Between January and September this year, new passenger car registrations in Latvia increased by 35.7%, marking one of the fastest growth rates in the European Union (EU), according to the latest data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
In total, 17,516 new passenger cars were registered in Latvia during the first nine months of the year. Among EU member states, only Lithuania recorded a faster increase — up by 41.5%.
Meanwhile, the sharpest declines among all countries included in the ACEA report were seen in Estonia (-40.5%), Malta (-20.6%), Belgium (-9.2%), and France (-6.3%).
Across the European Union as a whole, new car registrations rose by a modest 0.9% between January and September, while across all 31 countries monitored by ACEA (including the EU, the EEA countries Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland, as well as the United Kingdom), overall new car sales increased by 1.5%.
At the same time, the sales of U.S. electric car manufacturer Tesla in the EU fell sharply — down 38.7% year-on-year in the first nine months and 18.6% in September alone. Analysts attribute this drop partly to the negative fallout from Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s involvement in U.S. politics.
ACEA compiles data on new car registrations across EU member states, EEA countries (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland), and the United Kingdom.
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