German car sales return to growth in 2014, grow further 2015: VDA

Published Tue, Dec 2, 2014 · 11:07 AM

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[BERLIN] Germany's auto market will return to growth for the first time in three years in 2014 and may expand further next year, the VDA industry association said on Tuesday.

New car registrations in Europe's biggest auto market may grow about 2 per cent this year to slightly more than 3 million, VDA said, adding that volumes may rise further by one per cent in 2015.

"The situation is better than sentiment," VDA chief Matthias Wissmann said at a press conference in Berlin.

Passenger-car sales fell 2 per cent in November to 250,100 autos, limiting the 11-month gain to 3 per cent or 2.81 million vehicles, Berlin-based VDA said, confirming a Reuters story.

Last month's drop was mainly due to one-off effects as new rules on tyre pressure took effect in Europe, raising the price of tyres and denting auto sales, a VDA spokesman said.

By comparison, German car sales fell 4.2 per cent last year to 2.95 million vehicles after shrinking 2.9 per cent in 2012, according to VDA data.

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