German New Car Registrations to Rise About 4% This Year - VDA

By Sarah Sloat

FRANKFURT--German new car registrations will rise about 4% this year and increase modestly next year despite the emissions scandal that has shaken trust in the industry, automobile association VDA said Tuesday.

New registrations are expected to hit 3.17 million in Germany this year, up 4% from 2014, and rise to about 3.2 million in 2016, the industry association said. In November, new car registrations in Germany rose 9% to 272,000 units, it said.

"There's no question that misconduct has damaged trust in the affected company, the entire sector and not least in diesel technology," VDA President Matthias Wissmann said, referring to Volkswagen AG's admitted use of engine software that let diesel vehicles circumvent pollution standards.

Mr. Wissmann said, however, that the industry shouldn't be demonized because of the scandal. Diesel remains a fixture in the future of automobile industry, he said, and is important in helping to cap greenhouse gases.

"Every second new car that is sold in Western Europe is a diesel, and every second diesel car sold in Western Europe is made by German manufacturers," Mr. Wissmann said.

Write to sarah Sloat at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 01, 2015 07:54 ET (12:54 GMT)

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