LONDON, July 11 - New car sales in western Europe edged up last month, sparking hopes of a recovery in the second half of the year, with Renault and BMW among the biggest gainers, data released on Friday showed. Brussels-based automakers association ACEA said car registrations in the region climbed 2.9 percent in June, the strongest rise so far this year.
Sales of Renault cars, which jumped almost 13 percent 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 notched up both market share and volume gains. However, sales for the first six months of the year are down 2.6 percent 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," said ACEA in a statement. A reluctance by consumers, shaken by weak economic conditions and worries about the Iraq war, to splash out on a new car has dented sales in recent months but most experts predict an improvement in the second half as uncertainty recedes and a sustained stronger euro helps boost purchasing power.
For a breakdown of the ACEA data, please click on [L11316550] //