The data are from ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association) and confirm the worst forecasts. In April there was an abrupt fall in the European car market.
If in March sales fell 55.1% in the European Union and 52.9% in all of Western Europe (EU+EFTA+United Kingdom) compared to the same period of the previous year, in April the scenario was even worse. It was the month when the continent practically stopped due to the control measures put in place to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the European Union, ACEA registered a 76.3% drop in sales compared to April 2019. If we count all of Western Europe (EU+EFTA+United Kingdom) the numbers are even worse, with the drop in sales to settle at 78.3%. In the first four months of the year, the drop in the European market (EU+EFTA+United Kingdom) is 39.1%.
The most affected countries…
Although virtually all countries have resented the strong restrictive measures applied to try to stop the Covid-19 pandemic, there were some where the drop in sales was more notorious.Subscribe to our newsletter
Thus, when we separate the results by country, Italy, one of the countries most affected by the pandemic crisis and the first to impose the state of emergency, saw its sales drop 97.6% compared to April 2019.
The scenario of an abrupt drop in sales is, however, common to many countries, especially: Belgium (-90.1%), Croatia (-87.5%), France (-88.8%), Ireland (-96.1%), Portugal (-87%), Spain (-96.5%) and the United Kingdom (-97.3%).
… and the builders
Obviously, the downturn in the European car market was also reflected in the manufacturers' results.
In April, the Jaguar Land Rover group was the one that saw sales drop the most. with a fall of 88.6% (EU+EFTA+UK). Behind him is Honda, whose sales fell 88.5% in April.
Already the FCA group, the biggest affected in March, saw sales fall 87.7%. In the PSA Group, the drop was 82.4%; at Nissan, 86.2%; 82.6% in Mazda and 80.1% in Daimler, with special emphasis on the 96.1% drop in Smart sales.
As for the Volkswagen Group, the European leader, its sales fell 75% in April. The other manufacturers and groups also had sharp falls: Renault Group (-79.5%), BMW Group (-69.7%), Hyundai Group (-79.3%), Toyota Group (-76%), Ford ( -80.7%) and Volvo (-68%).
What's next?
With many European countries gradually lifting containment measures, the hope is that the European car market will begin its recovery path.
As an example, the Chinese car market is practically recovered from the effects of the pandemic, with the month of April showing sales figures just 2% lower than those registered in the same period of 2019.
Sources: ACEA
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