Monthly Car Sales Up in Italy, Down in Spain

December new-car sales rose 2% to 124,100 units in Italy but dropped 4% to 99,300 in Spain, according to industry data.

In Italy, registrations last month rose 10% for individual retail sales, nearly double the pace of growth in November, according to Dataforce GmbH. Fleet sales shrank.

Demand for diesels, which has remained relatively strong in Italy compared with other European markets, plunged 19% last month. The slump slashed diesel’s market share to 46% compared with 57% in December 2017.

Dataforce says full-year sales in Italy fell 3% to 1.91 million units in 2018, marking the first decline in five years. The firm predicts delivers will rise by a modest 10,000 units this year.

In Spain, new-vehicle registrations in December fell 4% to 99,300 cars and light trucks, according to trade group ANFAC. It was the fourth consecutive month of year-on-year shrinkage.

ANFAC reports that gains in fleet sales last month were offset by an 11% decline in retail deliveries to individuals. On a full-year basis, light-vehicle volume in Spain grew 7% to 1.3 million units on sales gains of 4% to private buyers, 6% to rental companies and 14% to company fleets.