FILE PHOTO - An employee works on the assembly line of the Nissan Micra at the Renault SA car factory in Flins, near Paris, France, February 23, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) - Western European car registrations rose 4.6 percent in October as surging demand for new vehicles in France and southern Europe more than made up for a sharp UK sales decline, according to industry data compiled by LMC automotive.

Registrations rose to 1.095 million cars from 1.047 million a year earlier, the consulting firm said on Monday. Its numbers are based on a combination of published national data and estimates for some smaller markets that have yet to report.

The seasonally adjusted annualised rate (SAAR) of Western European sales declined 0.9 percent from September levels to 14.036 million cars, LMC said.

“France, Spain and Italy have seen significant gains amid strong economic fundamentals in the eurozone, while low consumer and business confidence in the UK has resulted in another month of disappointing sales,” LMC analyst David Oakley said.

Registrations rose 13.7 percent in France and Spain and 7.1 percent in Italy, according to data published in recent days. But UK car sales plunged 12.2 percent, the country’s SMMT industry group reported on Monday, amid uncertainties over Brexit as well as government policy on diesels.

Sales in Germany, the region’s biggest market, rose 3.9 percent in October from already high 2016 levels. Western European sales are up 2.9 percent for the year so far, LMC said.