A total of 387,699 new cars were sold in the Netherlands in 2009, a 22.5% decline on 2008, according to new figures from the car sector organisations Bovag and RAI.

In 2008, just under 500,000 new cars were bought.
Both organisations say the market will stabilise in 2010. ‘Last year was particularly bad for car sales,’ they said in a statement. In December 2009, for example, car sales were up 15% on the previous year when the the economic crisis had already kicked in.
The Volkswagen Golf was the most popular new car, followed by the Toyota Aygo and Ford Fiesta.