January Car Sales Up in France, Spain

New-car registrations in France totaled 125,500 units last month, up fewer than 700 units from January 2013, according to trade group CCFA.

It was the fifth consecutive month of year-on-year improvement. CCFA reiterates that it expects full-year sales in France to be equal to or slightly greater than the 2013 total of 1.79 million units, down nearly 6% from 2012.

Renault SA's sales in January jumped 12% to 34,200 units and helped the company increase its market share by 2.9 points to 27.2%. PSA Peugeot Citroen's volume rose 6%.

In Spain, a fourth extension of a government's subsidy plan helped hike January sales 8% to more than 53,400 vehicles. The program gives a consumers who scrap an old car and buy a new one a €2,000 credit, which is funded equally by the government and the vehicle's manufacturer.