POAHY Porsche Automobile Holding SE (PK)

By Friedrich Geiger

BERLIN--Combined new car registrations in Germany of all brands were 9% higher in March than a year earlier, Ford Motor Co. (F) said Thursday.

The U.S. car maker was the first to report the development of the German car market. Usually, the Federal Motor Transport Authority or car maker associations publish the figure, but many automotive companies get the data in advance from the authority. Ford didn't disclose the overall number of sold cars.

Registrations of Ford passenger vehicles increased 15% on the year in Germany. Sales of the group's cars and utility vehicles increased almost 20% to 26,115 units in March, it said.

Write to Friedrich Geiger at friedrich.geiger@wsj.com