Registrations last month came to 1.703 million cars, the consulting firm said on Thursday. Its numbers are based on national data and estimates for some smaller markets.

The seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of Western European sales fell 5.9 percent to 14.09 million, LMC said.

Sales fell 15.7 percent in Britain, 5.8 percent in Italy and 3.4 percent in Germany, according to data published in recent days, while rising more than 2 percent in France and Spain.

The British decline was accentuated by a year-earlier sales surge, ahead of tax increases in April 2017, LMC said.

(Reporting by Laurence Frost; Editing by Richard Lough)