Summary: Global automobile sales in 2012 by region and by nation

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai) - According to statistics collected by the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers and compiled by Gasgoo.com (Chinese), a total of 81.74 million automobiles were sold in 2012, 4.9 percent more than the amount sold the previous year. The Asia-Pacific and Middle East region accounted for the greatest amount, 38.03 million units, or 46.5 percent, of automobile sales last year. By comparison, the region only constituted for just 30.4 percent of global sales in 2005.

Meanwhile, the proportion of automobile sales made in the Americas and Europe has decreased over the years. In 2005, the two regions accounted for 35.6 percent and 32.3 percent of the world's automobile sales, respectively. Those two figures have fallen to 28.9 percent and 22.8 percent last year. Sales made in the Americas last year totaled 23.6 million vehicles, growing 9.8 percent from 2011. European automobile sales were hindered by the eurozone credit crisis, falling 5.5 percent from 2011 to 2012.

Looking at individual nations, China remained the world's largest market for automobile sales in 2012, with a total of 19.31 million sales made in the country. It was followed by the US, Japan, Brazil, India, Germany, Russia, the UK, France and Canada. China and the US were the only two countries whose sales exceeded the ten million mark, with third place Japan not managing to exceed the six million sales barrier.

Comparing figures from the previous year, Germany, France and Italy all saw their automobile sales fall from 2011 to 2012. The three countries suffered negative year-on-year growth of 3.3 percent, 13.2 percent and 21 percent, respectively. The other nations on the list all saw their automobile sales increase, with Japan's vehicle sales growing a full 27.4 percent, thanks to recovery to the introduction of new government subsidies and stimulatory policies.