Volkswagen missing out on European car boom

AUTOS

Volkswagen missing out on European car boom

The Associated Press Published Wednesday, March 16, 2016 3:26AM EDT

A giant logo of the German car manufacturer Volkswagen is pictured on top of a company's factory building in Wolfsburg, Germany on Sept. 26, 2015 . (AP / Michael Sohn)

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MILAN - Volkswagen, penalized down by its emissions scandal, continues to miss out on the booming European car market.

The European carmakers' association, ACEA, said Wednesday that February sales in Europe accelerated by 14.3 per cent, but VW brand deliveries nudged up just 4.4 per cent. VW group sales, boosted by Audi and Skoda, grew by 8 per cent, as market share eroded to 23.9 per cent.

That compares with double-digit expansion by mass-market and premium competitors alike, with Fiat Chrysler showing the strongest growth at 23 per cent.

Overall, carmakers sold 1.05 million units, with double-digit growth in Italy, France, Spain and Germany. The results reflect an extra working day for leap year.

IHS Automotive expects 2016 market growth to moderate after January and February, forecasting 3-per cent growth to 3.28 million units this year.