Data produced by Jato Dynamics shows that the European car market fell back by 1.1% in October, bringing the year to date decline to 0.9%. A total of 1,044,000 cars were registered across Europe, against 1,055,000 in October 2010. Of the ‘Big 5’, Germany put in the best performance, up around 10%, Italy was down by the same figure, Spain was down 20%, Britain down 5% and France was fairly flat.

In brand terms, the order was Volkswagen, Renault, Ford, Peugeot, Opel/Vauxhall, the same as last year. Volkswagen sales increased by 8%, and Renault was down by a similar figure. Audi and BMW also showed good gains, and the biggest loser was Fiat, 17% down.  In model terms, the Volkswagen Golf continues to be unmovable at the top, followed by its smaller sister the Polo, and then come Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio and Opel Corsa.

Gareth Hession, Vice President Resaerch at JATO : "The decline in sales may be slight, but is evidence that the market is still at the mercy of European economic conditions. Despite this, it is also demonstrated that strong products remain appealing to European customers."