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percent to 5 million tonnes. In the UK, steel production actually rose by 2.8 percent in April, but the four-month total was 15.8 percent lower at 2.8 million tonnes. In the rest of Europe, Turk- ish production increased by 4.7 percent in April and by 11.4 percent in the four months to 11.9 million tonnes. Th e four month-total for Serbia was 207,000 tonnes, down 67 percent from the previous year's total, while in Norway, steel production was up 40 percent in the fi rst four months at 253,000 tonnes. New car registrations in Europe fell by 6.5 percent in April compared to the previ- ous April, according to ACEA, the European Car Manufac- turers Association, while the four-month total showed a decrease of 7.1 percent to less than 4.5 million cars. German registrations actually rose by 2.9 percent in April and by 1.8 percent in the fi rst four months to over one million cars. UK registrations increased by 3.3 percent in April, while the four-month total was 1.4 percent up at 706,000. French registrations, however, fell by 1.9 percent in April and were 17.5 percent down in the four months at 674,000 cars. Ital- ian registrations, on the other hand, were down 18 percent in April and down 20 percent in the four months to 537,000 cars. Th e Spanish automotive market fared even worse with a 21.7 percent drop in the month and 7 percent in the January to April period to 260,000 cars. Th ese fi ve countries accounted for only 66 percent of the Euro- pean market. Crude steel production in the CIS countries fell by 4.7 percent in April, although Russian production was up 3.6 percent. Ukrainian steel pro- duction, however, was down by 17.7 percent. Th is brought the year to date total for the CIS down by 2.5 percent with Russia's four month total up 3.6 percent to 24 million tonnes. Ukrainian steel production decreased by 11.4 percent in the fi rst four months to 10.5 million tonnes. In Kazakhstan, steel production dropped by nearly 24 percent in the four months to 1.2 million tonnes. On the North American con- tinent, U.S. steel production rose by 9.3 percent in April and by 9.2 percent in the fi rst four months, bringing the year- to-date total to 30.9 million tonnes. Mexican steel produc- tion decreased by 6.1 percent in April, while the four month total was down by 3.8 percent to 5.8 million tonnes. Canadian steel production, however, only showed a slight fall in April but was up 8.5 percent in the fi rst four months, bringing the total to 4.7 million tonnes. U.S. imports of steel rose in March by 23 percent to 2.85 million tonnes, the high- est level since October 2008. Th e increase in semi-fi nished steel imports was particularly marked, up by 40 percent to 754,000 tonnes, which was just over one quarter of total IDA UNIVERSAL July-August 2012 imports in March. Over 90 per- cent of this tonnage was slabs, mainly from Brazil and Russia. Th e next largest product group imported was welded tubes, some 490,000 tonnes, which was 17 percent of total imports in March 2012. Line pipe accounted for 44 percent of the welded tubes imported in March with oil and gas casing tube accounting for a further 31 percent. Welded tubes were imported from a variety of countries with South Korea, Canada and Greece accounting for half the total. U.S. steel exports, on the other hand, have not risen, remaining at about 1.2 mil- lion tonnes in March 2012. However, the USA is the largest exporter of ferrous scrap in the world and exports rose to 2.15 million tonnes from a low point in January of 1.42 million tonnes. Th e March total was 14 percent higher than the March 2011 total. Sixty-two percent of ferrous scrap exports in March 2012 went to Asian countries, particularly China, South Korea and Taiwan, and a further 26 percent went to Turkey. Crude steel production in South America declined by 1.1 percent in April with Brazilian production down 1.2 percent, although the fi rst four months total was 1.7 percent higher at 11.8 million tonnes. Steel pro- duction in Argentina increased by 1.3 percent in April, while the four months total was up 4.3 percent to 1.8 million tonnes. Venezuelan produc- tion, however, fell by 8 percent in April, bringing the year to date total down 17 percent to 955,000 tonnes. In Africa and the Middle East, Iran's production rose by 0.6 percent in April, while the four-month total was up by 5.2 percent to 4.7 million tonnes. South African steel produc- tion, however, decreased by 24 percent in April, and by 18.6 percent in the four months to 2.3 million tonnes. Egyptian production rose by 7.6 percent in April, and by 4.6 percent in the fi rst four months to 2.2 million tonnes, while Saudi Arabian steel production was down 1.9 percent in April and 0.6 percent down in the four months to 1.8 million tonnes. Turning to the Far East, China's steel production increased by just 2.6 percent in April, bringing the four- month total up 1.9 percent to 234 million tonnes. Japanese crude steel production rose by 7.6 percent in April, while the January to April total fell by 1.4 percent to 35.6 million tonnes. South Korean production was up 2.1 percent in April with the four-month total at 23.3 million tonnes, 3.9 percent up on the same period in 2011. In India, production rose by 3.5 percent in April, bringing the four-month total to 24 million tonnes, just 0.8 percent higher than in 2011. Crude steel pro- duction in Taiwan was slightly down in April, and the year to date total was 8.9 percent lower at 7 million tonnes. ● www.steelonthenet.com/production. html, June 2012 57