The key models leading the sales charge were the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Fiesta, Fiat Punto, Fiat Panda and Renault Megane, which where the only best-sellers to increase their sales year-to-date (YTD).

The figures were recorded by automotive intelligence company JATO Dynamics which shows the YTD deficit across Europe has been reduced to 5.7% as a result of September’s performance.

David Di Girolamo, head of JATO Consult, remains unconvinced that these performances are sustainable: “We are still seeing the market recovery driven by small cars and new models – in other words, the popular choices in national scrappage schemes.

“This has clearly distorted the natural performance of some markets and models. Now the end is in sight for these incentives, we will be watching the market closely, to see if this recovery is sustainable.”

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