French new-car sales, which rose 9.7% in August, was boosted by an extra selling day. Registrations rose to 92,052 cars in the seasonally slow holiday month from 83,715 a year earlier, the Comité des Constructeurs Français d'Automobiles said in a statement. Excluding the effects of an additional sales day, the year-on-year gain would have been a more modest 4.7%, AP reported. All major brands boosted sales in August apart from Toyota, whose volume dropped 13.5% and Ford, which fell 2.1%, AP reported. Hyundai brand sales rose 47%, while Fiat brand's volume rose 22%, helped by the launch of an updated version of its 500 minicar. Sales of BMW brand cars jumped 29% last month, outpacing rivals Audi, which sold 19% more vehicles than the year before and Mercedes-Benz brand, whose sales volume rose 8%. VW-brand sales rose 13% in August, while Nissan sales rose 18%. Opel registrations rose 4.3%. Domestic brand Peugeot sold 14% more vehicles, while sales of sister brand Citroen rose 18%. Volume at rival Renault rose 11% helping to offset a 16% drop at the group’s no-frills brand Dacia. Eight-month sales rose 5.9% to 1.25 million.
