FRANKFURT--Germany's new car registrations fell 1.2% on the year
in September, the Federal Motor Transport Authority said Wednesday,
following a steeper decline in August, showing the European
industry is still suffering, even in those countries less plagued
by the euro-zone debt crisis.
Registrations, a proxy for sales, totaled 247,199 in September.
In August, they had declined 5%. In the January-to-September
period, registrations are down 6%.
Among the top-selling brands, registrations of BMW AG's (BMW.XE)
namesake brand declined 3.9% in September and those of Volkswagen
AG's (VOW.XE) VW brand were down 2.2%.
General Motors Co.'s (GM) Opel brand, in contrast, recorded a
13% surge to 19,243 registrations, providing some hope for the U.S.
car maker's European operations, which have been loss-making for
years.
Germany's data show that two of continental Europe's three
largest car markets contracted in September, as registrations in
Italy declined 2.9% but those in France rebounded by 3.4%.
Write to Friedrich Geiger at friedrich.geiger@wsj.com