Spanish lead Europe in March car sales

(Renault and Dominique Dumas)

Spanish car sales soared again in March, according to figures released over the weekend by industry association ANFAC.

Ongoing subsidies propelled car sales to 124,756 units in compared to March 2009, following a 47 percent rise in February. The Renault Megane was the most popular model sold in the country during March, followed by the Citroen C4 and the SEAT Ibiza.

Italy reported a rise of nearly 20 percent, with the Fiat Punto, Ford Fiesta and Fiat Panda the first, second and third most popular models respectively.

France reported a 17.9 percent rise in sales, with 242,763 vehicles registered.

During Great Britain's final month of the scrappage scheme, which ended midnight on March 31, 397,383 new vehicles were registered, a 26 percent rise on March 2009. During the duration of the scheme, around 20 percent of new cars bought were bought with government assistance.

However, Germany reported another fall in sales of 27 percent. It is the fourth consecutive fall for the German car market, which analysts believe has been damaged by the end of the scrappage scheme. Car makers in Great Britain in particular will be anxiously waiting for April's figures to determine the effect of the end of the scrappage scheme there.