Western Europe struggles to keep up with global growth in car sales

November 24, 2010

News
November 24, 2010

Light vehicle and car sales continued their upward momentum in October in most global markets, although sales in Western Europe and Japan took a nose dive with declines of 15.9% and 23.2% respectively in the month. According to data from J.D. Power & Associates, Western Europe will be lucky to come out of the full year with car sales above 2009 levels. Year-to-date (YTD, Jan-Oct) statistics to end of October shows a 3.7% decrease in car sales in Western Europe at 12.178 million units. Eastern Europe is fairing better led by increased sales in Russia due to scrappage support.

Year-to-date sales figures in the USA shows that light vehicle sales were up 10.6% compared to the same period in 2009, whilst Canadian sales were up 6.4% and Mexican sales were up 7.6%. Light vehicle and car production in North America surged by 53% in the first 9 months of 2010 to reach 8.905 million compared with 5.789 million in the same period of 2009. South America’s two major markets, Brazil and Argentina, have continued with their strong expansion in automotive sales with a combined increase of 11.5% bringing the YTD total to 3.292 million.

The plunge in Japan’s car sales in October (down 23.2%) was more than compensated for in other Asian markets – particularly the continuing surge in demand for automobiles in China. Automobile production for the first half of the Japanese calendar year (April – September 2010) was recorded as 4,783,641 units – which is an increase of 24.1% compared with the previous year. This was the first production increase after two years of downturn. 

China sold 14.67 million automobiles in the first 10 months of 2010, up 35% from the same period last year, according to the latest data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). CAAM also reported that automobile production reached 13,082,700 units in the first 9 months of 2010, an increase of 36.10%. Production of passenger cars was 9,880,300 units, up 38.07%; the output of commercial vehicles was 3,202,400 units, an increase of 30.35%. Korea also maintained strong momentum with a 10% YTD increase in automobile sales.

auto_sales

Automotive sales for October and year to date show growth in global sales

News | Articles | Market reviews | Search directory | Subscribe to e-newsletter

News
November 24, 2010

In our latest magazine…

Download PDF

Extensive metal powder and Powder Metallurgy news coverage, plus the following exclusive deep-dive articles and reports:

  • Soft Magnetic Composites (SMCs) for electric motors: A new era driven by automotive and aviation electrification
  • Keep your powder dry: The overlooked impact of moisture in metal powders
  • PM-HIP: The alternative to casting and forging that improves supply chain flexibility and sustainability
  • Producing copper powder from industrial waste: Destiny Copper’s sustainable recovery process
  • The 2024 Japan Powder Metallurgy Association Awards: Recognising innovations in PM

The latest news from the world of metal powders, delivered to your inbox

Don't miss any new issue of Metal Powder Technology, and get the latest industry news. Sign up to our weekly newsletter.

Sign up

Join 5,000+ other industry professionals – follow us online

Discover our magazine archive…

The free-to-access Metal Powder Technology magazine archive offers unparalleled insight into the world of metal powder from a commercial and technological perspective through:

  • Reports on visits to leading PM part manufacturers, metal powder manufacturers and industry suppliers
  • Articles on technology and application trends
  • Information on materials developments
  • Reviews of key technical presentations from the international conference circuit
  • International industry news

All past issues are available to download as free PDFs or view in your browser.

 

Browse the archive

 

Looking for PM production equipment, metal powders, R&D support and more?

Discover suppliers of these and more in our
advertisers’ index and buyer’s guide, available in the back of Metal Powder Technology magazine.

  • Powders & materials
  • Powder process, classification & analysis
  • PM products
  • Atomisers & powder production technology
  • Compaction presses, tooling & ancillaries
  • Sintering equipment & ancillaries
  • Post-processing
  • Consulting & toll sintering
View online
Share via
Copy link