European new passenger car sales rose 26.6 per cent in November, after a slump a year earlier, as scrapping schemes -- some of which are due to end soon -- encouraged drivers to trade in old models.
Carmakers' association ACEA, which published the data, said the rise followed a 25.8 per cent year-on-year drop in November 2008, when the economic crisis slashed demand for cars and forced carmakers to cut production in a bid to stop the build-up of costly stocks of unsold vehicles.
ACEA said there was a marked contrast between the results in November 2009 for Western Europe, where sales rose 30.6 per cent in November, and new European member states, where sales declined 16.7 per cent.
Scrapping incentive schemes have boosted sales in major markets, but some of the programmes -- like the one in Germany, Europe's largest car market -- have already finished, while others are due to start being gradually phased out next year.
In January to November, 13,406,382 cars in total were registered across the region as a whole, which includes the 27 EU member states, plus the EFTA countries and excludes Malta and Cyprus, ACEA said.
ACEA said the month of November 2009 had an average of one more working day than the same month last year, contributing to the rise.
Reuters