* Six-month sales up 5 pct to 1.62 mln -VDA
* FY 2015 sales could exceed 3.1 mln estimate -VDA
* German gain chimes with France, Italy, Spain sales rises (Adds VDA, analyst comments, detail and background)
BERLIN, July 2 (Reuters) - New car registrations in Germany jumped 13 percent in June, the highest monthly gain this year, helped by two extra sales days and a growing economy, the VDA industry association said.
Passenger-car sales in Europe's largest market increased to 313,600 autos, expanding first-half registrations by 5 percent to 1.62 million vehicles, VDA said.
Vehicle demand is helped by private consumption in Germany which is benefiting from higher employment and low inflation, VDA president Matthias Wissmann told a news conference.
German unemployment fell for a ninth straight month, the Federal Labour Office said earlier this week, reinforcing expectations that consumer spending will continue to drive growth.
"The German auto market is steering the course," Wissmann said, reaffirming the VDA's forecast for sales to grow 2 percent this year to 3.1 million autos.
"This is a rather conservative estimate because the market is recovering," he added, indicating the possibility of an upward revision in September.
The surge in German registrations mirrors double-digit gains last month in France, Italy and Spain, three of Europe's top five markets, suggesting the region is maintaining its steady recovery. ]
"European (auto) industry margins can return to, or even exceed, pre-crisis levels as replacement demand kicks in, and labour and capital costs decline," said an analyst note by Exane BNP Paribas published on Tuesday.
By comparison, German registrations fell 7 percent in May with two fewer selling days compared with the same month a year earlier.
Adjusted for the effect of the additional working days, underlying sales growth in May and June came in at a combined 3 percent, a VDA spokeswoman said. (Reporting by Andreas Cremer; Editing by Kirsti Knolle and Mark Trevelyan)