By Max Bernhard 
 

New car sales in the European Union rose in September, with most of the bloc's major markets recording double-digit percentage growth after last year's sales were hit by the introduction of a new emissions-testing regime.

New car registrations, a reflection of sales, rose 15% on year in September across the EU to 1.25 million vehicles, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, or ACEA, said Wednesday.

The strong growth was mostly due to a low base of comparison, the association said. In September 2018 new car registrations fell 24% on year following the introduction of new stricter emissions-testing rules.

The association, whose members include Europe's biggest car makers, said sales rose 22% in Germany and 18% in Spain, while they were up 17% in France. In Italy, new car sales were 13% higher.

In the U.K. the recovery was limited due to uncertainties regarding Brexit, which continue to weigh on consumer confidence, it said. Sales in the country rose 1.3%.

In the first nine months of the year, new car registrations were down 1.6% compared with the same period a year ago.

Write to Max Bernhard at max.bernhard@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 16, 2019 02:14 ET (06:14 GMT)

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