New-car sales in Spain and France rose sharply in October, helped by government subsidies for car buyers.

Scrappage scheme sales have sparked a European recovery in new car sales by 7.5% in September.

US car and light truck sales came close to plumbing new 2009 lows in September, with weak consumer demand exacerbated by the expiry of cash-for-clunkers scrappage incentives and unusually low inventories of some popular models.

New-car sales in Russia fell 52 percent in September year-on-year showing no major improvement from previous months, a leading business association said on Thursday, predicting tough figures in the rest of 2009.

New-car sales in Britain rose an annual 11.4 percent in September, their third consecutive rise, helped by a government scrapping incentive scheme, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said on Tuesday.

Germany's new-car market grew by 21 percent in September and orders fell a less-than-feared 12 percent even as a scrappage scheme for old autos ran out of money, the VDA vehicle manufacturers' association said on Friday.

Government cash propped up an ailing European auto industry in September as new-car sales were boosted by measures to entice buyers.

New car registrations rose by 11.4% in a busy September plate change month to 367,929 units, marking the third successive rise in figures.

The five biggest European new car markets grew volumes in August, according to research by Jato Dynamics. The total European market for the month rose by 6.2 per cent.

News that European car sales rose for a third consecutive month in August helped lift the mood at the Frankfurt Motor Show, where automakers will showcase "green" technology they hope will transform the industry.