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WLTP Inflates European Car Sales to Record Levels in August

Nearly 1.2 million new cars were registered in Europe last month, making it the best selling August in the past 20 years and the highest monthly growth registered in almost a decade. But it may all be but a lie.
A 30 percent increase in sales in August is attributed to WLTP coming into effect 6 photos
Photo: JATO Dynamics
August European car salesAugust European car salesAugust European car salesAugust European car salesAugust European car sales
According to data compiled by JATO Dynamics, one of the key elements justifying the growth in sales is the carmakers’ desire to get rid of unregistered cars before the new Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) came into effect on at the beginning of September.

JATO says the unusually high sales numbers for typically slow-selling segments, as well as booming registrations for businesses and fleets, are proof of that assertion.

By September 1, carmakers had to test all of their models under the new procedure. That meant sending down the road every single variant of any given model, because every little thing changed for a trim level could affect emission levels. Cars that were left untested by September 1 could no longer have legally been sold in Europe.

“As we anticipated last month, it’s clear that registrations were boosted in August by car makers rushing to register their vehicles before the introduction of WLTP,” said in a statement JATO Analyst Felipe Munoz.

“The evidence of the WLTP effect shows how ill-prepared car makers were, and it will be interesting to see how car makers continue to respond to WLTP in the coming months,“

JATO says that all of the best selling brands in August have had their numbers boosted by fleet registrations.

For instance, Volkswagen’s sales grew by 45 percent compared to the same month last year, with its business/fleet registrations accounting for two out of three cars sold.

Renault sold 72 percent more cars than in August 2017, boosted by the 61 percent rise in business/fleet sales.

For Audi, 73 percent of all total August sales were to businesses or fleets.

As a result of this practice, the sale of diesel cars, which for months have been decreasing, registered an increase of 13 percent.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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