Car sales in Western Europe:

November: Up 4% October: Up 8.3% September: Up 3.1% Source: European Automobile Manufacturers Association

In November, sales rose 4% compared with the same months last year, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said.

The car makers' organisation described the rise as "encouraging... given the current economic situation."

In the 15 European Union countries, the rise was weaker, though, at 3.7%.

This figure excludes car sales in Switzerland, Norway and Iceland.

In September, car sales in Western Europe rose 3.1% while in October sales shot up by 8.3% compared with a year earlier.

UK takes the lead

All the four largest markets in Europe saw car sales rise in November.

In the UK, where price cuts and a new style number plate have fuelled sales, the rise was 13.4%.

German and Spanish car sales rose 4.1%. In Italy, sales rose 3.7% while in France a 3.3% rise was recorded.

Car sales fell in half the countries surveyed.

Austria, Finland, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Iceland and Norway all saw new car registrations fall in November compared with a year earlier.

MG Rover sales slip

For the year so far, the makers of Peugeot and Citroen, PSA, saw an 11% rise in sales, more than any other car maker.

The UK's MG Rover suffered a 20.4% fall after selling less than 200,000 cars so far this year.

During November, BMW took a lead, recording a near 24% rise in sales.