Registrations in Germany declined by 3.6 percent in October to 274,303 vehicles, the KBA motor vehicle authority said in a statement on Wednesday.
Brands that bucked the downward trend with positive results were Lexus, Dacia, Renault and Audi, while Ford, VW, BMW and Tesla had a bad sales month.
Lexus registrations jumped 77 percent, Dacia's volume rose 58 percent and Renault was up 28 percent.
Audi and Opel both increased sales by 23 percent. Fiat gained 21 percent.
In contrast, Ford's registrations fell 26 percent, VW brand sales were down 17 percent, BMW and Tesla each slipped by 14 percent and Mercedes-Benz dipped 2.7 percent.
- Click here to download Germany's October sales by brand
Sales of full-electric cars rose by 365 percent to 23,158 for an 8.4 market share. Registrations of plug-in cars rose 256 percent to 24,859 for a 9.1 share.
Sales of gasoline cars dropped 30 percent, giving the fuel a 42.1 share, diesel sales fell 19 percent for a 26.0 share.
The VDIK importers association said sales to private buyers were driving the market, with private new car registrations up 7 percent in October. Sales to business customers fell 9 percent.
It's difficult to estimate how the market will develop for the rest of the year, the VDIK said, even though German dealerships are allowed to remain open during the country's November lockdown to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Germany follows other major European markets that had sales declines last month on COVID-19 and economic worries.
The French market fell 10 percent, Spanish registrations plunged 21 percent and Italian sales were flat.
