European car sales fall again

New car sales in Europe fell for the third month in a row in August, dipping 1.4 per cent amid consumer jitters over fuel prices, but Fiat and Toyota had double-digit gains, industry data showed.

Nissan, Renault and BMW were among the biggest decliners compared with a strong sales month in August 2005.

"With the same number of working days across Europe, this decrease (in July and August) seems to be influenced by general uncertainty about economic conditions," Brussels-based carmakers group ACEA said.

It cited higher fuel prices and rising interest rates in some countries for consumers' hesitance.

Still, new car registrations in the first eight months of the year rose 0.4 per cent to over 10.4 million units.

Fiat has benefited from new models like the Grand Punto, which has sold well. New registrations for the group advanced 14.4 per cent year-on-year, with a 15.2 per cent increase at its core Fiat brand. Alfa Romeo brand sales gained 16.3 per cent.

Toyota, the world's second-biggest automaker, saw sales of its flagship Toyota brand rise 12.7 per cent to nearly 56,000 units, while registrations of its premium brand Lexus more than doubled to over 2,000 cars.

Volkswagen group registrations eased 0.4 per cent to just under 200,000 units, keeping it on top of the European sales tables with a market share of 22.5 per cent in August.