Now we know why ACEA took a vacation last month: To spare Europe the drama involved in an 18.6 percent drop in the month of July.  Compared to that, the 12.9 percent drop in August looks like an improvement.  Back from vacation, Europe’s (Automobile Manufacturers’ Association  ACEA reported numbers for both months today, and at first glance, they look horrible.

Eight months into the year, the number looks less dramatic: 9,021,703 units were sold so far, only 3.5 percent less than over the same period a year ago. From January to August the French bough 2.0 percent more cars, the Brits 13.2 percent more, the supposedly troubled market in Spain absorbed an amazing 21.9 percent more. The losers in the first eight months are Italy (-2.5 percent) and Germany (-28.7 percent). The steepest fall occurred in Bulgaria (-39.1 percent), the highest increase in Ireland (+49.6 percent).

Amongst major manufacturer groups, not much excitement. Volkswagen leads with an unassailable 23.7 percent  market share, they actually gained half a percent over the same period last year. BMW trades places with  Toyota, BMW now ranks 7th, Toyota ranks 8th, separated by 0.2 percent of market share. Hyundai gains half a percent of market share and replaces Nissan on rank 10.

If you want the  numbers in mind-numbing detail: The announcement as PDF, the July numbers as Excel sheet, and the August numbers as Excel sheet.