Western European car registrations rose 5.4 % in November, with France and Germany doing the heavy lifting as UK sales sagged, according to industry data compiled by LMC automotive.
Registrations rose to 1.144 million cars from 1.085 million a year earlier, the consulting firm said on Tuesday. Its numbers are based on a combination of published national data and estimates for some smaller markets that have yet to report.
The seasonally adjusted annualised rate (SAAR) of Western European sales rose 3.8 % from October levels to 14.57 million cars, according to the data.
Sales in the region will rise 2.7 % this year and another 0.8 % in 2018, the firm predicts – while the British market shrinks by 5.8 %, then another 5.1 %.
“The UK market continues to struggle, with an eighth consecutive month of falls,” LMC analyst David Oakley said.
Registrations last month rose 10.3 % in France, 9.4 % in Germany and 12.4 % in Spain, according to data published in recent days.
But UK car sales plunged 11.2 %, the SMMT industry group reported on Tuesday, amid uncertainties over Brexit and the future of diesels. That puts the British auto market on course for its first full-year decline since 2011