The EU automotive industry should expect “modest” growth in 2016
Car sales in the EU soared in 2015 with an overall growth of 9.3 per cent compared to the previous year, but the president of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) is expecting a more “modest” increase in 2016.
Dieter Zetsche, president of ACEA, revealed his expectations for the year ahead, before the association’s 25th Anniversary Reception which was held on January 21 in Belgium’s capital, Brussels. Mr Zetsche said that the automotive industry is “moving in the right direction again” since the global financial crisis of 2008, which effected economies all across the world.
In 2015, the EU countries sold 13.7 million passenger cars, which was described as “great progress” but “well below” the pre-crisis sale of 15.5 million passenger cars in 2007. The EU production figures seem to mirror the sales figures; there was an overall increase in production by 6.2 per cent compared to 2014, with the production of 15.9 million cars, but this falls far short of the 2007 figure.
“For 2016 we anticipate a much more modest sales increase for both passenger cars and commercial vehicles … We expect car sales to go up by around 2%, reaching roughly 14 million units.” commented Mr Zetsche.
The president of ACEA also said that there needs to be an improvement in the test methods and the test laboratory technology used by the EU for the measurement of CO2 emissions produced by automotive vehicles: “There is no doubt; we need new test cycles in Europe. However, important regulations on CO2, emissions and test cycles continue to be drafted separately.”
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