By Inti Landauro

PARIS--The rebound in the French car market slowed down in September as new-car registrations rose 2.5% after a 6.7% increase in August.

New-car registrations, a proxy for new-car sales, rose to 168,827 vehicles in September, according to data from the country's car manufacturing association, CCFA. New-car registrations rose 5.7% during the first nine months of the year.

After several years of decline, France's car market--Europe's largest after Germany and the U.K.--notched strong growth in 2015 and the rebound had continued into 2016 against an improving economic backdrop and increased consumer spending.

Registrations of new cars made by French manufacturer PSA Peugeot Citroen (UG.FR) fell 6.8% while its cross-town rival Renault SA (RNO.FR) saw an 8.2% increase during the month.

Registrations of cars made by Volkswagen AG (VOW.XE), the most popular foreign maker in France, rose 8.1%.

Write to Inti Landauro at inti.landauro@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 01, 2016 04:52 ET (08:52 GMT)