New car sales in Europe rose 6.2 percent in January, industry data showed on Tuesday, as a gradual recovery in the region gained momentum and along with retail incentives and new product launches boosted demand for most brands. New passenger car registrations in the European Union and European Free Trade Association trading block rose to 1.03 million vehicles in January from 968,451 in the same month last year, according to data from the Association of European Carmakers .