European car market to record 2% growth after a six-year dip

Europe’s car market is expected to record a 2% growth this year. After a six-year dip in sales. The 2% growth will be a part of the gradual return to demand as the market recovers from a two-decade low. According to Brussels-based ACEA, full-year sales in Europe fell 1.8 percent in 2013 to 12.3 million vehicles, the lowest figure since 1995. It was in December 2013 that delivery gains were witnessed, indicating that the market may now clearly be bottoming out. According to analyst firm JATO Dynamics, December 2013 was the best month of 2013 for European new car market sales, with a year-on-year increase of 12.7%. Four consecutive monthly increases at the end of the year helped to reduce the full year deficit to 1.7% compared with 2012. Enough to have carmakers like Renault and Ford to predict a gradual revival in European demand, though growth will hinge on economic activity in France, Spain and Italy, which rank among the top five national car markets in the region. While industry-wide deliveries in the European Union, excluding figures from Iceland, Norway and Switzerland that the ACEA also compiles, will probably increase to a little over 12 million vehicles from about 11.8 million cars in 2013, European new car volumes in 2013 according to JATO Dynamics were just 1.7% behind 2012. Volkswagen retained the title of Europe’s best-selling brand for 2013, and at 10.8%, Great Britain posted the largest annual volume increase in Europe.