New car sales in the European Union rose 14% in February, helped in part by the extra sales day afforded by the leap year, though auto executives have cautioned that full-year growth will be more modest even as volumes head back toward precrisis levels. Italy, with sales up 27%, led double-digit gains in Europe's biggest auto markets, including France, Germany and Spain, though growth in the U.K. was a relatively modest 8.4% compared with February last year.