New car sales in Germany rose 13% in May on two extra selling days and strong sales to business fleets.
Registrations were 323,952 units in May month on month, according to data from the KBA motor transport authority, Automotive News Europe reported on Monday.
Fleet sales grew 16%, nearly double the 8.5% rise in private demand, the KBA said.
Sales of diesel-powered vehicles fell 1.4% as politicians debated imposing bans on diesels in some cities or refitting older engines with better emission controls to tackle pollution. Gasoline car sales rose 23%.
The diesel share of the overall German market shrank to 40%, the KBA said, while the share for gasoline cars was 57%.
Brand Sales
Market leader VW brand registrations rose 8.8% while No. 2 Mercedes-Benz saw sales jump 25%. Registrations at third-placed Audi rose 1.4%.
Ford’s volume increased 23%, while BMW rounded off the top five with a 6.9% rise.
Other winners in May were Fiat, whose sales leapt 38%, and Toyota, which saw a 37% jump in registrations as the brand benefited from the new C-HR crossover, launched earlier this year.
Opel’s volume rose 3.9% during the same month. Sales of PSA Group’s DS upscale cars plunged 28% and Daimler’s Smart unit saw sales fall 10%.
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