Brussels, 17/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - Sales of new cars dropped by 5.5% in the European Union in 2010, compared with 2009, as scrapping premiums were gradually phased out, according to figures published by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) on Friday 14 January. In all, 13.36 million new cars were registered in the EU25 (figures for Malta and Cyprus were not available). December 2010 was the ninth consecutive month that new car sales had fallen. Compared with December 2009, sales fell by 3.2% to 1,009,638 new units. The decline is less marked, however, than in previous months: it was 7.1% in November and 16.6% in October. In the major European car markets, new sales fell by 23.4% in Germany in 2010 with 2.92 million vehicles, by 9.2% in Italy and 2.2% in France to 2.25 million vehicles. However, sales rose by 3.1% in Spain to 982,015 vehicles, by 1.8% in the United Kingdom to 2.03 million and even by 54.7% in Ireland to 88,273 units, following a 62.1% fall in 2009. The market also grew significantly in Latvia (32.9% to 4,900 units), Denmark (34.8% to 151,500 units), Portugal (38.8% to 223,400 units) and in Sweden (35.7% to 286,900 new registrations). (A.By./transl.rt)