European car sales plunge 52% in March because of coronavirus

New-car sales tumbled 52 percent in Europe’s major markets in March as lockdowns imposed due to the new coronavirus took their toll, data showed on Friday.

In March, new-car registrations dropped to 853,077 vehicles in the European Union, Britain and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, industry association ACEA said.

Sales fell in all EU markets, with Italy — hit particularly hard by the pandemic — reporting the biggest drop of 85 percent, while registrations tumbled by 38 percent in Germany, 44 percent in the UK, 72 percent in France and 69 percent in Spain.

Volkswagen Group’s Europe sales decreased by 44 percent in March, while Renault Group and PSA Group posted a drop of 64 percent and 67 percent, respectively. Fiat Group registrations plunged 74 percent.

Read more via Automotive News Europe

 

 

 

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