Korea's Hyundai Motor was the only automaker to post better sales in the European car market. The European Automobile Manufacturers Association says Hyundai saw an 11 percent increase in terms of units sold in 28 European countries during the first four months of this year compared to the same period last year.

All other automakers in the market saw their sales drop, bringing down overall sales by 16 percent.

Hyundai says new models appealing to Europeans have brought about the recent success.