New car sales in the European Union registered a year-on-year rise of 7.2 per cent in September, reaching a record for the month in volume terms, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) reported on Friday. Just over 1.455 million vehicles were sold last month.  "In volume terms, this result marked the highest September total on record," ACEA said in a statement. 

    New car sales are a closely watched indicator of economic health. In the EU, they fell sharply following the 2008 global financial crash,but have been rising steadily since September 2013, save for a blip in July.

    Among major EU nations, vehicle sales in September increased by 17.4 per cent in Italy, 13.9 per cent in Spain and 9.4 per cent in Germany, the bloc's biggest market. Sales were up by only 2.5 per cent in France and 1.6 per cent in Britain. In the January-September period, the market expanded by 8 per cent on a yearly basis, to more than 11.243 million units, the trade group said.