European auto sales rise 27 percent

(vnovikov)

European auto sales rose 26.6 percent in November from the same month last year, still supported by bonus offers for customers who trade in older vehicles, the European auto manufacturers' association (ACEA) said Tuesday.

It said 1,182,082 new cars were sold last month in 28 countries, the 27 European Union members minus Cyprus and Malta plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

Sales in the first 11 months however were down 2.8 percent from the same period of 2008.

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