Germany’s auto sales rise by 7 percent in February

BERLIN: New car sales in Germany increased about 7 percent to 261,000 vehicles in February, shrugging off a continuing downtrend in registrations of diesel-powered cars, an auto industry source said on Friday.
Sales of new passenger cars in Europe’s largest auto market increased to about 261,000 models last month, with two-month registrations up about 10 percent at 531,000 cars compared with year-earlier levels, the source said on condition he not be named ahead of publication of official data.
“The market has had a solid start into the year, order books are stocked up,” the person said.
Registrations of diesel-powered cars continued to decline by about 19 percent in February amid heightening debate about driving bans for the most polluting models, the source said.