WRAPUP 1-Japan car sales plunge in August while Korea gains (01/09/11)

Sales of new vehicles in Japan fell by a quarter in August as production remains curtailed by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.

At the same time, South Korean automakers recorded big gains thanks to demand from overseas.

Sales excluding 660cc minivehicles in Japan dipped by 25.5 per cent in August to 216,510 units, the 12th consecutive decline, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said.

Toyota reported a drop of 22.7 per cent and Nissan said sales slipped 24.7 per cent, while Honda recorded a 49 per cent fall.

Meanwhile, Hyundai reported a five per cent upturn in sales and its affiliate Kia saw global deliveries up 27 per cent.

WRAPUP 4-U.S. August auto sales defy consumer caution (01/09/11)

US new car sales rose in August, with all three of the big Detroit firms posting strong results.

General Motors saw an 18 per cent rise in deliveries last month compared to a year before, while Ford boosted its sales by 11 per cent to 175,220 vehicles.

Chrysler saw a gain of 31 per cent as Japanese automakers including Toyota and Honda posted another month of poor sales figures.

Total industry sales were up 7.5 per cent year-on-year at an annualised rate of 12.12 million vehicles.

French Aug car sales rise after 4 months of decline (01/09/11)

Passenger car sales in France rose for the first time in five months in August, the industry association CCFA said.

Deliveries were up 3.2 per cent in August, after falling 5.9 per cent in July and 12.6 per cent in June.

Sales of light utility vehicles also rose, up 5.8 per cent in August compared to the same month last year, following an 11.8 per cent decline in July.

Spain car sales rose 5.9 pct y/y in Aug - ANFAC (01/09/11)

New car sales in Spain were up in August compared to last year, rising 5.9 per cent to 47,224 units, auto industry association ANFAC said.

However, August 2011 and August 2010 are the only two months in 20 years when sales have fallen below the 50,000 mark.

In the period from January to August, there has been a 22.2 per cent year-on-year drop in deliveries.

Italy's new car sales rise; Fiat underperforms (01/09/11)

Sales of new vehicles in Italy rose in August for the first time in two months, up 1.51 per cent to 70,307 units.

Despite the rise, sales of Fiat's main brands slipped back 3.2 per cent last month, which is a traditionally slow month for automakers.

In the first eight months of 2011, new car sales in Italy were down 12 per cent year-on-year to 1.2 million units.

UK new car sales rise for first time in 14 months (06/09/11)

Registrations of new cars in the UK jumped 7.3 per cent in August, the first increase since June 2010, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said.

Sales of superminis led the ascent, up 17.6 per cent to account for over a third (37 per cent) of the 59,346 units sold last month.

However, automakers are looking forward to September, which represents 17 per cent of annual sales as new registration plates come out.

India's Aug local car sales down 10 pct - industry (09/09/11)

Rising vehicle costs and high interest rates continue to hit new car sales in India, with orders falling by over ten per cent in August.

A total of 144,516 cars were sold last month, while sales of trucks and buses actually rose 22.6 per cent to 64,248, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

Russia August auto sales up 32 pct y/y -AEB (08/09/11)

Sales of new cars in Russia have soared, rising 32 per cent in August after a 27 per cent gain in July, according to the Association of European Businesses (AEB).

So far in 2011, sales in the country are up 48 per cent year-on-year to 544,850 units.

"With improving consumer confidence and availability of credit we forecast that the full-year growth will be around 30 per cent, which will be a similar growth level to 2010," said David Thomas, chairman of the AEB's Automobile Manufacturers Committee.

China August Passenger Vehicle Sales Up 7.3% On Year At 1.1 Mln Units (09/09/11)

New car sales in China climbed 7.3 per cent to 1.1 million units in August from a year earlier, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said.

Last month saw a 4.2 per cent increase across all vehicles, taking the year-to-date rise from the same period in 2010 to 3.3 per cent.

UK car production up 10.7 pct yy in Aug-SMMT (22/09/11)

UK car production rose by over ten per cent in August compared with last year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said.

In total, plants produced 86,250 cars, 78 per cent of which are destined for overseas markets, while production for the year-to-date is up 4.4 per cent.

The number of these cars sold in the UK slipped nine per cent year-on-year to 18,962.

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