LONDON (AFX) - European new passenger car registrations rose 4.1 pct from a year earlier to 1,788,723 units in March, according to constructor association ACEA's website.
It said the positive result was partly due to at least one extra working day in all countries, adding that the numbers confirmed a good start to the year.
For the first quarter, European registrations were up 3.2 pct from a year earlier.
Among the top European carmakers, the Fiat group again showed the most growth, with registrations up 20.2 pct to 123,481 units, followed by Volkswagen's 10.2 pct rise to 312,046 units. Registrations of DaimlerChrysler group passenger cars rose 9.3 pct from a year earlier in March, and those of Peugeot group were up 1.3 pct, but Renault registrations slipped 5 pct year-on-year.
ACEA said three out of the five main European markets posted growth in March, with registrations in Italy up 8.6 pct year-on-year, those in Spain up 8.3 pct and Germany's up 6.9 pct. But France saw a fall of 2.5 pct from March 2005, and registrations in the UK were down 1.6 pct.
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