German new car sales rise in June d

FRANKFURT: New car registrations in Germany, a key indicator of demand in Europe’s top economy, rose strongly in June, official data showed on Monday.A total of 339,600 new cars were registered last month, up eight percent from the figure for the same month in 2015, according to data compiled by the car manufacturers’ federation VDA.Taking the six months to June as a whole, new registrations were up seven percent at 1.734 million cars over the same period a year earlier, VDA calculated.”The German domestic car maker is showing a vitality that not many people expected,” said VDA president Matthias Wissmann.Already at the start of May, VDA had raised its annual forecast for new car registrations this year to an increase of three percent to 3.3 million.Prior to that, it had been pencilling in an increase of one percent to 3.23 million.The first-half performance “is a good starting position for a successful second half,” Wissmann said.”2016 will be another year of growth.”