cars and buy new ones. The rise follows an increase of 40% in March and contrasts with falling sales in other European countries. The VDIK said orders on hand showed the German market was set to keep growing briskly in the months ahead.
– Spanish car sales fell 45% to 67,000 in April compared April 2008.
– Italian sales were down 7% to 188,000.
– French sales declined by 7% to 185,000 after rising 8% in March.
JD Power is forecasting that car sales in Western Europe will reach 12.65m units this year, 7% below last year and almost 15% off the 2007 market of 14.8m units
