(Bloomberg) -- Annual car sales in Europe dropped for the first time since 2013, led by a sagging U.K. market where concerns over Brexit turned off consumers -- and have only intensified as politicians argue over the path to a divorce.

Passenger-car registrations dropped 0.04 percent to 15.6 million vehicles in the European Union and European Free Trade Association, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. This follows four months of straight declines after new EU emissions test rules came into force, leading to production bottlenecks.

Key Insights

Market Reaction

• Shares of European carmakers gained on Wednesday, after Prime Minister Theresa May’s defeated plan in Parliament increased the chances of a delay in Brexit. Daimler AG, Aston Martin, BMW AG, PSA Group and Renault were all up slightly as of 8:18 a.m. in London.

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