Registrations of new cars in the EU declined for the third consecutive month in June (-6.9 percent), with 1,341,092 units registered. Over the first semester, EU registrations (+0.2 percent) leveled with the result over the same period last year. Compared with the first six months of 2008, the market decreased by 10.3 percent. In June, Germany (-32.3 percent), Italy (-19.1 percent) and France (-1.3 percent) were the main markets with lower registrations, whereas the UK (+10.8 percent) and Spain (+25.6 percent) recorded a rise in numbers, leaving the overall result at -6.9 percent. The largest drop was recorded in Slovakia (-40.6 percent), while the biggest increase occurred in Ireland (+75.8 percent).

Fiat Group saw a total of 100,399 registrations across Europe (counting the EU and EFTA members combined) during June which was a fifth down on the same month a year ago when state government-driven "scrappage" schemes helped push its sales to 126,206 units and as a result of this reversal its share of European sales dramatically crashes from 8.6 to 7.3 percent year-on-year for the month of June. The picture is all the more bleak as Fiat Group was left well adrift of all its major rivals: not so long ago Renault was bypassed by Fiat Group as its sales climbed; however last month the French carmaker registered half as many cars again (150,257) as the Italian company managed and even the struggling GM Europe division was more than thirty thousand units ahead of Fiat for June.

The Fiat brand recorded 80,166 sales last month, compared to 101,466 during June 2009, and that left it down 21.0 percent year-on-year and added up to its market share reducing from 6.9 to 5.8 percent year-on-year. Lancia's recent resilience on the Italian market evaporated in June and this fed straight through to its pan-European results as, like all the Fiat Group, it places too much reliance on its home market. Lancia's 9,015 units was down 28.3 percent on the 12,581 units its sold during June last year, and its share of sales slipped from 0.9 to 0.7 percent. Alfa Romeo, cushioned by the arrival of the important new C-segment Giulietta in the Italian showrooms last month, had the softest landing from the Fiat Group Automobiles (FGA) portfolio: its 10,534 units registered in June was just one thousand cars down year-on-year which equated to an 8.8 percent fall, although it too underperformed the overall market. However Alfa Romeo's share of the all European market sales remained unchanged on 0.8 percent.

The Fiat Group's niche luxury/performance brands, Ferrari and Maserati, saw a combined total of 684 sales in Europe during June and this was 76 units up on the same month last year which added up to a 12.5 percent year-on-year rise.

From January to June, 7,285,487 new passenger cars have been registered in the EU, or 0.2 percent more than over the same period a year ago. Looking at the main European new car markets, only Germany contracted (-28.7 percent), while Italy (+2.9 percent), France (+5.4 percent), the UK (+19.9 percent) and Spain (+39.5 percent) have all posted growth. The steepest fall was recorded in Hungary (-43.8 percent) and the most important increase by Portugal (+57.7 percent).

Counting the EU and ETFA members again combined, Fiat Group, with 607,603 units registered, is once more the worst performer amongst the major carmakers in Europe for the first half of the year, down 9.7 percent against a positive market (although smaller Toyota has suffered even more, down 11.6 percent for the year-to-date). Last year Fiat Group recorded 673,049 sales for the January to June period and that means its total market share declines from 9.0 to 8.1 percent year-on-year for the year so far. Fiat Group is now a massive 175,000 units behind Renault for the year-to-date and 25,000 units behind GM, both rivals that its was fighting with for market share last year.