Spain car sales up 28.5% in September

 

Spanish car sales rose 28.5% year-on-year in September after falling 18.3% in August, boosted by a government subsidy plan, car manufacturers' association ANFAC said on Tuesday.

Some 45,175 new cars were registered in September after 35,148 in the same month a year earlier, the association said.

Under the scheme, people who scrap their old car and buy a new one get a rebate of €2,000, half from the government and half from the carmaker.

Car manufacturers' association ANFAC welcomed the decision to extend the subsidy - which was originally due to end in July - saying how it would help boost the Spanish economy.

The scheme has helped sales to individuals but failed to offset the decline in sales to companies. Spanish car sales, which have been on a downward trend for the last 4 years, fell 0.7% year-on-year in June.

That compares to a 6.3% fall in overall European car sales last month which made it the worst June since 1996 and left volumes at a 20-year low in the first half of this year.