European June auto sales up slightly, but up they are

For the first time in 14 months, European car buyers registered more cars than in the same month the previous year, the European Auto Manufacturer Association ACEA reports. For the month of June, Europe (as defined by the ACEA) records a modest growth of 2.4 percent, mostly “carried by the effects of fleet renewal schemes in more than 10 EU Member States.”

“Fleet renewal schemes” is EUphemism for cash for clunkers.

What is interesting is that June 08 was still strong. Any growth recorded against a strong month of the previous year is a good sign. As the graph shows, the car-nage in Europe begun in September 08, and it was downhill from there. Expect more “growth” news from Europe for the following months, as a cautiously recovering market compares with a disastrous fall and winter of 2008. (Ignore August. All of Europe is on vacation in August, and next to nobody buys any cars while on vacation.) Country by country, it’s still a mixed bag.

Lithuania (- 63.9 percent) beats Iceland (-63.7) by a hair for the coveted title “basket case of Europe.” Germany (+ 40.5 percent) runs on Abwrackprämien-steroids. Astoundingly, tiny Slovakia must have overdosed on growth hormones to the tune of +57.4 percent.

On the market share front, same-old, same-old. The Volkswagen Group is still in an unassailable lead with a share of 21.3 percent of the European market on a first half of the year basis, followed by PSA (12.8 percent), and Ford ( 10.3 percent). The GM Group (as it is or was) is in a dead head with Fiat with a 9.1 percent share.

In the segments game, “premium” has turned into a dirty word. Anything fancy is being punished by falling sales. Case in point: Dacia, Romanian dictator Ceauşescu’s autoworks (now owned by Renault) which sells the bargain basement Logan, came in with a 58.2 percent plus in June, while BMW (-10.2 percent) and Daimler (- 2.7 percent) are still hemorrhaging. Neither the Mini (- 1 percent) nor the Smart (- 11 percent) could mollify the mediocre market for their masters’ automobiles.

Overall, Europe had never fallen as deep as the USA, and is slowly climbing out of the shallower hole. Next year, as the market will go through withdrawal symptoms from the “fleet renewal schemes” should become interesting.

For the deep data number crunchers: Europe in June as PDF, and for the spreadsheet jockeys, Europe in June in Excel.