The firm’s data shows that the global June market rose 2.1% to 7,373,764 units from 7,219,739 in June 2013 and also remained above the 87 million units/year level again, on a seasonally adjusted annualised basis, after a similarly strong May outcome.

Year-to-date sales are up 3.9% to 43,761,687 from 42,138,204 for the first six months of 2013.

The firm added that the recent market improvers – China, the US, and Western Europe – continued to offset weakness in other markets, notably in South America and Eastern Europe. Brazilian sales fell as the World Cup diverted consumer attention.

Looking at the US, LMCA said that there was another strong result in June and, with a Light Vehicle selling rate of close to 17 million units/year, the market could be considered as having fully recovered from the 2009 recession. It may be difficult to sustain this high level of sales in later months of the year, however, so the overall 2014 is likely to be below 16.5 million units.

Likewise in Canada, sales remain at a high level and LMCA said that its expectation that the market may close in on, though perhaps not surpass, 1.8 million units this year remains on track.

However in Europe on a seasonally adjusted annualised basis, the situation deteriorated further in Central and Eastern Europe in June as Russian sales dragged the regional total down. Russia was not the only concern, however, with sales still much weakened in Turkey and Ukraine. Some stability is expected to emerge in coming months but a rapid turnaround is not likely this year.

In Western Europe, Light Vehicle sales continued to improve with a selling rate of 13.6 million units/year, running slightly ahead of the firm’s full-year expectation. More slow and steady growth is expected in the remainder of this year.

For China, advance data indicates that the market has remained buoyant, with the June selling rate reaching 24 million units/year; little changed from May. While passenger vehicle sales were strong, light commercial vehicle (LCV) sales were weak due to the uncertainty surrounding the implementation of China’s IV emission standards for LCVs.

Looking ahead, the government’s recent mini fiscal stimulus measures and some monetary easing are expected to help support the economy and vehicle sales. On the other hand, falling property prices in many cities may start to dampen consumer confidence.

Meanwhile, the Japanese market has remained resilient after the consumption tax hike in April, in part due to back-orders that were still eligible for the lower tax. In particular, mini vehicles, which account for about 40% of sales in Japan, have continued to post a year-over-year gains.

In South Korea, the selling rate averaged a robust 1.6 million units/year so far this year, boosted by new model launches and strong sales of high-end imports. Yet a slowing economy suggests that such a pace may not be maintained in the coming months.

Looking at South America, as expected, the selling rate in Brazil fell below 3 million units/year in June, as consumers were busy watching the World Cup. Sales are projected to rebound after the competition, but the outlook remains clouded by tighter credit and high inflation. The IPI tax cut has been extended through to the end of this year, but its effectiveness to boost sales is questionable.

Finally, LMCA said the market in Argentina has undergone a collapse in 2014 – the selling rate switched from the 900,000 units/year level in 2013 to a rate of closer to 600,000 units/year in the three months to May – and the current-year outlook is clouded further by risks associated with the ongoing debt negotiations.