MUNICH: European car registrations fell sharply in August, deepening the woes of an industry battling sluggish demand in key markets and the challenge of rolling out electric vehicles.
Sales dropped 8.4%, the steepest decline this year, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. The fall was partly due to exceptionally high growth in the same month a year earlier as manufacturers rushed out models ahead of tough new emissions-testing rules. The latest figures led Volkswagen AG shares down 0.4% in early trading in Frankfurt and BMW AG 0.3% lower.