New-car sales in Germany rose 5 percent in September to 260,062, bouncing back from a drop of 0.4 percent the month before, the German Federal Transport Office (KBA) reported. Nine-month sales rose 3 percent to 2.28 million, the KBA said.

Germany joined France and Italy in reporting a rebound in monthly registrations after poor August results, a seasonally weak vacation month throughout Europe.

Sales in France, the region’s No. 2 market rose 6 percent last month, the CCFA industry organization reported on Wednesday, after falling 3 percent in August. Italy registrations rose 3 percent in September after flat sales the month before slipped 0.2 percent. Spanish sales were up 26 percent in September, boosted by a government scrappage scheme, car manufacturers’ association Anfac said on Wednesday. Car registrations have now risen for 13 straight months in the market, Anfac said.

Europe’s car industry has endured a six-year slump, with sales falling last year to their lowest level in two decades as austerity-hit consumers cut back on expensive purchases, but the market has gradually returned to growth.

In July, LMC Automotive predicted “more slow and steady growth” for the remainder of 2014 in Europe, with Germany predicted to grow 3 percent to 4 percent on last year’s 2.95 million deliveries.

The Mini brand was one of the winners in the German auto market last month as sales rose 19 percent, boosted by a change to the new Mini hatchback model. Audi had the biggest rise among the premium brands last month in Germany, jumping 10 percent against BMW’s 2 percent rise and Mercedes-Benz’s 1 percent fall.

German sales of the Volkswagen brand, the market’s best-selling marque, rose 9 percent last month.