February Car Sales Fell in Italy, Spain

Car sales in Italy and Spain continued to shrink in February, according to industry data.

In Italy, deliveries of new passenger vehicles slid 2% to 177,800 last month, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport says. Sales to individuals and corporate fleets rose, but volume fell sharply on deliveries to car rental companies.

Demand for diesel-powered vehicles plunged 23% to 80,200 cars and light trucks last month. Still, diesels accounted for 45% of Italy’s passenger vehicle market, compared with 43% for gasoline, 7% for liquefied or compressed gas and 5% for electrified vehicles.

In Spain, new-car registrations fell 9% to 100,700 units in February. It was the market’s sixth consecutive month of year-on-year decline, trade group ANFAC reports.

The association says diesel sales in February shrank 29% to 30,100 vehicles, compared with the same period in 2018. Demand for electrified vehicles climbed to 10,000 cars from 7,000 a year earlier.