MADRID — New-car sales in Spain are forecast to rise above 1 million for the first time in five years as the country’s economic recovery takes hold.
in Automotive News Europe, by Stefanie Mueller, 13-08-2015
Industry association ANFAC expects 2015 passenger car sales to increase by 23 percent to 1.05 million. Last year, 855,308 cars were sold in Spain, up 18 percent from the previous year.
Registrations, including industrial and commercial vehicles, will rise 22.7 percent to 1.21 million, ANFAC forecasts.
“The economic forecast is good. We expect 3 percent GDP growth this year and the jobless rate will also fall,” ANFAC President Jose Luis Lopez-Schuemmer told the Spanish media.
Spain peaked at 1.63 million units in 2006 but declined in the following year, dropping to below 1 million in 2009 when full-year sales were 952,772, according to data from European automakers association ACEA.
Through June this year, car sales rose 22 percent to 555,222, helped by a government-backed scrappage program that offers owners incentives to swap their old car for a new model. The program was renewed for the seventh time in May.
Volume automakers are benefiting most from Spain’s recovery as buyers opt for smaller, more fuel-efficient models.
Volkswagen brand was the top-selling marque through June with sales of 48,648, up 15 percent compared with the same period in 2014. VW Group’s Spanish brand, Seat, was No. 2, helped by the new Leon compact, which was the country’s best-selling car with sales of 19,545 in the first half.
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