Europe's auto recovery gains pace and breadth

By Laurence Frost

PARIS, April 8 (Reuters) - Western European auto sales rose 10.7 percent in March as a regional recovery broadened to France, according to industry data published on Wednesday.

Registrations last month increased to 1.56 million cars from 1.41 million a year earlier, according to data and estimates compiled by consulting firm LMC Automotive.

That lifted the annual selling rate to 13.15 million cars in March from 12.91 million the previous month.

"We're finally seeing a strong rebound in the market after years of underperformance," LMC analyst Jonathon Poskitt said.

The solid sales growth recorded in Europe's five biggest markets was helped by a "backdrop of improving consumer confidence" across the region, he added.

The data, an aggregation of published registrations and projections for smaller markets, show a regional gain powered by a belated upturn in France - where registrations rose 9.3 percent, outpacing Germany's 9 percent advance.

The UK annualised selling rate also extended its climb to 2.69 million vehicles in March, according to LMC calculations based on registrations published earlier in the day, keeping it well ahead of third-ranked France's 1.98 million.

Spain, Italy and Portugal have also continued to record double-digit sales growth as they recover from a steep demand collapse following the 2008 financial crisis. (Editing by James Regan)