European car sales were down 7.4 percent for the month of April, 2010, compared to the same time last year. It’s the first fall in ten months for the European car market, which has so far showed itself to be quite robust in the face of the international economic crisis. Germany’s market was hit particularly hard, with a decline of 31.7 percent, while the UK and France were up 11.5 and 1.9 percent, respectively.
Of the car companies, the largest decrease in sales was registered by Fiat, with a decline of 27.3 percent, followed by Toyota (down 20.7 percent), General Motors (19.1) and Ford (down 13 percent). Volkswagen managed to keep its losses to less 7.4 percent, while some brands were lucky enough to record gains: Renault (up 8.7 percent), BMW (up 13.1 percent) and Nissan (up 38.3 percent).
