14% Increase in Spanish Car Sales

Spain’s new-car sales increased 14% in October even as tensions over Catalonia’s bid to gain independence created an uncertain business environment, Europe.autonews reported. Registrations rose to 94,676, according to industry association ANFAC, helped by an additional working day compared with October 2016. Catalonia represents about 15% of total registrations in Spain, according to Lorenzo Vidal de la Pena, president of dealer association GANVAM. He said the industry needs a quick solution to the Catalonia crisis to guarantee stability and consumer confidence. Renault remained the top-selling brand with its volume rising 46%. Sales at No. 2 Seat jumped 36%. Volkswagen brand, in third place, increased sales by 14%. Peugeot ranked fourth with an 8.8% gain and Opel was fifth with a moderate 2.6% increase. Asian automakers except Nissan had a good month. Toyota sales rose 32%, Hyundai sales grew by 15% and Kia gained 11%. Nissan’s registrations fell by 9.4%. Audi led German premium brands with a 19% rise. Mercedes posted a 4.3% increase while rival BMW suffered a 7.8% decline.