The Spanish Automobile Manufacturers Association ANFAC announced that in December 2013, new car sales in Spain reached 60,513 units, an increase of 18.2% year-on-year. The total sales for 2013 were 722,703 units, up 3.3% compared to 699,589 units in 2012.
ANFAC spokesperson David Barrientos stated that the growth rate of the Spanish automobile market in the fourth quarter of 2013 was 22%, the highest since the second quarter of 2010. However, sales this year remain low, with most vehicles in the country being over ten years old.
According to official statistics, in the third quarter of 2013, Spain emerged from economic stagnation, with a GDP increase of 0.1%, but the unemployment rate remained as high as 26%. For example, in December 2013, IKEA in Spain received 20,000 job applications, but the actual number of hires was only 400.