New car sales in western Europe edged up last month, with Renault and BMW among the biggest gainers, data released today showed.
Brussels-based automakers' association ACEA said car registrations in the region climbed 2.9 per cent in June, the strongest rise so far this year.
Sales of Renault cars, which jumped almost 13 per cent in June, were helped by its new Megane mid-sized car and the French company expects its new Scenic minivan to boost sales later in the year.
Japanese and Korean carmakers continued to strengthen their position in Europe while German luxury carmaker BMW and General Motors also increased market share and volume gains.
However, sales for the first six months of the year are down 2.6 per cent from a year ago at about 7.56 million vehicles.
"This positive (June) result seems to indicate that the market is starting to recover after a first half of the year marked by economic and political uncertainties," ACEA said.