Sales of new cars increased by 129 thousand in October compared to last year. In the first ten months of the year, the growth reached 16.8% yoy . The smallest decline was seen in Greece (44.8%) while sales in Norway dropped the most (-28.9%). Volkswagen Group sold the most cars in October 2023 in Europe, some 258 thousand vehicles representing 24.8% of the European market.
In October 2023, the EU car market expanded significantly with sales surging by 14.6%. This marked the fifteenth consecutive month of growth. Ten months into 2023, new car registrations were up by 16.7%, totalling almost nine mil units. Sale of battery-electric cars represented 14.2% of total in October, up from 12% last year. Sale of hybrid-electric cars represented 29% of total while petrol cars maintained their lead, albeit decreasing to 33.4% in October.
In October, most vehicles (219 thousand) were sold in Germany (up 4.94% yoy), followed by the United Kingdom (154 thousand, up 14.3%), France with 152 thousand cars (up 21.9%), 139 thousand new vehicles were registered in Italy (up 20.0%) and 77.9 thousand in Spain (up 18.1%). The five largest countries accounted for 63.9% of total new vehicles registered in October 2023.
In relative terms, sales in Greece (+44.8%) and Cyprus (+41.4%) declined the least compared to a year ago, whereas registration in Norway and Ireland dropped the most (-28.9% and -17.2% yoy), in October 2023, according to ACEA.
Volkswagen Group sold the most cars in October 2023 in Europe, some 258 thousand vehicles representing 24.8% of the European market. Sales of Stellantis amounted to 180 thousand vehicles (or 17.4% of the market) while Renault Group and Hyundai Group held 9.90% and 8.60% of the European market in October. Overall, the five largest manufacturers sold 68.0% of all new cars in October.
Helgi Library 
