Europe car sales rise at slowest pace in 6 months

Munich

EUROPEAN car sales rose at the slowest pace in six months in May as buyers' concerns about unemployment and the Greek sovereign debt crisis held back demand at Volkswagen AG and Renault SA.

Registrations increased 1.4 per cent to 1.15 million vehicles from 1.14 million a year earlier, the Brussels-based European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, or ACEA, said on Tuesday. That pared the gain in the first five months of the year to 6.7 per cent for a total six million autos.