European new car registrations rose 2.6 pct in January from a year earlier, due mainly to the positive influence of the original fifteen EU member states, while new member states still reported a loss for January, said European automobile association Acea. The association said January registrations in Europe - comprising the EU member states, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland - totaled 1,259,267 compared to 1,227,515 in the same period last year. Among European brands, the PSA group, which comprises Peugeot and Citroen, saw registrations fall by 2.5 pct to 173,419, while Renault's were down 17 pct at 110.733. Volkswagen AG's new car registrations rose 19.4 pct, Fiat SpA's were up 17.9 pct at 105,303, while DaimlerChrysler AG dropped 8.3 pct. Among Asian brands, Nissan registrations fell by 9.2 pct and Hyundai's were up by 2.3 pct, while Mazda rose by 9.2 pct, Honda gained 8.8 pct and Toyota dropped 8.2 pct.