The data shows that sales last month grew by 9.4%, marking the 25th consecutive month of growth. The selling rate stood at 13.3 million units/year for the latest month and LMCA said this continues to bode well for coming months, with further growth forecast in 2016, albeit at a slower pace than this year, reflecting more limited potential for further expansion among some key markets post‐2015.

The German car market continued to post solid YoY results; for the first nine months of the year the market was up 5.5%. Corporate sales continue to be the driver of this improvement, these having increased nearly 10% YtD. Private sales, on the other hand, were slightly lower in YoY terms (1.4% YtD). The Germany market will finish around the 3.2 million unit level for 2015, the best result since the scrappage incentive‐inflated 2009 result.

The UK market is also up well so far in 2015, and, while private retail sales are at least in positive territory, it is again the business side of the market that carries the real momentum. The UK is on course for a record result of 2.6 million car registrations in 2015, helped by attractive finance deals thanks to low interest rates.

At 1.1 million units/year, the Spanish car market posted its best selling rate in five years. With improving household budgets and falling unemployment, combined with a relatively old vehicle parc, prospects for further solid growth are expected over the course of the next few years; the 2015 registration total is forecast to eclipse 1 mn units.

The Italian car market also looked somewhat stronger, with the selling rate picking up a little after a lull in recent months. As with the Spanish market, there remains plenty of scope for further market growth under the assumption of supportive economic conditions.

Car registrations in France were up well, with the selling rate climbing to 2 million units/year for September, and while the full‐year result will be somewhat better than 2014, LMCA said there is still room for some growth improvement over the next few years here too.