German Car Industry Expands Market Share In US, China - VDA

German car makers gained market share in the U.S. and China in November, German automotive industry association VDA said Friday, following data earlier in the day showing declining new car registrations in Europe.

VDA said German manufacturers sold 24% more passenger cars in the U.S. in November, compared with the year earlier month. That is well above the 14% market growth in the region overall.

"Every eighth passenger car that is newly registered in the U.S. is from a German manufacturer," VDA President Matthias Wissmann pointed out.

In China, Germany's car makers also increased market share, Wissmann said, pointing to double- digit percentage sales growth for German car companies in November, while overall sales rose 2% in China.

"For the full year, we expect 12.2 million passenger cars to be sold in China overall, and a fifth of this figure to be German cars," he added.

The gains in the U.S. and China contrast with a 3% drop on the year in European new car registration data for November, released earlier in the day by the European automobile manufacturers' association, ACEA.

-By Nicky Redl, Dow Jones Newswires: [phone]: [e-mail]